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| Date of birth | 22 November 1962 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Grays, Essex, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 86 kg (13 st 8 lb) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Bassaleg School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Sports Commentator | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Stuart Barnes (born 22 November 1962 in Grays, Essex) [2] is a former English rugby union footballer, and now rugby commentator for Sky Sports. Barnes played fly-half for Newport RFC, Bristol, Bath; and represented England at international level.
Born in Essex, he played schoolboy international rugby for Wales national under-18 rugby union team. [3]
He moved from the U15s to the U19s after one season, and he did not miss a schools international for four years between 1976 and 1980. He captained the team on several occasions.
Barnes studied at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, matriculating in 1981. He won three rugby Blues. He played for Oxford against Cambridge University's Rob Andrew in the Varsity match. [4] He graduated from Oxford with a third-class honours degree in history. [5]
While at university, Barnes played club rugby for Newport RFC. [6]
Barnes later played for Bristol Bears, including in the 1984 RFU final against Bath Rugby. After being on the losing side for Bristol in that final, he joined Bath. [7]
He arrived at Bath aged 22: "disaffected with England and, with my volatile character, I could easily have drifted out of the game altogether. At the time the big joke was that I'd had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus – Newport, Bristol and Bath by 22 and people doubted my character, they thought of me as being very fickle and at Bath I found what I wanted – a rugby home.". [8]
He was nicknamed The Bath Barrel. [9]
Barnes made his England debut against Australia in November 1984. He gained 10 caps for England and played his last international match in 1993 against Ireland. [2]
Barnes played for the Barbarians against Wales in October 1990, converting three tries in the Barbarians victory. [10]
Barnes' last game was the Bath versus Leicester Pilkington Cup Final on 7 May 1994, which Bath won 21–9. He resigned from his job at the Bristol and West building society shortly afterwards. Barnes became a freelance writer and reporter for The Daily Telegraph , and wrote his autobiography Smelling of Roses. [8]
He later became involved in broadcasting, first with the BBC, [3] and then joined Sky Sports in 1994. [4]
Newport Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in the city of Newport, 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.
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.
The Barbarian Football Club, known as the Barbarians, is a British-based invitational rugby union club. The Barbarians play in black and white hoops, though players wear socks from their own club strip. Membership is by invitation. As of 2011, players from 31 countries had played for them. Traditionally at least one uncapped player is selected for each match.
Richard Hill is a rugby union coach and former English international rugby footballer.
Gavin Lloyd Henson is a Welsh former professional rugby union player, who played as a fly-half, fullback and inside centre.
Dwayne John Peel is a Welsh rugby union coach and former player. He was the most capped scrum-half for the Wales national rugby union team with 76 caps, until his record was surpassed by Mike Phillips on 16 March 2013.
Michael Clive Teague is a former England and British Lions rugby union footballer.
The Oxford University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Oxford. The club contests The Varsity Match every year against Cambridge University at Twickenham.
Robert Nicholas Jones is a Welsh rugby union coach and former player. He was capped 54 times for Wales during his career, at that time a record. He and Gareth Edwards, Rob Howley, Dwayne Peel and Mike Phillips are the only scrum halves to have achieved 50 caps or more for Wales.
John Southern Spencer is a former England international rugby union player.
David Michael Barnes was a rugby union prop for Bath Rugby in the Guinness Premiership retiring in 2011. He was appointed head of Discipline at the Rugby Football Union in July 2017.
Rhys Webb is a Welsh rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for Ospreys. Born in Bridgend, he is a product of the Ospreys academy and played club rugby for Bridgend RFC and Aberavon RFC before breaking into the regional side in 2008. He played for the Ospreys for 10 years before moving to French club Toulon in 2018, but terminated his contract with them in 2020 and agreed a return to the Ospreys; however, he was unable to join the Ospreys immediately and signed for Bath for the remainder of the 2019–20 season before returning to the Ospreys.
William Purdon Geen was a rugby union wing and centre, who represented Wales, and played club rugby for Oxford University and Newport and county rugby for Monmouthshire. He was also invited to play for the Barbarians on several occasions. Geen unsuccessfully trialled for England in 1910, but was selected and played for Wales on three occasions in the 1912–1913 season. Injury prevented him from playing more internationals, and his service in the First World War put an end to his career.
David Onllwyn Brace was a Welsh international scrum-half who played club rugby for Newport and Aberavon. He won nine caps for Wales and would captain the team twice in the early 1960s. Brace was an exciting, unorthodox scrum-half, who epitomised the Welsh flair scrum-half, though his uneven international appearances point towards unhappiness in his match play from the Welsh selectors.
Trevor James Brewer was a Welsh rugby union international player. He played for the Wales national rugby union team on three occasions, once in 1950 and twice in 1955.
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.
Glyn Davies was a Welsh international rugby union fly-half who played club rugby for a large selection of clubs but most notably for Pontypridd and Cambridge University. He won eleven international caps for Wales including a win over the touring 1947 Australia team. Described as a mercurial outside half, Davies was notable for his sidestep and ability to change pace and direction with ease.
William Stuart Roy is a former international rugby union player who represented Wales, as well as played in the top division of Welsh club rugby for Cardiff RFC, Pontypridd RFC and Newport RFC. Roy was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire in England, but moved to Anglesey in Wales as a child.
Anthony O'Connor was a Welsh rugby union player who played in the scrum-half position. O'Connor played club rugby with Aberavon RFC, was capped five times for Wales, and was a member of the British Lions team that toured in 1962. He also represented Oxford University RFC, playing in the 1958 Varsity Match.
Gordon Rimmer was an English rugby union player who played in the scrum-half position. Rimmer played club rugby with Southport RFC and Waterloo FC, represented Lancashire county, was capped 12 times for England, and was a member of the British Lions team that toured in 1950.
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