Byron Idris Hayward (born 22 May 1969) is a former international
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and
Wales A
Wales A , also known as Wales Dragonhearts, is an amateur international rugby league side that competed in the Skanska Amateur Four Nations. The players are picked from the Conference League South clubs and from the domestic competition the So ...
. He had an impressive debut for Wales scoring three tries in his first international match against Zimbabwe. Hayward caused controversy in 2000 by refusing to play against Scotland A in Bridgend because of the inclusion of foreign players
Shane Howarth
Shane Paul Howarth (born 8 July 1968) is a former international rugby union player who gained four caps and scored 54 points for the All Blacks before later switching allegiance to Wales, attaining 19 Welsh caps.
An outside-half or full-back, ...
and
Brett Sinkinson
Brett David Sinkinson (born 30 December 1971) Scrum.com is a
Grannygate Grannygate is the name given to several different sporting scandals, typically regarding eligibility of players for national teams. A rugby union version of Grannygate occurred in Wales in March 2000, a rugby league version occurred in New Zealand ...
scandal, both players claimed to have Welsh grandparents that would later be found to be false.
Byron Hayward started his rugby career at
Abertillery RFC
Abertillery Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in Abertillery. According to their website, they were founded in 1883 by a coal miner named Doug Wallace who was a local resident who moved from Scotland in 1882, Wallace was know ...
. He mainly played his club rugby for
Ebbw Vale RFC
Ebbw Vale Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Glyn Ebwy) is a Welsh Rugby Union Club based in the town of Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, South Wales.
The club play in the Welsh Premiership and act as a feeder club for the Dragons regional team.
...
but as the club went into administration he and fellow Welsh international and club captain Kingsley Jones were sold. He joined
Llanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Llanelli) is a Welsh rugby union club founded on 30 March 1872.
The club's historic home ground was Stradey Park in Llanelli, but they moved in 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent Pembert ...
but as he could not hold down a starting place would later move to
Gloucester Rugby
Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby, as well as in the European Rugby Champions Cup.
The club was formed i ...
reuniting him with Jones, who had joined from Worcester RFC.
After Gloucester Rugby, Hayward moved north to play for the
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks is a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
Originally founded in 1861 as Sale Football Club, now a distinct amateur club, they adopted the n ...
where he mainly played as an acting fly half. In 2001 Hayward returned to Welsh rugby with Welsh Premier
Pontypool RFC
Pontypool Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in the town of Pontypool, which plays in the WRU Championship (known as the SWALEC Championship for sponsorship purposes). Due to the regionalisation of Welsh rugby in 2003, Pontypo ...
, spending three seasons with the Gwent club and helping 'Pooler' to win the Division 1 championship in 2003. He left Pontypool at the end of the 2002/3 season and returned to
Ebbw Vale RFC
Ebbw Vale Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Glyn Ebwy) is a Welsh Rugby Union Club based in the town of Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, South Wales.
The club play in the Welsh Premiership and act as a feeder club for the Dragons regional team.
...
where he was later made head coach. In January 2006 he was replaced by one cap England International
Alex Codling
Alex Codling (born 25 September 1973) is an English rugby union coach and the former head coach of Newcastle Falcons. He is a former player as a lock forward.
Rugby career
He won his only cap for England under Sir Clive Woodward against in ...
as coach despite Vale winning holiday derbies against
Newport RFC
Newport Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Casnewydd) is a Welsh rugby union club based in the city of Newport, South Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Premier Division. Until 2021 Newport RFC were based at Rodney Parade situated on t ...
and old club Pontypool. Today Hayward works as defence coach for the WRUByron Hayward WRU profile WRU.WALES
By the time Hayward retired from rugby he had scored a then joint record (with
Neil Jenkins
Neil Jenkins, (born 8 July 1971) is a Welsh former rugby union player and current coach. He played fly-half, centre, or full back for Pontypridd, Cardiff, Celtic Warriors, Wales and the British & Irish Lions. Jenkins is Wales' highest ever ...
) 2535 league points.
Boxing
Whilst playing professional rugby, Hayward also continued to box as an amateur for his local club.