Ryan Jones facts for kids
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| Birth name | Ryan Paul Jones | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 13 March 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Newport, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 114 kg (17 st 13 lb; 251 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Bassaleg Comprehensive School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | UWIC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ryan Paul Jones (born on March 13, 1981) is a former international rugby union player from Wales. He played in different positions, including number eight, flanker, and second row.
Ryan Jones was part of three amazing Grand Slam wins for Wales. These big wins happened in 2005, 2008 (when he was captain), and 2012. He is one of only a few Welsh players to achieve three Grand Slams. Other famous players who did this include Gareth Edwards and Alun Wyn Jones.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ryan Jones was born in Newport, Wales. When he was younger, he played soccer as a goalkeeper for Bristol City until he was 14 years old. He started playing rugby union at age 17. He joined Risca RFC to play with his friends.
Ryan studied at UWIC, which is now called Cardiff Metropolitan University. He was a student there from 1999 to 2002. He played over 100 games for UWIC RFC and was the captain in his last year.
Ryan said that the university really inspired him. He felt that playing rugby at the university helped him start his international career.
Club Career Highlights
Ryan Jones began his club rugby career with Newport RFC. He played one game for them in May 1999. After that, he played 12 games for Bridgend RFC.
In 2003, he moved to the Celtic Warriors when regional rugby started. When the Celtic Warriors team was closed down in 2004, Ryan joined the Ospreys.
The Ospreys team won the Celtic League in 2004–05 and again in 2006–07. Ryan became the Ospreys' captain at the start of the 2007–08 season. As captain, he led the team to win the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2007–08. They beat Leicester Tigers in the final game.
The Ospreys also won the Magners League for the third time in 2009–10. They beat Leinster in the final match in Dublin. Ryan's teammate, Alun Wyn Jones, took over as captain in 2010–11.
On March 24, 2014, Ryan Jones signed a two-year contract with the English club Bristol Rugby. He played for them starting in the 2014–15 season. Ryan stopped playing rugby in 2015 because of a shoulder injury.
International Career with Wales
Ryan Jones played his first international game for Wales in November 2004. This match was against South Africa. He was a key player in Wales' 2005 Grand Slam-winning team.
He was not first chosen for the 2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand. But he was later called up to join the team when another player got injured. He played well and was chosen to start in the last two test matches.
In January 2008, Ryan Jones was made captain of Wales by the new coach, Warren Gatland. In his first Six Nations tournament as captain, he led his team to another Grand Slam. This was their second Grand Slam in four years.
In November 2008, Ryan Jones and Shane Williams were nominated for the IRB International Player of the Year award. This award is given to the best international rugby player. Shane Williams won the award that year.
Ryan was not initially selected for the 2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa. However, he was later called to join the team. But he was declared unfit to play due to head injuries from a previous Wales match.
Ryan Jones was named captain of the Welsh team for the Autumn internationals in 2009. During this time, Wales played against teams like New Zealand and Australia.
He played in all five of Wales' 2012 Six Nations matches. He helped the team win their third Grand Slam in seven years. He also played a lot in the next year's championship. He captained Wales in three games as they defended their title.
Ryan Jones held the record for being Wales' most capped captain. He captained Wales 33 times. This record was later broken by Sam Warburton in 2015.
In 2021, Ryan Jones was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). He received this honor for his contributions to rugby union and for his charity work in Wales.
International Tries
| Try | Opponent | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Scotland |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Murrayfield | 2005 Six Nations | 13 March 2005 | Win |
| 2 |  Australia |
Sydney, Australia | Sydney Football Stadium | 2012 Summer Internationals | 23 June 2012 | Loss |
Post-Rugby Career
After retiring from playing, Ryan Jones took on new roles in rugby. In February 2016, he became a joint leader of rugby performance for the Wales Rugby Union.
In January 2019, Ryan was promoted to be the Director of Performance for the Welsh Rugby Union. This was a new role created to help improve rugby in Wales. However, he left this job in October 2020.
Personal Life
Ryan's father, Stephen Jones, was a police officer in Cwmbran.
See also
In Spanish: Ryan Jones para niños
