Benjamin James Foden (born 22 July 1985) is an English rugby union player who plays for Rugby United New York (RUNY) in Major League Rugby (MLR). A fullback or scrum-half, he won 34 caps for England between 2009 and 2013. He also plays as a Wing. Career Born in Chester, Foden was educated at Bishop Heber High School in Malpas, Cheshire before moving to the sixth form at Bromsgrove School. His Bromsgrove School teacher Paul Mullan was a big influence on his career, as was his father, Rob, who coached Ben and brother Tom's youth team. Foden's career has been divided between playing at scrum-half and fullback, though he can also operate on the wing. In an interview in March 2009, Foden accepted that his future lay at playing fullback. Foden played for Cheshire and North of England U16s, and England U16s. He then went on to play for England U19s, and England Counties. Club He joined Sale Sharks in 2004. Foden's desire to play scrum half saw him sign for Northampton Saints on the basis of a promise to play him at his preferred position; a promise that Sale Sharks could not give him, considering his strong performances at full-back, and the club presence of England international scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth and the arrival of Welsh international Dwayne Peel for the next season. In the 2005–2006 season, Foden played as a replacement in the final as Sale won their first ever Premiership title. He gained his nickname of "Pop Idol" or "Pops" by missing the first day of pre-season with the Sharks for an audition on the programme. He began his Northampton Saints career competing with Lee Dickson for the scrum half position; Dickson won the battle for the scrum half shirt, and Northampton frequently used Foden at full back. In the 2008–09 season, he helped the Saints win the European Challenge Cup. In March 2011, following a Saints win over Wasps, Foden was arrested following an altercation with a taxi driver in London, but both Northampton and the RFU were happy to let the issue lie after he accepted a police caution. In May 2014, Foden won the Aviva Premiership title with Northampton, playing 80 minutes plus extra time in the final against Saracens at full back and scoring a try. Foden played on the wing for most of the 2016-17 season, scoring five tries. The most recent of