| Born | March 12, 1971 Cardiff, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gareth Rowlands (born March 12, 1971) is a Canadian former international rugby union player.
Born in Cardiff, Rowlands left Wales for Canada at the age of five, growing up in the mining town of Colonsay, Saskatchewan. [1] He got versed in rugby as a spectator watching his father Brian, an ex-Welsh first division player, and relocated to British Columbia after school to play with Velox Valhallians. [2]
Rowlands, a lock competed for Canada at Under-21 and Under-23 level, before gaining full international honours in 1995. He made his Test debut during a tour of Argentina and featured against the All Blacks in Auckland, after which he won a place on Canada's squad for the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa. The only Saskatchewan-raised player in the squad, Rowlands started Canada's pool match against the Wallabies in Port Elizabeth. [2] He finished his career with six Canada caps and also had several seasons in Wales, playing with Bridgend, Newport and Pontypridd. [3] [4]