Scott Quinnell facts for kids

Scott Quinnell (born 20 August 1972) is a famous Welsh former rugby union and rugby league player. He played both types of rugby in the 1990s and 2000s. Scott was a powerful player, often playing as a number 8. He represented his home country, Wales, many times. He also played for top clubs like Llanelli RFC, Llanelli Scarlets, and Richmond.

One of his biggest achievements was playing for the British & Irish Lions. This team brings together the best players from the UK and Ireland. Scott played for Wales 52 times, even leading the team as captain seven times. He also played three times for the Lions. He scored 11 tries for Wales and one for the Lions in international matches. In 1994, he switched from rugby union to rugby league. He joined Wigan and played for two seasons. During this time, he won a league championship. He also played four times for the Wales rugby league team.

Scott Quinnell's Early Life

Scott Quinnell was born in Morriston, which is in Swansea, Wales. He comes from a family of famous rugby players. His father, Derek Quinnell, was also a Welsh international player. Scott has two brothers, Craig and Gavin, who both played professional rugby union. His uncle, Barry John, was another well-known Welsh international. Scott's godfather was Mervyn Davies, who was also a rugby legend.

Starting Rugby Young

Scott started playing rugby at a young age. He joined the junior team at Llanelli when he was just 8 years old. He made his first senior appearance for Llanelli in 1990, at the age of 18. He played for Llanelli 146 times and scored 69 tries.

Scott first played for the Welsh national team in 1993. He played as a blindside flanker against Canada. In 1994, he was part of the Welsh team that won the Five Nations tournament. He was named the best player in Wales' 24–15 win over France that year. He scored a try and helped set up another.

Switching to Rugby League

In 1994, Scott decided to try a different type of rugby. He moved to rugby league and joined the Wigan team. He played for Wigan for two years. During his time there, Wigan won the league championship. Scott also played in the 1996 Regal Trophy final, where Wigan beat St. Helens 25–16.

He also represented Wales in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. Scott said that the toughest game he ever played was against Western Samoa in the quarter-finals. Wales reached the semi-finals but lost to England.

Returning to Rugby Union

Scott returned to rugby union in 1996, joining Richmond. His great play earned him a spot on the 1997 Lions tour to South Africa. However, he had to leave the tour early due to an injury.

In 1998, he came back to his old club, Llanelli Scarlets, at Stradey Park. For several years, he played through a painful knee condition. Despite the pain, he continued to play at a high level.

Scott was part of a Welsh team that won eight games in a row before the 1999 World Cup. Wales reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup but lost to Australia. Scott captained Wales for the first time in a game against South Africa at the Millennium Stadium. He played his last game for Wales in 2002, finishing with 52 caps.

He was chosen again for the 2001 Lions tour to Australia. This time, he played in all three important test matches. He even scored a try in the first test in Brisbane.

After Welsh rugby changed to a regional system in 2003, Scott played 59 times for the Scarlets. He scored 32 tries for them. He was part of the Llanelli Scarlets team that won the Celtic League title in 2004.

Scott announced he would retire from rugby at the end of the 2004–05 season. He wanted to focus on coaching the Llanelli RFC team. An injury in March 2005 made him end his playing career a few weeks earlier than planned. He played his very last game in a special match with fellow retiring player Rob Howley at the Millennium Stadium.

Life After Rugby

After retiring from playing, Scott Quinnell became a well-known commentator and expert on Sky Sports rugby matches. He also works as an ambassador for the People's Postcode Lottery and appears in their adverts. He co-presents and coaches on the TV show School of Hard Knocks with Will Greenwood. He has also appeared as himself in the Sky 1 comedy show Stella. In 2017, he helped write a book called Leader On The Pitch.

In 2020, Scott took part in a TV show called Iaith ar Daith ('Language Road Trip') for S4C. In the show, he and other famous people learned the Welsh language. An extra episode was broadcast at Christmas, checking in on their Welsh language progress.

Scott's Personal Life

Scott Quinnell is married to Nicola, and they have three children. For most of his life, he lived in Llanelli. In 2009, his family moved to Kenilworth, Warwickshire, because of his media work. However, they later moved back to South Wales to a small farm near Usk.

Scott has dyslexia, which means he sometimes finds reading and writing difficult. He wasn't diagnosed until he was in his early 30s. After getting help, Scott became a popular speaker about dyslexia. He has worked with the Welsh Dyslexia Project and written a short autobiography about his experiences.

In 2007, Scott had an accident at home and was injured. He recovered well from the incident.