Paul Ringer (born 28 January 1948) is an English-born former Welsh dual-code international

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

and professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer. He played representative level rugby union for

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and at club level for

Ebbw Vale RFC Ebbw Vale Rugby Football Club () is a Welsh Rugby Union Club based in the town of Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, South Wales. The club play in the Super Rygbi Cymru and act as a feeder club for the Dragons regional team. History Evidence of rugb ...

Llanelli RFC Llanelli Rugby Football Club () 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 Pemberton. The club song is " ...

and

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, as a flanker. Having turned professional, he played representative level rugby league for

and at club level for Cardiff City (Bridgend) Blue Dragons, as a .

International honours

Paul Ringer was born in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

. He earned his first rugby union cap for Wales against New Zealand, at Cardiff, in 1978 and was capped on total of 8 occasions. His final game was two years later in 1980, again at Cardiff against New Zealand. An abrasive and uncompromising forward, in a notorious international match between Wales and England at

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

in 1980 he was sent off for a challenge on English outside half John Horton controversially deemed as late by the referee. This controversy proved costly for Ringer as he was not selected for that summer's British Lions tour to South Africa. Paul Ringer won

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

s for

(RL) while at Cardiff City (Bridgend) Blue Dragons 1981...1982 2-caps.

Note

Before the start of the 1984/85 season, Cardiff City Blue Dragons relocated from

Ninian Park Ninian Park was a association football, football stadium in the Leckwith, Cardiff, Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovatio ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, to Coychurch Road Ground in

Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...

, and were renamed Bridgend Blue Dragons.

Family history

Paul Ringer is the father of rugby union footballer of the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s; Jamie Ringer, and rugby union footballer; Joel Bennett Ringer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ringer, Paul 1948 births Living people Cardiff City Blue Dragons players Dual-code rugby internationals Ebbw Vale RFC players English people of Welsh descent English rugby league players English rugby union players Leicester Tigers players Llanelli RFC players Rugby league locks Rugby league players from Leeds Rugby union flankers Rugby union players from Leeds Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players Wales national rugby league team players Welsh rugby league players 20th-century English sportsmen