Josh Bayliss

Joshua David Bayliss (born 18 September 1997) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a number eight for Premiership Rugby club Bath. Born in England, he represents Scotland at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.

Early life
Bayliss attended Millfield School in Somerset where he was head boy, and played cricket, hockey and represented the school in triple jump, as well as playing rugby.

Club career
He made his first team debut against Leicester Tigers in the Anglo-Welsh Cup in November 2016 and made further appearances against Scarlets and Gloucester Rugby.

The following season saw Bayliss play in wins over the Newcastle Falcons and Ospreys during the pool stage of the Anglo-Welsh Cup and on 30 March 2018 he started in the final of the competition as Bath were defeated by Exeter Chiefs to finish runners up.

In March 2024, having made 110 appearances for Bath he signed a new three-year contract with the club.

International career
Bayliss was a member of the England under-20 side that completed the grand slam during the 2017 Six Nations Under 20s Championship and later that year came off the bench as England lost to New Zealand in the final of the 2017 World Rugby Under 20 Championship to finish runners up.

Bayliss was called up to the Scotland squad for the 2021 Six Nations Championship, qualifying through his Aberdonian grandmother. Bayliss made his international debut on 7 November 2021 for Scotland against Australia in an Autumn International, when he came on as a substitute. He made his first international start against Japan on 20 November 2021.