Billy Sela
Sela in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Vilikesa Sela 12 April 2005[1] Hounslow, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 116 kg (18 st 4 lb; 256 lb)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Beechen Cliff School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Bath | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vilikesa "Billy" Sela (born 12 April 2005) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a prop forward for Premiership Rugby club Bath Rugby.
Early life
Sela was born in Hounslow, and is one of four children of Fijian descent. His father Ilaitia served in the infantry and the Royal Logistics Corps in the British Army before becoming a petroleum operator for the Ministry of Defence and the family moved to Wiltshire. His father also played rugby union for the Army, including featuring at Twickenham.[3][4] Sela attended Beechen Cliff School in Bath, Somerset. Having first played rugby at Royal Wootton Bassett, he joined Bath Rugby Academy at 15 years-old. He later attended the University of Bath.[5][6]
Club career
Sela was part of the senior academy intake for Bath Rugby ahead of the 2023–24 season.[7] He featured for the Bath first team in pre-season friendly matches ahead of the 2024–25 season with the Bath coaching staff confirming he was part of their first team plans.[8] He was named amongst the match day substitutes for Bath's Premiership Rugby match on 29 September 2024 against Leicester Tigers, making his senior debut as a second-half replacement.[9][10] He was named in the Bath starting XV for his European Rugby Champions Cup debut against Benetton Rugby on 15 December 2024.[11]
International career
Sela was a member of the England under-18 side that toured South Africa in both 2022 and 2023.[5][12]
Sela was part of the England under-20 team that won the 2024 Six Nations Under 20s Championship starting in every round.[6][13] He also played at the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship however Sela was injured during the tournament and missed the final which England won to become youth world champions.[3] At the end of that year in November 2024, he was called-up to train with the England A squad.[14]
In June 2025, Sela played for England at the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship and scored a try in their last game of the tournament which they lost against Australia to ultimately finish sixth.[15][16] Later that year in November 2025 he made his first appearance for England A in a defeat against New Zealand.[17][18]
In January 2026, he was called up to England's senior training squad ahead of the 2026 Six Nations Championship after injuries to tighthead props Will Stuart and Asher Opoku-Fordjour.[19]
Honours
- England U20
- World Rugby U20 Championship
- Champion (1): 2024
- Six Nations Under 20s Championship
- Champion (1): 2024
References
- ^ "Billy Sela". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Billy Sela". All Rugby. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ a b Morgan, Charlie (4 July 2025). "A generation of elite England props is emerging, but Billy Sela is most exciting". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ Graham, Josh (1 February 2024). "Rising world". Rugby World. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ a b Jaycock, Ben (17 December 2023). "Young Guns: Billy Sela". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ a b King, Ben (23 February 2024). "Billy Sela Exclusive: 'BUCS Super Rugby has prepared me well for these Six Nations games'". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Bath confirm 2023/24 squad". Huge Rugby. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ Heagney, Liam (19 September 2024). "The Bath prediction about Billy Sela, their U20s World Cup winner". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ Newboult, Colin (27 September 2024). "Premiership: Anthony Watson returns after nine-month absence as fellow England stars earn first starts of the season". Planet Rugby. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Darcy, Olly; Evely, John (29 September 2024). "Bath Rugby player ratings from Leicester Tigers victory – 'Reached a new level'". Somerset Live. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ Evely, John (13 December 2024). "Benetton v Bath Rugby team news live announcements ahead of Champions Cup clash". Somerset Live. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ^ "International watch: Sela and Treacey named for U18 International series". Bath Rugby. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Under-20 Six Nations: England come from behind to beat France and clinch title". BBC Sport. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ Morgan, Charlie (6 November 2024). "Gabriel Ibitoye called up to England A squad for Australia fixture". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ Raisey, Josh (19 June 2025). "England name squad for U20 world title defence with 8 champions returning". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "England 40-68 Australia". All Rugby. 19 July 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ Newcombe, Jon (3 November 2025). "England A name 30-man squad for All Blacks XV clash". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ^ Richardson, Charles (8 November 2025). "What Borthwick would have learnt from England A's defeat by All Blacks XV". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ Godwin, Hugh (23 January 2026). "Injury crisis forces Borthwick to gamble - England's Six Nations squad in full". The i Paper. Retrieved 23 January 2026.