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James Hook (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
James William Hook is a Welsh
rugby union
player for USA Perpignan
. Hook is widely regarded as one of the most talented players in world rugby.
Hook's strengths as a player include good distribution skills, great tactical awareness, and reliable goal kicking, but his popularity in Wales is largely also due to his exciting running style, which is a traditional facet of Welsh fly-half play. This has led to comparisons with New Zealand star Dan Carter and legendary countryman Barry John
, who has himself hailed Hook as "a real star of the future".
, the second of three children in a rugby-mad family. His brother Mike Hook
was also a professional rugby player and sister Naidine a keen Netball player. His father Richard is a Senior Practitioner Paramedic and his mother Shan is a lecturer at Neath College.
Hook's childhood heroes were Neil Jenkins
and Robert Jones
– Jenkins because of his kicking ability, and Jones because he played in Hook's favourite position, which was scrum-half, the position he himself played for West Wales at the age of ten.
Hook attended Glan Afan Comprehensive School
in the centre of Port Talbot, and Neath College where he started a half back combination with Martin Roberts
.
, Taibach RFC
& Corus (Port Talbot) RFC
.
At senior level & before making the step up to regional rugby with the Ospreys, Hook enjoyed great success for Neath RFC
, becoming the record holder for the highest individual points tally within a season. He also played for Neath College as a youngster.
Hook played his way into the Ospreys first XV in the 2006–07 season, giving outstanding performances at both fly-half and inside centre. He kicked a conversion in a Pool 3 match against the Sale Sharks
during the 2006-07 Heineken Cup
, clinching the Ospreys win following a try from Shane Williams
.
In November 2010 it was announced that Hook would not be signing a new contract with the Ospreys. On the 26'th, January 2011 James announced that he would be joining French Top 14 side USA Perpignan
on a 3 year deal for the 2011-2012 season despite warnings from Wales' national coach Warren Gatland
that he may not consider players based outside of Wales in his future squads..
, scoring a match-winning try to defeat South Africa
in the plate final of the 2006 Commonwealth Games
. Hook made his international debut against Argentina
under new Welsh
coach Gareth Jenkins
, scoring a late try in the match.
Hook made his home debut for Wales against Australia
on 4 November 2006 as a substitute for the injured Stephen Jones
. He showed great composure in scoring 13 points as Wales drew the match 29–29 and was named as Wales' Man of the Match
. Hook has since played against the Pacific Islands
, scoring a try, Australia where he scored thirteen points and Canada where he scored 16 points.
During the 2007 Six Nations Championship
, Hook played in all of Wales's games, but was hampered by being employed at inside centre, rather than in his preferred position of fly-half for the first four matches. As a result he struggled to make an impact. In the final game against England
, however, he was finally switched to fly-half and produced a Man of the Match-winning performance, scoring 22 points in Wales' 27–18 win. He also completed his first "full house" in this match (scoring a drop goal, penalty, try and conversion). The victory was Wales' first over a 'Tier One' rugby nation since the 2006 Six Nations Championship
victory over Scotland.
Hook's commanding performance earned him various accolades from rugby greats such as Neil Jenkins and Warren Gatland.
Hook put in a man-of-the-match performance as he helped Wales beat England 26–19 in the first game of the 2008 Six Nations Championship
on 2 February 2008.
On 10 February 2008, Hook was selected at fly-half for the 30–15 win over Scotland in the Six Nations. Hook scored a try and kicked two conversions and a penalty, before being replaced by Stephen Jones in the 58th minute. Hook additionally had an absolute stormer against Leicester Tigers in order to secure the EDF energy cup.
In May 2009, Hook was included into the 2009 British and Irish Lions
touring party of South Africa
. He was called into the squad as a utility back to cover his Wales team mate, Leigh Halfpenny
, who was forced to withdraw from the beginning of the tour with a thigh injury. He made his Lions debut on 3 June, playing against the Super 14
Lions. Hook came off the bench in that game to score one try and kick 3 conversions.
In 2010, Hook was again selected to the Wales Six Nations
team, playing for the first time at outside centre.
In January 2011 Hook confirmed he would join French side Perpignan
on a three year contract from the start of the 2011-12 season. His contact guarantees availability for all of Wales's 2011 Rugby World Cup
preparatory games. However, there is no clause covering future release outside of the normal International Rugby Board
window.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player for USA Perpignan
USA Perpignan
Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais or Unió eSportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà , generally abbreviated as USAP in both languages, is a French rugby union club that plays in the city of Perpignan in Pyrénées-Orientales. The club currently competes in the Top 14, the top level of the French...
. Hook is widely regarded as one of the most talented players in world rugby.
Hook's strengths as a player include good distribution skills, great tactical awareness, and reliable goal kicking, but his popularity in Wales is largely also due to his exciting running style, which is a traditional facet of Welsh fly-half play. This has led to comparisons with New Zealand star Dan Carter and legendary countryman Barry John
Barry John
Barry John is a former Welsh rugby union fly-half who played, during the amateur era of the sport, in the 1960s and early 1970s. John began his rugby career as a schoolboy playing for his local team Cefneithin RFC before switching to first-class west Wales team Llanelli RFC in 1964...
, who has himself hailed Hook as "a real star of the future".
Life
Hook was born in the southern industrial Welsh town of Port TalbotPort Talbot
Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
, the second of three children in a rugby-mad family. His brother Mike Hook
Mike Hook
Michael "Mike" Hook is a rugby union player who played the position of fly-half. Brother of Wales international James Hook he has represented Wales U16'S up to U21's playing in two U21 world cups as well as being a part of the Grand Slam winning U21's team in 2003...
was also a professional rugby player and sister Naidine a keen Netball player. His father Richard is a Senior Practitioner Paramedic and his mother Shan is a lecturer at Neath College.
Hook's childhood heroes were Neil Jenkins
Neil Jenkins
Neil Jenkins MBE is a former rugby union football player and current coach. He played fly-half, centre, or full back for Pontypridd, Cardiff, Celtic Warriors, Wales and the British and Irish Lions. Jenkins is Wales' highest ever points-scorer and is the third highest on the List of leading Rugby...
and Robert Jones
Robert Jones (rugby player)
Robert Nicholas Jones is a Welsh rugby union coach and former player. He was capped 54 times for Wales during his career, at that time a record...
– Jenkins because of his kicking ability, and Jones because he played in Hook's favourite position, which was scrum-half, the position he himself played for West Wales at the age of ten.
Hook attended Glan Afan Comprehensive School
Glan Afan Comprehensive School
Glan Afan Comprehensive School is a mixed comprehensive school, which has served the town of Port Talbot, Wales and its surrounding areas for over 110 years.-History:...
in the centre of Port Talbot, and Neath College where he started a half back combination with Martin Roberts
Martin Roberts
Martin Roberts is a Wales international rugby union footballer who currently plays at scrum-half for the Northampton Saints in the Aviva Premiership....
.
Club
Hook grew up playing schoolboy rugby with the junior & youth set-ups at various Port Talbot based clubs, such as: Aberavon Quins RFCAberavon Quins RFC
Aberavon Harlequins RFC is a Welsh rugby union team located in the Fairfield area of Port Talbot, and just a few minutes away from the town centre & Aberavon. In 1955 the team applied for and were successful in gaining membership to the Welsh Rugby Union. Today the club is a feeder club for the...
, Taibach RFC
Taibach RFC
Taibach Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in Taibach near Port Talbot in Wales, UK. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is also a feeder club for the Ospreys....
& Corus (Port Talbot) RFC
Corus (Port Talbot) RFC
Corus Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union clubs based in Port Talbot. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys....
.
At senior level & before making the step up to regional rugby with the Ospreys, Hook enjoyed great success for Neath RFC
Neath RFC
Neath Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The first team is known as the Welsh All Blacks because of the team colours: black with only a white cross pattée as an emblem...
, becoming the record holder for the highest individual points tally within a season. He also played for Neath College as a youngster.
Hook played his way into the Ospreys first XV in the 2006–07 season, giving outstanding performances at both fly-half and inside centre. He kicked a conversion in a Pool 3 match against the Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
during the 2006-07 Heineken Cup
2006-07 Heineken Cup
The 2006–07 Heineken Cup was the 12th edition of the European Heineken Cup rugby union club tournament. The pool draw took place on 21 June at Twickenham. The pool stages started on 20 October and concluded in January, going for six rounds...
, clinching the Ospreys win following a try from Shane Williams
Shane Williams
Shane Mark Williams is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a wing for the Ospreys and who can also play scrum-half. Williams is the record try scorer for the Wales national team and he is third on the international list of leading Rugby union Test try scorers behind Daisuke Ohata...
.
In November 2010 it was announced that Hook would not be signing a new contract with the Ospreys. On the 26'th, January 2011 James announced that he would be joining French Top 14 side USA Perpignan
USA Perpignan
Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais or Unió eSportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà , generally abbreviated as USAP in both languages, is a French rugby union club that plays in the city of Perpignan in Pyrénées-Orientales. The club currently competes in the Top 14, the top level of the French...
on a 3 year deal for the 2011-2012 season despite warnings from Wales' national coach Warren Gatland
Warren Gatland
Warren David Gatland is a former New Zealand rugby footballer and the current head coach of the Wales national team.Gatland was born in Hamilton, New Zealand and educated at Hamilton Boys' High School and Waikato University...
that he may not consider players based outside of Wales in his future squads..
International
After excelling at under-21 level for Wales, Hook starred for the Welsh sevens teamWales national rugby union team (sevens)
The Wales national rugby union sevens team is the international rugby sevens side for Welsh rugby union players. They currently compete in the IRB Sevens World Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens and in the Commonwealth Games....
, scoring a match-winning try to defeat South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team (sevens)
The South African national rugby union sevens team compete in the World Sevens Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.-Current squad:2011–12 IRB Sevens World Series 14-man squad :#Cecil Afrika...
in the plate final of the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
. Hook made his international debut against Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
under new Welsh
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
coach Gareth Jenkins
Gareth Jenkins
Gareth Jenkins is a former Welsh rugby union footballer, and former head coach of the Welsh national team. After a long and distinguished career at Llanelli RFC, Jenkins was appointed Wales coach in 2006, succeeding Mike Ruddock...
, scoring a late try in the match.
Hook made his home debut for Wales against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
on 4 November 2006 as a substitute for the injured Stephen Jones
Stephen Jones (rugby player)
Stephen Michael Jones is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays primarily at fly-half for Wales, the British and Irish Lions and Scarlets....
. He showed great composure in scoring 13 points as Wales drew the match 29–29 and was named as Wales' Man of the Match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
. Hook has since played against the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islanders rugby union team
The Pacific Islanders rugby union team is an international rugby union team, started in 2004, that represents Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. While Niue and the Cook Islands are not members of the Pacific Tri-Nations competition, they did supply players to the squad for the Pacific Islanders' tour in 2004...
, scoring a try, Australia where he scored thirteen points and Canada where he scored 16 points.
During the 2007 Six Nations Championship
2007 Six Nations Championship
The 2007 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 113th series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
, Hook played in all of Wales's games, but was hampered by being employed at inside centre, rather than in his preferred position of fly-half for the first four matches. As a result he struggled to make an impact. In the final game against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
, however, he was finally switched to fly-half and produced a Man of the Match-winning performance, scoring 22 points in Wales' 27–18 win. He also completed his first "full house" in this match (scoring a drop goal, penalty, try and conversion). The victory was Wales' first over a 'Tier One' rugby nation since the 2006 Six Nations Championship
2006 Six Nations Championship
The 2006 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
victory over Scotland.
Hook's commanding performance earned him various accolades from rugby greats such as Neil Jenkins and Warren Gatland.
Hook put in a man-of-the-match performance as he helped Wales beat England 26–19 in the first game of the 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
on 2 February 2008.
On 10 February 2008, Hook was selected at fly-half for the 30–15 win over Scotland in the Six Nations. Hook scored a try and kicked two conversions and a penalty, before being replaced by Stephen Jones in the 58th minute. Hook additionally had an absolute stormer against Leicester Tigers in order to secure the EDF energy cup.
In May 2009, Hook was included into the 2009 British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
touring party of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He was called into the squad as a utility back to cover his Wales team mate, Leigh Halfpenny
Leigh Halfpenny
Stephen Leigh Halfpenny is a Welsh international rugby union footballer who plays for the Cardiff Blues regional side.-Biography:...
, who was forced to withdraw from the beginning of the tour with a thigh injury. He made his Lions debut on 3 June, playing against the Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
Lions. Hook came off the bench in that game to score one try and kick 3 conversions.
In 2010, Hook was again selected to the Wales Six Nations
2010 Six Nations Championship
The 2010 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2010 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 11th series of the Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition between the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
team, playing for the first time at outside centre.
In January 2011 Hook confirmed he would join French side Perpignan
USA Perpignan
Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais or Unió eSportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà , generally abbreviated as USAP in both languages, is a French rugby union club that plays in the city of Perpignan in Pyrénées-Orientales. The club currently competes in the Top 14, the top level of the French...
on a three year contract from the start of the 2011-12 season. His contact guarantees availability for all of Wales's 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
preparatory games. However, there is no clause covering future release outside of the normal International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
window.
External links
- Ospreys profile
- Profile at the Official website of the Welsh Rugby Union
- Nigel Melville's scouting report in The Guardian, featuring James Hook
- Wales Profile