Dafydd James

Dafydd Rhys James (born 24 July 1975) is a Welsh former rugby union footballer who played on the wing or in the centre. He toured with the British & Irish Lions in 2001. James was born in Mufulira, Zambia, but earned 48 caps for Wales and three for the British & Irish Lions. At club level, he played for Bridgend, Pontypridd, Llanelli, Celtic Warriors, Harlequins, Scarlets, Cardiff Blues and Sale Sharks.

Dafydd James

Birth name	Dafydd Rhys James
Date of birth	(1975-07-24) 24 July 1975
Place of birth	Mufulira, Zambia
Height	1.94 m (6 ft 4+1⁄2 in)
Weight	99 kg (15 st 8 lb; 218 lb)
School	Brynteg Comprehensive School
University	Swansea University
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing, Centre Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 1995–1997 Bridgend 43 (80) 1997–1999 Pontypridd 54 (115) 1999–2001 Llanelli 52 (145) 2001–2003 Bridgend 33 (80) 2003-2004 Celtic Warriors 18 (10) 2004–2005 Harlequins 22 (15) 2005-2009 Scarlets 72 (115) 2009 Bridgend 1 (5) 2009-2010 Cardiff Blues 4 (0) 2010 Sale 7 (0) 2010–2011 HKCC () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1996 Wales U21 1 (0) 1997 Wales A 1 (0) 1995–2007 Wales 48 (75) 2001 British & Irish Lions 3 (5)

Domestic career

James began his professional rugby career at Bridgend RFC in 1995 after coming up through the ranks of Kenfig Hill RFC. After 43 appearances for Bridgend, he moved to Pontypridd RFC in 1997, where he played his part in the infamous Battle of Brive (Heineken cup clash 1997) and went on to make 54 club appearances in two years. In 1999 James moved to West Wales to play his rugby and enjoyed his first stint at Llanelli playing 52 games and scoring 145 points. He returned to Bridgend in 2001 (which later became the Celtic Warriors regional side in 2003). 2004 saw James move to London to play for Harlequins, before being tempted back to Wales only a year later to return for the Llanelli Scarlets where he stayed until 2009.

James scored over 565 points in his career and was the first to score over 25 tries in Heineken Cup and scored 29 tries overall.

International career

James made his international debut for Wales in 1996, playing against Australia in Sydney. He went on to win 48 caps in 11 years and scored 15 tries. His last cap came at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

In 2001, James played all three Tests for the British & Irish Lions in Australia, scoring one of their four tries in the opening Test victory.

External links

• Profile at wru.co.uk at archive.today (archived 26 May 2011)
• Profile at ponty.net at the Wayback Machine (archived 10 November 2007)
• Dafydd James Fitness
• Dafydd James at the World Rugby Men's Sevens Series (archived)