Paul John (rugby union)
Paul John (born 25 January 1970 in Pontypridd) is a Welsh rugby union coach and former player.[1] He won 10 caps for Wales. He is the son of Dennis John, former Wales head coach.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Asian Games | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2018 Jakarta | Team |
Playing career
A scrum-half, he played his club rugby for Cardiff RFC, and then Pontypridd RFC, where he was captain. John played for Llantwit Fardre Cardiff from 1986 until 1991. He won 10 Welsh caps, making his debut against Tonga in 1994. He retired as a player in 2005.
Coaching career
He was, until 2010, head coach at Pontypridd.[2] He was assistant coach of the club,[3] as well as a successful head coach of the Wales Sevens team, who won the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens. John was appointed backs coach for Cardiff Blues in January 2014.
Paul was a teacher of physical education (PE) at Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School in Beddau, and Coedylan Comprehensive School in Cilfynydd before becoming a full-time coach within the Wales Rugby Union National Academy.[4]
He is now coaching the Hong Kong Sevens Team. In the 2018 Asian Games, Hong Kong won all their games in the competition including an upset victory over Japan by 14–0. Hong Kong became the first gold medal winners in the Asian Games Rugby Sevens under his guidance.[5]
References
- "Wales Player Archive". Welsh Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
- "John, Paul". Ponty.net. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
- "Coaching role reversal | Club News | News & Views | Ponty.net". Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
- "Paul's an inspiration to budding coaches". WalesOnline. 8 July 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- "Hong Kong strike gold at the Asian Games". Asia Rugby. 1 September 2018. Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.