Ian Watkins (rugby union)

Ian Watkins
Birth name	Ian John Watkins
Date of birth	10 March 1963 (age 60)
Place of birth	Ebbw Vale, Wales
School	Glyncoed Comprehensive; Ebbw Vale Senior Comprehensive
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Hooker
Amateur team(s)
Years	Team
1981-1989; 1989-1992; 1992-1993; 1985-1990	Ebbw Vale RFC ; Cardiff RFC ; Swansea RFC ; Barbarian F.C.
International career
Years	Team
1988-1989	Wales

Last updated August 11, 2023

Ian John Watkins (born 10 March 1963 in Ebbw Vale, Wales ^[1]^[2]) is a former Wales international rugby union player whose senior position was at hooker.^[3] Watkins was capped ten times for Wales and played club rugby for Ebbw Vale RFC and Cardiff RFC. He also played invitational rugby for the Barbarians.

History

Watkins was educated at Glyncoed Comprehensive and Ebbw Vale Senior Comprehensive where he played at scrum-half and centre. He began his club career with RTB Ebbw Vale Youth RFC where he swapped his position to hooker. Whilst still playing youth rugby he moved to Ebbw Vale RFC senior team. He was first selected for the Wales international team during the 1988 Five Nations Championship, coming on as a replacement. His first starting international came two weeks later when he faced Scotland at the National Stadium in Cardiff, in which Watkins scored his only international points with a try.

In total Watkins played ten internationals all between 1988 and 1989. After playing in all four games of the 1988 Championship, in which Wales won the Triple Crown, he was part of the Wales team that undertook a disastrous tour of New Zealand in the summer of that year. Watkins played in the first Test at Auckland, which New Zealand won 54-9. In December 1989 he was selected to face Romania on their tour of Great Britain. Wales lost 15-9. His final international games were all four games of the 1989 Five Nations Championship, Wales losing the first three opening games against Scotland, Ireland and France, before defeating England in the last encounter of the tournament. Troubled by injuries, Watkins found it difficult to challenge for the Wales hooker position later in his career.^[4]

Related Research Articles

Newport Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in the city of Newport, South Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Premier Division. Until 2021 Newport RFC were based at Rodney Parade situated on the east bank of the River Usk.

David Watkins is a Welsh former dual-code rugby international, having played both rugby union and rugby league football for both codes' national teams between 1963 and 1974. He captained the British and Irish Lions rugby union side, and made six appearances for the Great Britain rugby league team. With the Wales national rugby league team he played in every match of the 1975 World Cup, and with English club Salford he played more than 400 games over 12 seasons.

Barry John is a former Welsh rugby union fly-half who played, during the amateur era of the sport, in the 1960s, and early 1970s. John began his rugby career as a schoolboy playing for his local team Cefneithin RFC before switching to first-class west Wales team Llanelli RFC in 1964. It was while at Llanelli that John was first selected for the Wales national team, a shock selection as a replacement for David Watkins to face a touring Australian team.

Dragons RFC are one of the four professional rugby union regional teams in Wales. They are owned by the Welsh Rugby Union and play their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport and at other grounds around the region. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup/European Rugby Challenge Cup. The region they represent covers an area of southeast Wales including Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen with a total population approaching 600,000 and they are affiliated with a number of semi-professional and amateur clubs throughout the area, including Pontypool RFC, Caerphilly RFC, Cross Keys RFC, Ebbw Vale RFC and Newport RFC.

Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, shortly after which relocating to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since.

In 1971 the Lions toured New Zealand, also playing two matches in Australia. Despite losing the first match to Queensland the tour was a great success, the Lions winning the Test series against the All Blacks. They are still the only Lions side to have won a Test series in New Zealand. The side was captained by John Dawes, coached by Carwyn James and managed by Doug Smith.

William Raymond "Ray" Cale was a Welsh dual-code international rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for Wales, and at club level for Ebbw Vale RFC, Newbridge RFC and Pontypool RFC, as a flanker, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Wales, and at club level for St. Helens, as a second-row, or loose forward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iestyn Thomas</span> Wales international rugby union footballer

Iestyn Thomas is a former Wales international rugby union player. In April 2012, he retired from rugby due to injury.

Ebbw Vale Rugby Football Club is a Welsh Rugby Union Club based in the town of Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, South Wales.

Jamie Corsi is a professional rugby union player. He is a former pupil of Bassaleg School, Newport. He was born in Cardiff.

Blaina Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in Blaina in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent in Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Rugby Union Division Three East league and are a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.

Eddie Watkins was a Welsh dual-code international rugby player who played club rugby under the union code for Cardiff, and later professional league rugby with Wigan. As a union player Watkins was part of the 1939 team which won the Home Nations Championship, and was more famously a member of the Welsh side that beat the touring All Blacks in 1935. In 1939 he joined Wigan and played in three internationals during the war years for Wales league side against England.

Clifton Davies was a Welsh international prop who played club rugby for Cardiff and invitational rugby for the Barbarians. He won 16 caps for Wales and was selected to play in the British Lions on the 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Tangaki Taulupe Faletau, commonly known as Toby Faletau but professionally as Taulupe Faletau, is a Welsh professional rugby union player for Cardiff Rugby in the United Rugby Championship and has represented the Wales national team for over 10 years. The back row forward played for Cross Keys RFC, Newport RFC and Newport Gwent Dragons in Wales before joining Bath in England in 2016. He joined present club Cardiff in 2022.

Glyndwr Turner is a Welsh former rugby union footballer who played scrum-half i.e. number 9 position for Welsh club side Ebbw Vale RFC between 1966 and 1974 before turning professional to play rugby league in England. On turning professional Turner signed for Hull Kingston Rovers in 1974 playing for them until 1978, before moving to rivals Hull F.C. in 1978 where he played until he was forced to retire in 1980 due to injury, as a centre or stand-off, i.e. number 3 or 4, or 6.

Ebbw Vale Rugby League Football Club was a professional rugby league club based in Ebbw Vale, Wales playing in the Welsh League and Northern Union. Based at Bridge End Field, Ebbw Vale were one of the first professional Welsh teams, and the last to disband in 1912 after the failure of the Welsh League. Ebbw Vale produced seven players who would go on to represent the Wales national rugby league team, and were seen as the only Welsh team of the time who could challenge the Northern League.

The Welsh League was the first club rugby league competition in Wales. Its inaugural season was in 1908/09 when four additional teams were formed to join Ebbw Vale RLFC and Merthyr Tydfil RLFC, which allowed a league tournament to take place. The Welsh League ran for just two seasons, after three of the teams, Aberdare, Barry and Mid-Rhondda left the Northern Union and ceased playing rugby in the first season; followed by the collapse of Treherbert in 1910. Both seasons were won by Ebbw Vale.

Rugby Union has a long history in Wales. Today it holds tier one status with the IRB. However, compared to Scotland, England, and Ireland, it was a latecomer on the international scene, and was not initially successful. Rugby union is the national sport of Wales, and is a great influence on Welsh culture.

Nigel Meek is a retired Welsh International rugby union player. He made three appearances for his country, as well as representing Ebbw Vale RFC, Pontypool RFC, Pontypridd RFC, Abertillery RFC and Newbridge RFC in the top division of Welsh club rugby. He also made 11 appearances for the Barbarians between 1992 and 1994, including international matches against Russia, Zimbabwe and an Australian XV.

References

↑ "Ian John Watkins". Cardiff RFC. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
↑ "Ian John Watkins". Swansea RFC. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
↑ Ian Watkins player profile ESPNScrum.com
↑ Jenkins, John M.; et al. (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Rugby Players. Wrexham: Bridge Books. pp. 162–163. ISBN 1-872424-10-4.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Ian John Watkins". Cardiff RFC. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2012.

[2] "Ian John Watkins". Swansea RFC. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2012.

[3] Ian Watkins player profile ESPNScrum.com

[4] Jenkins, John M.; et al. (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Rugby Players. Wrexham: Bridge Books. pp. 162–163. ISBN 1-872424-10-4.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]