Richard Andrew Robinson OBE is an English rugby union coach and retired player. He was the director of rugby at Bristol until November 2016. He is the former head coach of Scotland and England. From September 2019 to December 2022, he was the head coach of the Romanian national team.
Martin Osborne Johnson CBE is an English retired rugby union player who represented and captained England and Leicester in a career spanning 16 seasons. He captained England to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and is regarded as one of the greatest locks ever to have played, and one of England's greatest ever players.
Barry John was a Welsh rugby union fly-half who played in the 1960s and early 1970s during the amateur era of the sport. John began his rugby career as a schoolboy playing for his local team Cefneithin RFC before switching to the first-class west Wales team Llanelli RFC in 1964. Whilst at Llanelli, John was selected for the Wales national team—as a replacement for David Watkins—to face a touring Australian team.
Martin Edward Corry MBE is a retired English rugby union player who represented and captained England and Leicester Tigers in a career spanning 14 seasons. Corry played 64 times for England between 1997 and 2007, played 7 tests for the British & Irish Lions on tours in 2001 & 2005, and played 290 times for Leicester between 1997 and 2009. Earlier in his career he played top division rugby for Newcastle Gosforth and Bristol. A versatile player his principal positions were number eight and blindside flanker, he also played lock more as his career progressed.
Bristol Bears are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
Owen Joshua Lewsey MBE is an English former rugby union player who represented England and the British and Irish Lions. Lewsey is a former British Army Officer.
Ray "Chico" Hopkins is a Welsh former international rugby player who was also a member of the British Lions.
Alan Victor Tait is a former Scottish dual-code rugby footballer, and now coach. He is a defence coach at the Super 6 side Southern Knights. He was previously head coach at Newcastle Falcons and a former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer. He played outside centre for Scotland (RU), and the British and Irish Lions. He played club rugby union for Kelso, Edinburgh and the Newcastle Falcons; and club rugby league for Widnes and Leeds.
In 1974, the British & Irish Lions toured South Africa, with matches in South West Africa and Rhodesia. Under the leadership of Willie John McBride, the Lions went through the tour undefeated, winning 21 of their 22 matches and being held to a draw in the final match, albeit in controversial circumstances. The 1974 squad became known as 'The Invincibles' and regarded as the greatest rugby tour in history.
Martyn Elwyn Williams, is a Welsh former professional rugby union player who played as a flanker. He earned 100 caps for the Wales national team, the most by a forward until he was surpassed by Gethin Jenkins in November 2013. He remains Wales's most-capped back-row forward. He also played for the British & Irish Lions, touring Australia in 2001, New Zealand in 2005 and South Africa in 2009. Overall, he played 17 times for the Lions across the 3 tours scoring 2 tries which included 4 test matches.
Michael Alan Burton is a former English rugby union footballer, who won a reputation as an uncompromising prop forward for Gloucester, England and the British and Irish Lions.
Ugochukwu Chiedozie Monye is an English sports pundit and former rugby union player, Monye played 14 times for England, 241 times for his only club Harlequins and played twice for the British & Irish Lions on their 2009 tour to South Africa. Monye won both the second division and then the Premiership title with Harlequins, as well as winning the European Rugby Challenge Cup.
John Vivian Pullin was an England international rugby union player. A hooker, he played club rugby for Bristol Rugby and captained the England national rugby union team for which he played 42 times between 1966 and 1976. He also won 7 full caps for the British & Irish Lions and has the distinction of having beaten the All Blacks with three different sides, England, the Lions and the Barbarians.
This first tour undertaken by England to South Africa was organised with a demanding schedule, although with only one Test Match. Within two weeks and three days, seven matches were to be played, the first four at sea level, and the final three, including the Test Match, at the altitude in the highveld with only two days to acclimatise before a demanding fixture against Northern Transvaal. From the outset, under captain John Pullin and the management of Alec Lewis and John Elders, there was a buoyant and optimistic spirit in the squad, as if they were determined to erase the memories of the last few seasons of undistinguished English performances.
Percy John Down was an English rugby union player, best known as a commanding forward in the Bristol pack in the first decade of the twentieth century. He spent the major part of his playing career at the club, and in later life became club chairman.
John Cuthbert Morley was a Welsh international rugby wing who played rugby union for Newport and rugby league with Wigan. He won 14 caps for Wales in union, and five caps for Wales in rugby league, and was the first player to tour Australia and New Zealand for both union, and league British teams.
Mako Vunipola is a professional rugby union player who plays as a loosehead prop for French club Vannes in the Top 14 He previously played for the England national team. Born in New Zealand to Tongan parents, he qualified for England through residency having lived and been educated in Wales and then England since the age of 7.
Dolph Steven Luatua is a professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for Premiership Rugby club Bristol Bears. Born in New Zealand, he represents Samoa at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.
Rhodri Williams is a Wales international rugby union player. A scrum-half, he plays his club rugby for the Dragons, having previously played for Scarlets and Bristol Bears
Kyle Norval Jonathan Sean Sinckler is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Top 14 club Toulon.
