Rob Howley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Rob Howley

Birth name	Robert Howley
Date of birth	(1970-10-13) 13 October 1970 (age 54)
Place of birth	Bridgend, Wales
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	83 kg (13 st 1 lb; 183 lb)
School	Brynteg Comprehensive School
University	University College of Swansea
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrum-half Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 1990–1993 Bridgend 40 (72) 1993 Cardiff 6 (0) 1994–1996 Bridgend 46 (42) 1996–2002 Cardiff 120 (210) 2002–2004 Wasps 59 (45) National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1996-2002 Wales 59 (50) 1997, 2001 British & Irish Lions 2 (0) Teams coached Years Team 2004 Barbarians (assistant) 2005–2008 Cardiff Blues (assistant) 2008–19 Wales (assistant) 2009, 2013, 2017 British & Irish Lions (assistant) 2012–13 Wales (caretaker) 2016–17 Wales (caretaker)

Robert Howley (born 13 October 1970) is a famous Welsh rugby union coach and former player. He played as a scrum-half, a key position in rugby. Rob Howley played for the Welsh national team 59 times, and he was captain for 22 of those games. After his playing career, he became a successful coach for Wales and the British & Irish Lions. He is currently an Attack Coach for the Welsh Rugby Team for the Six Nations. He also works as a coaching consultant for the Toronto Arrows in Major League Rugby (MLR).

Playing Career Highlights

Playing for Clubs

Rob Howley played for several rugby clubs during his career. He started with Bridgend, then moved to Cardiff, and later played for Wasps. His skills were recognized when he was named Welsh Player of the Year in both 1996 and 1997.

He helped his team, Wasps, win two Premiership titles in a row in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, he also helped Wasps win the important Heineken Cup. He scored a crucial try late in the final game against Toulouse, which helped his team win. Rob Howley had to stop playing rugby in 2004 because of a wrist injury.

Playing for Wales and the Lions

Before playing for the senior Welsh team, Rob Howley represented Wales at different levels, including Schools and Under-21 teams. He played his first senior game for Wales in February 1996.

He was chosen to play for the British & Irish Lions team on their tour to South Africa in 1997. However, he got a shoulder injury early in the tour and couldn't play in the main test matches. He was also selected for the 2001 Lions tour to Australia. He played in the first two test matches before an injury forced him out again. Rob Howley stopped playing international rugby when he joined Wasps.

Coaching Career

After he stopped playing, Rob Howley started coaching. His first coaching role was with Cardiff RFC.

Coaching Wales

In 2008, Rob Howley joined the Welsh national team as an attack coach. He worked alongside head coach Warren Gatland. Over the next 12 years, the Welsh team achieved great success. They won the Six Nations Championship four times, including three "Grand Slams" (winning all their games). They also reached the semi-finals of the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the quarter-finals in the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Coaching the British & Irish Lions

Rob Howley also coached the British & Irish Lions. He was the attack coach for their tour to South Africa in 2009. He continued in this role for the 2013 tour to Australia. On that tour, he helped the Lions win their first series since 1997, which was a big achievement. He also assisted the Lions during their 2017 tour to New Zealand.

Leading Wales as Caretaker Coach

2012–2013 Season

In April 2012, Rob Howley took on a bigger role as caretaker coach for Wales. This happened because the main coach, Warren Gatland, was injured. Rob Howley led the team during their 2012 tour to Australia. He also coached Wales in the 2012 Autumn Internationals.

He continued as caretaker coach for the 2013 Six Nations Championship. During this time, the team faced some tough challenges. However, they worked hard and turned things around. They won the 2013 Six Nations title, beating England by a large score of 30–3. This was a fantastic achievement, as it was Wales' fourth Six Nations win and their first time winning back-to-back championships since 1979.

2016–2017 Season

Rob Howley took over as head coach for Wales again on 7 September 2016. This was because Warren Gatland was busy coaching the British & Irish Lions for their 2017 tour to New Zealand. Rob Howley coached Wales in the 2016 Autumn Internationals, where they won three out of four games. He also led the team during the 2017 Six Nations Championship.

A Time Away from Coaching

In 2019, Rob Howley had to step away from his coaching role with the Welsh team for a period due to a personal matter. He later returned to coaching.

Match Results as Caretaker Coach

Rob Howley's time as caretaker coach included many important matches. Here are some of the results:

Date	Venue	Home	Score	Away	Notes
2012
2 June	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	Wales	30–21	Barbarians
9 June	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane	Australia	27–19	Wales	2012 Welsh tour to Australia
16 June	Etihad Stadium, Melbourne		25–23
23 June	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney		20–19
10 November	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	Wales	12–26	Argentina	2012 Autumn internationals
16 November	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	Wales	19–26	Samoa
2013
2 February	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	Wales	22–30	Ireland	2013 Six Nations
9 February	Stade de France, Saint-Denis	France	6–16	Wales
23 February	Stadio Olimpico, Rome	Italy	9–26	Wales
9 March	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland	18–28	Wales
16 March	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	Wales	30–3	England
2016
5 November	Principality Stadium, Cardiff	Wales	8–32	Australia	2016 Autumn internationals
12 November	Principality Stadium, Cardiff		24–20	Argentina
19 November	Principality Stadium, Cardiff		33–30	Japan
26 November	Principality Stadium, Cardiff		27–13	South Africa
2017
5 February	Stadio Olimpico, Rome	Italy	7–33	Wales	2017 Six Nations
11 February	Principality Stadium, Cardiff	Wales	16-21	England
25 February	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland	29-13	Wales
10 March	Principality Stadium, Cardiff	Wales	22-9	Ireland
18 March	Stade de France, Saint-Denis	France	20–18	Wales