Neil Jenkins
Encyclopedia
Neil Jenkins MBE
(born 8 July 1971) 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 union Test point scorers. He was the first player to score 1,000 points in international matches.
near Llantrisant
, Wales to a scrap dealer and his wife. He attended Bryn Celynnog
Comprehensive school in Beddau
.
on 19 January 1991 against England during the Five Nations Championship in Cardiff, a game that Wales lost 25–6. Despite a relatively uninteresting match Jenkins had the consolation of scoring his first three points thanks to a penalty. After the Five Nations campaign, Jenkins missed out on a place in the Welsh World Cup squad – the number ten position having been taken up by Mark Ring
.
Jenkins' main strength was his kicking, although he was deceptively quick in his early career. Despite this, he still received tremendous criticism and many felt that he was not worthy enough to inherit the Welsh number 10 shirt of Barry John
, Phil Bennett
and Cliff Morgan
, leading Jenkins to tailor his game to the demands of the modern game. He developed his tackling, passing and running skills, especially under the coaching of Graham Henry
, and became an excellent distributor of the ball, notably his excellent flat passes, and also a strong runner. After just 28 test matches for Wales, he became the nation's record points-scorer.
Jenkins went on the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa
, playing full back in all three tests. His extremely accurate goalkicking enabled the Lions to beat the Springboks during the first two tests, and thus secure the series 2–1.
In the final match of the 1999 Five Nations Championship
, Jenkins famously kicked a conversion in the dying moments of the game to beat England 32–31 at Wembley in one of the most memorable games in the history of the tournament. This would deny their English counterparts the title as Scotland won on points difference, with Wales finishing in third.
In October 2000, Jenkins was given an MBE
for services to sport. He famously picked up the MBE from Buckingham Palace
before being flown back to the Welsh capital by helicopter for a rugby match in which he scored all 24 points for Cardiff
in their 24–14 win over Saracens
.
In 2001, Jenkins became the first ever player in the history of the game to break the 1,000 international points mark with a 28-point haul featuring a Full House of a try, conversion, drop-goal, and penalty against France in Paris.
Jenkins also went on the 2001 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, but was carrying an injury, allowing English fly-half Jonny Wilkinson
to become the preferred fly-half and goalkicker. However, Jenkins did gain his fourth Lions cap as a late replacement in the second test.
Kicking always remained his major strength – in the 2003/4 season
, he was successful with 44 consecutive kicks at goal for his regional side, the now defunct Celtic Warriors
. This is a world record that many people believe will never be beaten.
During his 87 caps for Wales he scored 1,049 points (11 tries, 130 conversions, 235 penalties and 10 drop goals) and a further 41 points (1 conversion and 13 penalties) during his 4 caps for the British and Irish Lions
for a grand total of 1,090 points. He retired as the only player to score over 1,000 points in international rugby. Jenkins' world record was subsequently broken by Jonny Wilkinson.
Jenkins was left out of Wales' 2003 World Cup squad and subsequently announced his retirement from international rugby after an 11 year career. His final match for Wales was on 1 November 2002 in Wrexham against Romania, with Wales winning easily 40–3.
Despite the early public criticism, Jenkins has established himself as one of the most recognisable figures in Welsh rugby, and many Welsh rugby fans hold him in extremely high regard, not only because of his rugby achievements, but also because he has remained true to his roots, and is widely known to be approachable and genuine. Although he is no longer the leading points scorer in Test history, he is still considered to be one of the most accomplished goalkickers in both rugby codes.
in the capacity of Kicking Skills Coach, working with the then newly formed WRU Academies to improve the future generations of outside halves. In the summer of 2006 he returned to the National Squad set up as Skills Coach, where he first worked for Gareth Jenkins
during the 2007 Rugby World Cup
campaign and now subsequently Warren Gatland
's new-look management team.
During the 2007–2008 season, Jenkins helped the Welsh national team to a second Six Nations
Grand Slam
in four years.
as specialist kicking coach on their tour of South Africa.
: Life at number 10: An Autobiography with freelance journalist Paul Rees
just a matter of weeks before breaking the International points scoring record. The book was republished in 2001 by Mainstream Publishing.
Also, on 10 November 2003 a DVD was released as a tribute to the Ginger Monster. Called Jenks – A Rugby Legend, the DVD tells the story of Jenkins from his start as a working class boy in the Welsh Valleys to the pinnacle as the most respected number 10 in world rugby.
In honour of Jenkins' Testimonial career, the famous Grogg
Shop in Pontypridd made a "Limited Edition Testimonial Action" Grogg of Jenkins. Wanting to make something special for the occasion, the Grogg was the first ever to stand on just one leg and took over 6 months to create. Only 100 were made, all of which were hand-painted in a variety of rugby kits – only three of which were in the Lions jersey, one owned by Jenkins, one by his mother and the other by Mike Donald of Ebbw Vale who bought the Grogg at an auction for £4,100.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 8 July 1971) is a former 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...
football player and current coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
. He played fly-half, centre, or full back for Pontypridd
Pontypridd RFC
Pontypridd Rugby Football Club, known as Ponty, are a rugby union team from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, currently playing in the British and Irish Cup, Principality Premiership, and are the current SWALEC Cup champions....
, Cardiff
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
, Celtic Warriors
Celtic Warriors
The Celtic Warriors were a regional rugby union team from Wales, who played in the Celtic League and Heineken Cup between 2003 and 2004.-History:The Warriors were one of the five original regions of the Welsh Regional Rugby Era...
, Wales
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...
and the 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...
. Jenkins is Wales' highest ever points-scorer and is the third highest on the List of leading Rugby union Test point scorers. He was the first player to score 1,000 points in international matches.
Early life
Jenkins was born in Church VillageChurch Village
Church Village is a large village in the historic parish and community of Llantwit Fardre, located within the Taff Ely district of the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales...
near Llantrisant
Llantrisant
Llantrisant is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the River Ely and the Afon Clun. The town's name translates as The Parish of the Three Saints. The three saints in question are St Illtyd, St Gwynno and St...
, Wales to a scrap dealer and his wife. He attended Bryn Celynnog
Bryn Celynnog
Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive is a state run school located in Beddau, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.-Alumni:Its alumni include many rugby stars who have gone on to be highly successful, such as rugby players Neil Jenkins MBE, Michael Owen, and Gethin Jenkins, who have all represented the British and...
Comprehensive school in Beddau
Beddau
Beddau is a large village around 1.5 miles from Llantrisant and 4 miles from the larger town of Pontypridd in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales.-Education:Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Castellau is the village's Welsh speaking primary school...
.
Career
Jenkins first came to note as a rugby player when he joined Pontypridd in 1990, making his First XV debut on the 14th April. He made his Wales debut aged 19 along with Scott GibbsScott Gibbs
Scott Gibbs is a former rugby footballer who represented Wales and the Lions in rugby union and Wales and Great Britain in rugby league...
on 19 January 1991 against England during the Five Nations Championship in Cardiff, a game that Wales lost 25–6. Despite a relatively uninteresting match Jenkins had the consolation of scoring his first three points thanks to a penalty. After the Five Nations campaign, Jenkins missed out on a place in the Welsh World Cup squad – the number ten position having been taken up by Mark Ring
Mark Ring
Mark Gerarde Ring played rugby union for Cardiff RFC, Pontypool RFC and Wales between 1982 and 1996. He was regarded as among the most gifted players of his generation but his career was hampered by serious injury.- Club career :...
.
Jenkins' main strength was his kicking, although he was deceptively quick in his early career. Despite this, he still received tremendous criticism and many felt that he was not worthy enough to inherit the Welsh number 10 shirt of 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...
, Phil Bennett
Phil Bennett
Phillip Bennett was a Welsh international rugby union fly half from 1969 to 1978. His flair and range of tricks, including his famous sidestep and swerve, meant he was a firm favourite with crowds.-Rugby career:...
and Cliff Morgan
Cliff Morgan
Cliff Morgan is a former Welsh rugby union player who played for Cardiff RFC and earned 29 caps for Wales between 1951 and 1958.-Rugby career:...
, leading Jenkins to tailor his game to the demands of the modern game. He developed his tackling, passing and running skills, especially under the coaching of Graham Henry
Graham Henry
Graham Henry is a New Zealand Rugby Union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, the All Blacks. He played rugby union for Canterbury and cricket for Otago in the Plunket Shield. Henry was heavily criticized following the All Blacks quarterfinal exit at the 2007 Rugby World...
, and became an excellent distributor of the ball, notably his excellent flat passes, and also a strong runner. After just 28 test matches for Wales, he became the nation's record points-scorer.
Jenkins went on the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa
1997 British Lions tour to South Africa
The 1997 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa was a series of matches played by the British and Irish Lions rugby union team in South Africa.This tour followed the Lions' 1993 tour to New Zealand and preceded their 2001 tour to Australia....
, playing full back in all three tests. His extremely accurate goalkicking enabled the Lions to beat the Springboks during the first two tests, and thus secure the series 2–1.
In the final match of the 1999 Five Nations Championship
1999 Five Nations Championship
The 1999 Five Nations Championship was the seventieth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-fifth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
, Jenkins famously kicked a conversion in the dying moments of the game to beat England 32–31 at Wembley in one of the most memorable games in the history of the tournament. This would deny their English counterparts the title as Scotland won on points difference, with Wales finishing in third.
In October 2000, Jenkins was given an MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to sport. He famously picked up the MBE from Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
before being flown back to the Welsh capital by helicopter for a rugby match in which he scored all 24 points for Cardiff
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
in their 24–14 win over Saracens
Saracens F.C.
Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...
.
In 2001, Jenkins became the first ever player in the history of the game to break the 1,000 international points mark with a 28-point haul featuring a Full House of a try, conversion, drop-goal, and penalty against France in Paris.
Jenkins also went on the 2001 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, but was carrying an injury, allowing English fly-half Jonny Wilkinson
Jonny Wilkinson
Jonathan Peter "Jonny" Wilkinson OBE is an English rugby union player and member of the England national team. Wilkinson rose to acclaim from 2001 to 2003, before and during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and was acknowledged as one of the world’s best rugby players...
to become the preferred fly-half and goalkicker. However, Jenkins did gain his fourth Lions cap as a late replacement in the second test.
Kicking always remained his major strength – in the 2003/4 season
2003-04 Celtic League
-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week4:-Week 5:-Week 6:-Week 7:-Week 8:-Week 9:-Week 10:-Week 11:-Week 12:-Week 13:...
, he was successful with 44 consecutive kicks at goal for his regional side, the now defunct Celtic Warriors
Celtic Warriors
The Celtic Warriors were a regional rugby union team from Wales, who played in the Celtic League and Heineken Cup between 2003 and 2004.-History:The Warriors were one of the five original regions of the Welsh Regional Rugby Era...
. This is a world record that many people believe will never be beaten.
During his 87 caps for Wales he scored 1,049 points (11 tries, 130 conversions, 235 penalties and 10 drop goals) and a further 41 points (1 conversion and 13 penalties) during his 4 caps for the 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...
for a grand total of 1,090 points. He retired as the only player to score over 1,000 points in international rugby. Jenkins' world record was subsequently broken by Jonny Wilkinson.
Jenkins was left out of Wales' 2003 World Cup squad and subsequently announced his retirement from international rugby after an 11 year career. His final match for Wales was on 1 November 2002 in Wrexham against Romania, with Wales winning easily 40–3.
Despite the early public criticism, Jenkins has established himself as one of the most recognisable figures in Welsh rugby, and many Welsh rugby fans hold him in extremely high regard, not only because of his rugby achievements, but also because he has remained true to his roots, and is widely known to be approachable and genuine. Although he is no longer the leading points scorer in Test history, he is still considered to be one of the most accomplished goalkickers in both rugby codes.
Coaching career
In the autumn of 2004 Jenkins returned to the Welsh Rugby UnionWelsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
in the capacity of Kicking Skills Coach, working with the then newly formed WRU Academies to improve the future generations of outside halves. In the summer of 2006 he returned to the National Squad set up as Skills Coach, where he first worked for 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...
during the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
campaign and now subsequently 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...
's new-look management team.
During the 2007–2008 season, Jenkins helped the Welsh national team to a second Six Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
in four years.
The British and Irish Lions
On 8 June 2009 it was announced that Jenkins would be joining the British and Irish LionsBritish and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
as specialist kicking coach on their tour of South Africa.
Off the Field
In 1999, Jenkins released his autobiographyAutobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
: Life at number 10: An Autobiography with freelance journalist Paul Rees
Paul Rees
Paul Rees is a British racing driver. In 2010 he is competing in the FIA Formula Two Championship. His father is the former Formula 1 driver Alan Rees.-Complete Formula Two results:...
just a matter of weeks before breaking the International points scoring record. The book was republished in 2001 by Mainstream Publishing.
Also, on 10 November 2003 a DVD was released as a tribute to the Ginger Monster. Called Jenks – A Rugby Legend, the DVD tells the story of Jenkins from his start as a working class boy in the Welsh Valleys to the pinnacle as the most respected number 10 in world rugby.
In honour of Jenkins' Testimonial career, the famous Grogg
Grogg
A Grogg is a clay caricature made at the family run John Hughes world of Groggs which was established in 1965 in Trefforest near Pontypridd, Wales. Most Groggs are 9 inches tall or less and are made of a type of clay. Groggs are usually made of Popular Welsh rugby players, Welsh celebrities...
Shop in Pontypridd made a "Limited Edition Testimonial Action" Grogg of Jenkins. Wanting to make something special for the occasion, the Grogg was the first ever to stand on just one leg and took over 6 months to create. Only 100 were made, all of which were hand-painted in a variety of rugby kits – only three of which were in the Lions jersey, one owned by Jenkins, one by his mother and the other by Mike Donald of Ebbw Vale who bought the Grogg at an auction for £4,100.