Iain Robert Balshaw, MBE (born 18 April 1979) is an English former rugby union player who played on the wing or at full back for Bath, Leeds Carnegie, Gloucester and Biarritz Olympique. He won 35 international caps for England between 2000 and 2008, and three for the British & Irish Lions in 2001. He was a member of the England squad that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Early life Born 18 April 1979 in Blackburn, England, Balshaw was educated at the Jesuit Stonyhurst College in Lancashire. Club career Bath At junior level he played for Preston Grasshoppers and joined Bath as a teenager in 1997. He made his senior debut in 1998, scoring thirteen tries in his first season. Leeds Carnegie After Balshaw's move to Leeds in July 2004, his game at club level flourished. Balshaw was out of action for the beginning of the season with a groin injury, but after three months of work with the Leeds medical staff he was back to fitness. He made his debut off the bench in the Tykes first home win of the season against Worcester Warriors. Balshaw's first start came away against Grenoble in the European Challenge Cup and he has featured in the starting line up for the Tykes subsequent games. After a run of five impressive starts Balshaw was rewarded with the captaincy for the Powergen Cup semi-final game against London Irish, and this performance saw him gain a recall to the England squad. He started the final itself, but he limped off injured early on in the game as his teammates went on to win the trophy. Gloucester Rugby Following Leeds Carnegie's relegation from the Guinness Premiership, in April 2006 Balshaw joined Gloucester Rugby. He made his debut against his old club Bath after making 106 Premiership appearances for Bath and Leeds scoring 38 tries. Biarritz Olympique Balshaw moved to Biarritz Olympique in 2009, as part of a large exodus of English players to the French Top 14. On 11 July 2014, Balshaw announced his retirement from rugby with immediate effect after failing to recover from his knee injuries. International career Balshaw was picked on the replacements’ bench for every one of Englands internationals in 2000. He won his first cap for England in 2000 at the inaugural Six Nations Championship match against Ireland, coming on as a substitute. In November 2000, he came on late in