Ben Flower facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | Benjamin Thomas Flower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 19 October 1987 Cardiff, Wales |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 17 st 2 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing information
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Rugby union
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Rugby league
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| Position | Prop, Loose forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 28 Sep 2021
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Ben Flower (born 19 October 1987) is a Welsh former professional rugby league player. He played as a prop forward for the Leigh Centurions in the Super League. Ben also represented his home country, Wales, in international games.
Before joining Leigh, he played for the Crusaders RL and spent nine seasons with the Wigan Warriors. He also had a short loan period with the South Wales Scorpions in 2010.
Contents
About Ben Flower
Ben Flower was born in Cardiff, Wales. He started his sports journey playing rugby union for Wales at different youth levels. He was an under-17 international player when he was with the Cardiff Demons.
Ben's Rugby Career
Starting Out: Crusaders
Ben began his professional rugby league career with the Crusaders. He joined them from a Welsh rugby union team called Bedwas RFC. He also played for the Newport Gwent Dragons.
Ben quickly became a regular player for the Crusaders. He earned his first full cap for Wales in 2008. He played for the Crusaders in their first Super League season in 2009. He stayed with the club until they left the league in 2011. After that, he signed with the Wigan Warriors.
In 2010, Ben was loaned to the South Wales Scorpions. He played four games for them and scored one try.
Time with Wigan Warriors
Ben joined the Wigan Warriors in 2012. He played 18 games in his first season with the team.
Becoming a Key Player
In 2013, Ben became a very important player for Wigan. He helped his team win the 2013 Challenge Cup Final against Hull F.C. at Wembley Stadium. He also played in the 2013 Super League Grand Final, where Wigan beat the Warrington Wolves at Old Trafford.
A Difficult Moment in 2014
On 11 October 2014, Ben Flower was sent off the field during the 2014 Super League Grand Final. This happened in the second minute of the game. He was given a red card for punching Lance Hohaia of St Helens. Wigan played most of the game with one less player and lost the match. Ben was later given a six-month ban from playing. This was the longest ban for an on-field action in the competition's history.
Returning to Play
Ben made his return to rugby on 16 April 2015, playing against the Warrington Wolves. He played 19 games that season and scored four tries. He also played in the 2015 Super League Grand Final, where Wigan lost to the Leeds Rhinos.
In early 2016, Ben signed a new four-year contract with Wigan. He played 27 games that season and scored three tries. He helped Wigan win the 2016 Super League Grand Final against the Warrington Wolves.
Later Years at Wigan
In 2017, Ben helped Wigan win the World Club Challenge. They beat the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 22-6. He had a good start to the season but suffered an Achilles tendon injury after 13 games, which ended his season early.
In 2018, he played in the 2018 Super League Grand Final, where Wigan again beat the Warrington Wolves. In 2019, Ben played 18 games for Wigan. In 2020, he played nine games. He was injured in a semi-final game and missed the 2020 Super League Grand Final.
Moving to Leigh and Retirement
On 30 November 2020, it was announced that Ben would join Leigh Centurions for the 2021 season. After playing for Leigh, Ben retired from professional rugby league. In 2021, he signed with the Welsh rugby union club Pontypool RFC.
International Games
Ben Flower made his first appearance for the Wales national team in 2008. This was while he was playing for the Celtic Crusaders.
He played for Wales in the 2010 European Cup and the 2011 Rugby League Four Nations tournament. He was also chosen to be part of the squad for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.
