Robin Cowling

Last updated

Robin Cowling
Birth nameRobin James Cowling
Date of birth (1944-03-24) 24 March 1944 (age 80)
Place of birth Ipswich, England
SchoolSidcot School (Weston-Super-Mare)
UniversityRoyal Agricultural College (Cirencester)
Notable relative(s) John A'Bear (uncle)
Occupation(s)Farmer
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1967–1974 Gloucester 216 ()
1974–1981 Leicester Tigers 184 (32)
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1977–1979 England 8 (0)

Robin James Cowling (born 24 March 1944) [1] is an English retired rugby union player. He won 8 caps for England between 1977 and 1979, and played 216 games for Gloucester Rugby between 1967 and 1974 before playing 184 times for Leicester Tigers between 1974 and his retirement in 1981.

Contents

Career

Cowling was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, but moved to the South West as a small baby. [2] His mother was from Gloucester, his grandfather was a former captain of Gloucester Rugby, and his uncle was John A'Bear, who toured with the British Lions in 1936. [3]

Cowling made his Gloucester debut on October 21, 1967, as a hooker, against Newport. He quickly switched to his henceforth regular position of loosehead prop and was a regular in the side from December 1967. [4] In 1972, Cowling started the inaugural RFU Knockout Cup Final where Gloucester beat Moseley, and the County Championship Final where Gloucestershire won their first title since 1937. [4] In the 1972–73 season Cowling featured in a remarkable 50 first class games, playing 45 times for Gloucester plus representative matches for Gloucestershire in the County Championship and for the combined Western Counties in their tour game against New Zealand. [4]

Cowling moved to Market Harborough in 1974 to take a post as farm manager and joined Leicester Tigers, making his Tigers debut on September 7,1974 against Bedford. [2] He was England reserve prop throughout the following season and went on to win eight England caps with Leicester between 1977 and 1979. [5] He didn't play in the John Player Cup Final against Gloucester in 1978 due to a shoulder injury sustained playing for England, but started in Leicester's three successive Cup Final wins, against Moseley in 1979, London Irish in 1980 and in his final game the 1981 Final against Gosforth. He also played for the Barbarians.

Robin Cowling has been on the Exeter Chiefs coaching staff since 1997, [4] apart from two years with Cornish Pirates. When Don Rutherford was Rugby Football Union Technical Director, he asked Cowling to run a pilot academy scheme in the South West and he has been involved in academy rugby from the outset of the professional game. As team manager and talent scout, he has contributed substantially to the Exeter Chiefs’ current success.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicester Tigers</span> English rugby union club, based in Leicester

Leicester Tigers are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Burton (rugby union)</span> England international rugby union player

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.

Peter Ross McMillan is a professional rugby union player. His position is hooker. McMillan has previously played professionally for Nottingham, Gloucester, Moseley, Coventry, Birmingham & Solihull, Northampton, Bristol and Leicester Tigers.

Garry John Adey was an English rugby union Number 8 for Leicester Tigers and England. Adey made 381 appearances for Leicester between 1965–81. He played twice for England in 1976. Adey was a member of a very successful Leicester side which won the John Player Cup 3 times in consecutive years from 1979–81. Adey was Executive Chairman of The Adey Group which has been established for over 90 years, in the steel fabrication and steel stockholding business.

Stephen Paul Redfern is an English former rugby union and professional rugby league player in the 1970s and 1980s. He played one test for England in 1984, and between 1976 and 1984 played club rugby for Leicester Tigers. His position was tighthead prop. He then played professional rugby league for Sheffield Eagles, but injury limited him to only 9 appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonny May</span> England international rugby union player

Jonathan James May is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a wing for Pro D2 club Soyaux Angoulême and formerly for the England national team.

Logovi'i Mulipola is a Samoan rugby player who plays prop for Doncaster Knights in the RFU Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fraser Balmain</span> Rugby player

Fraser John Balmain is an English professional rugby union player who plays prop forward for Saracens in Premiership Rugby. He previously played for Gloucester and Leicester Tigers.

Henry Purdy is an English professional rugby union footballer who currently plays for Agen in the French Pro D2. He plays as a centre or wing.

History of Leicester Tigers details the history of the rugby union club based in Leicester, England. Nicknamed the Tigers from 1885, Leicester have been a prominent club from the earliest days of organised English rugby dominating midlands rugby before the First World War; providing British Lions captains in 1930, 1936, 1997 and 2001; and winning 21 major titles since 1979 including a record 11 Premiership Rugby titles.

Jamal Ford-Robinson is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Premiership Rugby side Gloucester.

David Christopher Williams is an English professional rugby union player for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby, on loan from Nottingham in the RFU Championship. His usual position is wing.

Jack Stanley is an English rugby union player whose main position is prop. Currently unattached he previously played for Gloucester.

Thomas James Smith is an English rugby union back row for Doncaster Knights in the RFU Championship, the second division. He previously played for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Hearle</span> English rugby union player

Alex Hearle is an English rugby union player who plays for Gloucester in the Premiership Rugby.

George Frederick Martin is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for Premiership Rugby club Leicester Tigers and the England national team.

James William Whitcombe is an English rugby union player for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby, his preferred position is loosehead prop.

Phil Cokanasiga is a professional rugby union player who plays as a centre for United Rugby Championship club Ospreys. He previously played for London Irish and Leicester Tigers.

References

  1. ↑ "Robin Cowling ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  2. 1 2 Farmer, Stuart; Hands, David. "Robin Cowling player profile". Tigers - Official history of Leicester Football Club. The Rugby DevelopmentFoundation. p. 357. ISBN   978-0-9930213-0-5.
  3. ↑ "My Life in Rugby: Robin Cowling – former England prop". The Rugby Paper. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Robin Cowling profile". Gloucester Rugby Heritage Society. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  5. ↑ "Robin James Cowling". ESPNscrum.
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.