William Michael Colin Rowlands (born 19 September 1991) is a professional
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 ...
player who plays as a
lock
Lock(s) or Locked may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainme ...
for
Top 14
The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the National Rugby League (France), France National Rugby League, also ...
club
Racing 92
Racing 92 () is a French professional rugby union club based in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Paris' western inner Banlieue, suburbs that competes in Top 14. The club plays its home matches at the 30,681-capacity Stadium#Types, domed stadium Pa ...
. Born in England, he represents
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 ...
at international level after qualifying on
ancestry grounds.
Early life
Rowlands was born in Hammersmith. He went to the
Dragon School, Oxford then
Rugby School
Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England.
Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...
. He studied Economics & Management at
Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located on Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England and VI of Scotland, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale ...
and then studied Business, Administration and Management at
Warwick University
The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of a ...
whilst playing for Wasps Rugby.
During his time at Oxford University, Rowlands played in the
Varsity Matches of 2012 and 2013.
On both occasions, Rowlands finished on the winning side with
Oxford University RFC
The Oxford University Rugby Football Club (Oxford University RFC or OURFC) is the rugby union club of the University of Oxford. The club contests The Varsity Match every year against Cambridge University at Twickenham.
History
Men's team
...
defeating their
Light Blue
Light blue is a color or range of colors, typically a lightened shade with a hue between cyan and blue.
The first use of "light blue" as a color term in English language, English is in the year 1915.
In Russian and some other languages, there ...
counterparts 26-19 and 33-15, respectively.
Club career
Wasps
He made his Wasps debut in the 2012/13 season's
Anglo-Welsh Cup
The Anglo-Welsh Cup (), was a cross-border rugby union knock-out cup competition that featured the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs and the four Welsh regions. It was a created as a replacement for the RFU Knockout Cup, which featured only English clubs ...
match against
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its home ...
.
He signed a first-team contract with Wasps before the 2014/15 season, having graduated from the Wasps Academy.
Rowlands spent much of the 2015/16 season after the
2015 Rugby World Cup
The IRB 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was ...
on loan to
RFU Championship
The RFU Championship is an English rugby union competition comprising twelve clubs. It is the second level of men's English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. The competition has existed since 1987, when Eng ...
side
Jersey Reds
Jersey Reds was a rugby union club based in Jersey, Channel Islands. On 28th September 2023, the club ceased trading and shortly thereafter went into liquidation following the withdrawal of financial support from a key investor.
Until seaso ...
, before returning to Wasps to answer an injury crisis in the second row. He made his
Aviva Premiership
Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby u ...
debut away at
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...
, and gone on to make another six first team appearances. Rowlands enjoyed more first team game time during the 2016–17 season than in any of his previous campaigns with Wasps, making 14 appearances and scoring two tries.
As his time at Wasps went on, his appearances went up from season to season, playing 20 games in the
2017–18 Premiership Rugby
The 2017–18 Aviva Premiership was the 31st season of the top flight English domestic rugby union competition and the eighth and final one to be sponsored by Aviva. The reigning champions entering the season were Exeter Chiefs, who had claimed ...
season, scoring one try, and 28 in the
2018-19 Premiership Rugby season, scoring two tries. His efforts earned him the Players' Player of the Season award at the Club's annual End of Season Awards.
During the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
disrupted
2019-20 Premiership Rugby season, Rowlands made 18 appearances for Wasps, scoring two further tries. In his final season for Wasps, the
2020-21 Premiership Rugby
The symbol , known in Unicode as hyphen-minus, is the form of hyphen most commonly used in digital documents. On most keyboards, it is the only character that resembles a minus sign or a dash, so it is also used for these. The name ''hyphen-min ...
season, Rowlands played on 19 further occasion, scoring two further tries.
Dragons
On 28 January 2021, Rowlands would announce his decision to leave Wasps to join Welsh region
Dragons
A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depict ...
in the
Pro14
The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in ...
on a long-term contract from the 2021–22 season. By changing clubs, Rowlands ensured that he remained eligible to play for the
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 ...
under the 60-cap rule which prevents players based outside of Wales from playing for the national side if they have fewer than 60 caps.
In his debut season for the Dragons, contrasting with his time at Wasps, Rowlands only played in 11 games for the club.
Ahead of the
2022–23 United Rugby Championship
The 2022–23 United Rugby Championship was the 22nd season of the professional rugby union competition United Rugby Championship. It began on 16 September 2022 and ended on 27 May 2023. For sponsorship reasons it was known in South Africa as Vod ...
, Rowlands was announced as Co-Captain of Dragons RFC along with fellow forward
Harrison Keddie. Speaking of Rowlands at the time, then Dragons Director of Rugby
Dean Ryan said, "Will has a huge presence on the squad, but obviously also commitments with Wales, while Harrison has developed as a strong captain...I want to develop Will’s leadership skills, give him more permission to be the front voice, and Harrison has a natural ability to lead. This decision makes us stronger. Neither of them is worried about the title it carries. It increases the amount of people that we have got making decisions in the heat of the moment."
Racing 92
On 6 December 2022, it was announced that Will Rowlands will join
Top 14
The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the National Rugby League (France), France National Rugby League, also ...
side
Racing 92
Racing 92 () is a French professional rugby union club based in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Paris' western inner Banlieue, suburbs that competes in Top 14. The club plays its home matches at the 30,681-capacity Stadium#Types, domed stadium Pa ...
after being unable to reach agreement on contract terms with the
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; ) is the governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby.
The WRU is responsible for the running of rugby in Wales, overseeing 320 member clu ...
.
International career
Although born in England Rowlands is eligible to play 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 ...
thanks to his Welsh-born father, and received his first call up squad by coach
Wayne Pivac
Wayne Pivac (born 1962) is a New Zealand rugby union coach who is the head coach of the Green Rockets Tokatsu, NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu who play in the Japan Rugby League One. In November 2019 he replaced Warren Gatland as the Wales national ru ...
on 15 January 2020 for the
2020 Six Nations Championship
The 2020 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 21st Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England national rugby union team, England ...
. He made his international debut for Wales on 22 February 2020 in the 27–23 defeat against France as a second-half replacement.
He was named Wales Player of the Year in 2022 by the Welsh Rugby Writers Association.
Personal life
Rowlands' father Jeremy is from Pontllanfraith in the Sirhowy Valley near Caerphilly, and his family describe growing up in Oxfordshire supporting Wales.
Career statistics
List of international tries
, -
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, 3 July 2021
,
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...
,
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 ...
, Wales
,
, style="text-align:center;", 38–5
,
,
2021 July rugby union tests
The 2021 mid-year rugby union internationals (also known as the summer internationals in the Northern Hemisphere) were a series of international rugby union matches. Due to ongoing restrictions around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a numbe ...
, -
, style="text-align:center;", 2
, 10 July 2021
,
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...
,
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 ...
, Wales
,
, style="text-align:center;", 11–20
,
,
2021 July rugby union tests
The 2021 mid-year rugby union internationals (also known as the summer internationals in the Northern Hemisphere) were a series of international rugby union matches. Due to ongoing restrictions around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a numbe ...
References
External links
*
Will Rowlandsat
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; ) is the governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby.
The WRU is responsible for the running of rugby in Wales, overseeing 320 member clu ...
Wasps Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowlands, Will
1991 births
Living people
English rugby union players
Jersey Reds players
People from Hammersmith
Rugby union players from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
Wales international rugby union players
Wasps RFC players
Welsh rugby union players
Dragons RFC players
21st-century Welsh sportsmen
Rugby union locks
Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford
Alumni of the University of Warwick
Racing 92 players
2023 Rugby World Cup players
Welsh expatriate rugby union players in France
Oxford University RFC players
People educated at Rugby School