Adrian Hadley

Adrian Hadley

Birth name	Adrian Michael Hadley
Date of birth	(1963-03-01) 1 March 1963 (age 61)
Place of birth	Cardiff, Wales
Height	6 ft (183 cm) 1
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing, Centre Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) – Cardiff RFC () – Barbarian F.C. () Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 1997 Sale Sharks () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1983-1988 Wales [1] [2] 27 (36)
Rugby league career
Playing information
Position	Wing
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1988–1992 Salford 98 260 1992–1995 Widnes [3] 83 310 Total 181 0 0 0 570 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1991–1995 Wales [4] 9 4

Adrian Michael Hadley (born 1 March 1963) is a Welsh former dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and coached rugby union in the 1990s and 2000s. He played representative rugby union (RU) for Wales (including in the 1987 Rugby World Cup), at invitational level for the Barbarians F.C., and at club level for Cardiff RFC, and the Sale Sharks, as a wing, or centre, ^{[1] [2]} and representative rugby league (RL) for Wales, and at club level for Salford and Widnes, as a wing, ^[4] and coached club level rugby union (RU) for Sale Sharks.

Background

Adrian Hadley was born in Cardiff, Wales, he was a pupil at Lady Mary High School.

Rugby union career

Hadley attained 29 caps for the Wales rugby union team between 1983 and 1988, scoring nine tries. He was selected for the 1987 Rugby World Cup, helping Wales finish in third place. His most memorable game for Wales was in the team's opening match of the 1988 Five Nations against England at Twickenham, scoring two tries in a 11–3 win. ^{[5] [6]}

Rugby league career

Salford

Hadley later switched codes and moved north to join Salford and represented the Wales national rugby league team. He played left wing in Salford's 17–22 defeat by Wigan in the 1988 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1988–89 season at Knowsley Road, St Helens on Sunday 23 October 1988, ^[7] and played left wing in the 24–18 defeat by Widnes in the 1990 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1990–91 season at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 29 September 1990.

Widnes

Hadley was then signed by Phil Larder the then coach at Widnes in 1992. While at Widnes, he played for Wales in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup, but left Widnes shortly after the tournament due to a dispute over unpaid wages. ^[8]

Coaching

He returned to rugby union as player-coach at Sale Sharks in 1996, later becoming director of rugby at the side. He resigned from the post in 2001. ^[9]

References

1. "Statistics at en.espn.co.uk (RU)". ESPN. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
2. "Statistics at wru.co.uk (RU)". wru.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
3. "Player Summary: Adrian Hadley". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
4. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org (RL)". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
5. Lloyd, Matt (4 February 2006). "Hail those heroes of '88: the last Welsh side to win at Twickenham". The Independent. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
6. "The rugby tales of Adrian Hadley, from drugs in the Wales dressing room to being knocked out in Tonga". WalesOnline. 19 September 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
7. "1988-1989 Lancashire Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2011. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
8. "Rugby League: Unpaid Hadley leaves Widnes" . The Independent. 31 December 1995. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
9. "Hadley quits Sale". BBC Sport. 21 March 2001. Retrieved 12 May 2024.