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| Date of birth | 21 June 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Ascot, Berkshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 121 kg (19 st 1 lb; 267 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jake Ball (born 21 June 1991) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a lock. Ball played over 100 times for the Scarlets regional side in Wales and was capped 50 times for the Wales national rugby union team. In 2021, Ball retired from international rugby to join Green Rockets Tokatsu in Japan.
Ball was born in Ascot, England, to a Welsh father from Pwllheli, North Wales. His father was a rugby player who played for the London-based clubs London Welsh RFC, and Harlequins. The Ball family migrated to Australia when he was 16, where they are now based in Perth, Western Australia, which is where his four children and wife live. A keen sportsman, Ball had played in the Australian under-19 cricket championship of 2008–09. [1] [2]
Ball began his professional rugby career in Perth with the Western Force, with whom he trained at the age of 21 in 2012. This experience led to Ball being signed on an initial three-year deal by Welsh regional team the Scarlets in 2012. [3] Ball made his professional debut for the club on 15 September 2012, coming on as a 61st-minute replacement in the team's victory over Connacht in the Pro 12 tournament. [4] During Ball's spell playing in Wales for the Scarlets, he had been a part of the 2016–17 Pro12 league winning season for the Welsh side. [2]
After playing 133 games for the Scarlets, Ball moved to Japan in 2021 to play rugby for Green Rockets Tokatsu in the Japan Rugby League One. As of the beginning of 2023, Ball has played 15 games. [5]
Born in England, Ball was also eligible to play for Wales thanks to his father, who was born in Colwyn Bay. Ball said his move to the Scarlets in 2012 was motivated by a desire to play international rugby for Wales. [6] He received his first call-up to the Wales squad in 2014, replacing the suspended Ian Evans ahead of the 2014 Six Nations Championship. [7] He made his debut off the bench in the 26–3 loss to Ireland in week 2 of the tournament, [8] before making his first test start in a 27–6 victory over France in Wales' third match. [9] Later that year, Ball was selected for Wales' tour of South Africa, and in 2015, he played for Wales in their Rugby World Cup pool game against Uruguay. [2]
Ball became a regular starter for Wales, until a dislocated shoulder suffered in an international against New Zealand in the 2017 Autumn internationals kept him off the field for 10 months. After his return, Ball played a part in Wales' Grand Slam-winning 2019 Six Nations Championship campaign, and later that year he featured prominently in the 2019 Rugby World Cup. [10] Ball retired from international duty in 2021 having gained 50 caps for his country. [5]
For Ball's inaugural international year, the BBC made him famous by mistakenly changing his surname to a rude name which was spotted by his fellow team mate Jamie Roberts and reported and subsequently changed, but not before being ridiculed on social media and in the press. As a response to the gaffe, Ball joked on Twitter that it would haunt him for the rest of his days. [11] [12]
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The Scarlets are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions. The club was originally named the Llanelli Scarlets but was renamed at the start of the 2008–09 rugby season.
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.
Gareth John James Jenkins is a Welsh former rugby union player and coach. Born in Burry Port, Carmarthenshire, he played for Llanelli RFC for 17 years from his debut in September 1969. He was appointed coach of the club in 1982. In 2003, he was appointed as coach of the newly formed Llanelli Scarlets regional side, guiding them to the Celtic League title in their first season. Following the resignation of Steve Hansen as coach of the Wales national team, Jenkins applied for the position and was one of two finalists only for Mike Ruddock to be appointed without applying. Jenkins finally took over as Wales coach when Ruddock resigned during the 2006 Six Nations, but his tenure was unsuccessful, winning just six of his 20 games in charge. He was sacked on 30 September 2007, the day after Wales failed to qualify for the quarter-finals of the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He returned to the Scarlets as their head of regional development and recruitment in June 2008.
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Rhys Priestland is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Cardiff Rugby and the Wales national team. Although he primarily plays as a fly-half, he is also capable of playing at full-back. Born in Llangathen, Carmarthenshire, he began his career with Llanelli RFC before progressing to the Scarlets regional side. After eight years with the Scarlets, he moved to England to play for Bath in the English Premiership, where he spent six seasons before returning to Wales with Cardiff Rugby. He made his Wales debut in 2011, and earned 50 caps – including being named in the squad for the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups – before his move to England made him ineligible for selection.
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Wales squad – 2019 Rugby World Cup fourth place | |
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