John Wakeford (rugby union)
John Donald Marshall Wakeford (born 29 September 1966) is a Welsh former rugby union international.
| Full name | John Donald Marshall Wakeford | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 29 September 1966 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cardiff, Wales | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 248 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Wakeford, born in Cardiff, was educated at The Bishop of Llandaff High School and played his rugby as a lock. He competed for Bristol, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr and South Wales Police during his career.[1]
In 1988, Wakeford was called up by Wales to play Western Samoa in Cardiff, having performed well against the same opponent for Welsh Counties Under-23, with Welsh selectors also keen to improve a non functioning line-out.[2] On debut against Western Samoa he scored a try in a Wales win, then was capped again a month later against Romania, this time finishing on the losing side. These remained his only two Wales caps.[3][4]
Wakeford was a member of the Cardiff team that reached the 1996 Heineken Cup final, to decide the inaugural edition of the European competition. They were beaten in extra time by Toulouse.[4]
Now retired from the force, Wakeford was an officer with South Wales Police for 31 years.[4]
References
- "Ironmen snap up Wakeford". South Wales Echo. 20 July 1999.
- "Back to Basics". South Wales Echo. 5 November 1988.
- "Welsh line looks wobbly in wispy Samoan breeze". Sunday Telegraph. 13 November 1988.
- Woolford, Anthony (6 January 2016). "20 years on, what became of the only Welsh team to reach a European Cup final?". Wales Online.