Birth name | Sonny Toi Parker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 27 August 1977 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Thames, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 16 st 3 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Sacred Heart College, Auckland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sonny Toi Parker (born 27 August 1977 in Thames, New Zealand) is a Welsh rugby union footballer who played for the Wales national rugby union team. He played for Pontypridd and the Celtic Warriors, before moving to the Ospreys when the Warriors region collapsed. He retired from Wales because of the demands of international rugby at the end of 2005 but was brought back by Gareth Jenkins for the 2006 Autumn internationals, and was subsequently selected in Wales' 2007 World Cup squad. Parker finished his Welsh career with 31 caps and six tries. He was the 1007th player to be capped by Wales. In 2012, it was confirmed that he was leaving Ospreys for newly promoted English side London Welsh. [1] [2] Parker is now the Richmond-based side's Team Manager. [3]
Neil Jenkins, is a Welsh former rugby union player and current coach. He played fly-half, centre, or full back for Pontypridd, Cardiff, Celtic Warriors, Wales and the British & Irish Lions. Jenkins is Wales' highest ever points-scorer and is the fourth highest on the List of leading rugby union test point scorers. He was the first player to score 1,000 points in international matches.
The Celtic Warriors were a rugby union team from Wales, who played in the 2003–04 Celtic League and the 2003–04 Heineken Cup following the introduction of regional rugby union teams in Wales. They were effectively a temporary merger of Pontypridd RFC and Bridgend RFC. The Celtic Warriors played just one season before disbanding.
The Ospreys, formerly the Neath-Swansea Ospreys is one of the four professional rugby union teams from Wales. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team formed as a result of Neath RFC and Swansea RFC combining to create a new merged entity, as part of the new regional structure of Welsh rugby, that began in 2003. They are also affiliated with a number of local semi-professional and amateur clubs, including Welsh Premier Division sides Aberavon RFC, Bridgend Ravens, and original founding clubs Neath and Swansea. The regional area represented by the team has widely become known for rugby purposes as 'Ospreylia'.
Pontypridd Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It competes in the Indigo Group Premiership, that it won for four consecutive seasons between 2012 and 2015, and the WRU National Cup, that it has won on 6 different occasions, the most recent being in 2014.
Gethin Jenkins is a Welsh former professional rugby union player who played as a prop for Pontypridd, Celtic Warriors, Cardiff Blues and Toulon. At international level, he won 129 caps for Wales. On his 105th appearance in 2014, he became Wales' most-capped player, overtaking the record held by Stephen Jones; having earned his final cap in November 2016, his record was surpassed by Alun Wyn Jones in September 2019. He is one of a small group of Welsh players to have won three Grand Slams. He also won five caps for the British & Irish Lions on three tours in 2005, 2009 and 2013. He is the sixth most-capped player in rugby union history and the most-capped front-row forward.
Ryan Paul Jones is a Wales former international rugby union player who played at number eight, blindside flanker or second row. He was involved in three Grand Slam wins, in 2005, as captain in 2008, and 2012. He is one of a small group of Welsh players to have won three Grand Slams including Gerald Davies, Gareth Edwards, JPR Williams, Adam Jones, Gethin Jenkins and Alun Wyn Jones.
Martyn Elwyn Williams, is a former Wales and British & Irish Lions international rugby union player. A flanker, he was Wales' most-capped forward with 100 caps until surpassed by Gethin Jenkins on 30 November 2013. He remains Wales most capped back row forward.
Kevin Andrew Morgan is a Welsh former rugby union player. He won 48 caps for Wales, mainly at full back but also on the wing.
Brent John Cockbain is a former rugby union player who won 24 caps for Wales.
Matthew Rees is a Welsh former professional rugby union footballer who played as a hooker. After beginning his career with Tonyrefail RFC and Merthyr RFC, he made his professional debut for Pontypridd RFC in 2001. With the arrival of regional rugby in Wales in 2003, he joined the Celtic Warriors, but their closure a year later led to him signing for the Llanelli Scarlets. He played more than 180 matches for the Scarlets, captaining them on several occasions, leading to his first Wales call-up in 2005.
David Mefin Davies is a Welsh former rugby union player who played as a hooker for the Ospreys and the Wales national rugby union team.
Aled Brew is a former Wales international rugby union player who played as a winger. He made his debut for the Wales national rugby union team against Ireland in the 2007 Six Nations Championship. In his career, as well as playing for Biarritz Olympique and Bath Rugby, he is one of only a handful of players to have played for all four top-level regional teams in Wales.
Richard David Parks is a former Wales international rugby union player turned extreme endurance athlete and television presenter.
Richard Fussell is a former professional Welsh rugby union winger. During his career, he represented Pontypridd RFC, Newport Gwent Dragons, and the Ospreys.
Matthew Jones is a Welsh international rugby union player. A fly-half, he played for the Ospreys and the Wales Under-21 team, figuring in the Grand Slam winning side. In 2005 he was part of the senior Wales squad summer tour of North America and attained his first full cap against Canada.
Robert McCusker is a Welsh former rugby union player, who played across the back row. McCusker began his career with the Scarlets, and also played for London Irish and the Ospreys before retiring. McCusker also played internationally for Wales.
Daniel Biggar is a Welsh rugby union player currently playing for French Top 14 side Toulon as a fly-half. A Wales international, Biggar has also twice been selected to tour with the British and Irish Lions.
Tavis Knoyle is a Wales international rugby union footballer who plays at scrum-half.
Ashley Beck is a Wales international rugby union player. Beck currently played for Merthyr RFC, and has previously played for Worcester Warriors and the Ospreys. He has represented Wales and Wales U20. He is the current attack coach of Premiership Women's Rugby side Worcester Warriors Women.
Joe Hawkins is a Welsh international rugby union player who primarily plays centre for Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership. Hawkins began his professional career with the Ospreys, before signing for Exeter. He has also represented Wales at international level, having made his test debut against Australia during the 2022 Autumn Internationals.