Gareth Cooper
Wales
player portrait
Full name Gareth James Cooper
Born May 7, 1979, Bridgend
Current age 44 years 326 days
Major teams Bath Rugby, British and Irish Lions, Cardiff Blues, Gloucester Rugby, Wales A, Wales
Position Scrum-half
Height 5 ft 7 in
Weight 187 lb

Test career
Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Won Lost Draw %
All Tests 2001-2010 47 34 13 45 9 0 0 0 22 24 1 47.87
Wales 2001-2010 46 33 13 45 9 0 0 0 22 24 0 47.82
British and Irish Lions 2005-2005 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 50
Five/Six Nations 2001-2010 16 11 5 10 2 0 0 0 7 9 0 43.75
IRB Rugby World Cup 2003-2007 6 4 2 15 3 0 0 0 4 2 0 66.66

Career statistics
Test debut Italy v Wales at Rome, Apr 8, 2001 match details
Last Test Wales v Scotland at Millennium Stadium, Feb 13, 2010 match details
Test Statsguru Main menu | Career summary | Match list | Most points | Most tries | Tournament list

English Premiership
Team Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Won Lost Draw %
All matches 1999-2009 91 68 23 75 15 0 0 0 44 43 4 50.54
Bath Rugby 1999-2003 68 56 12 75 15 0 0 0 31 33 4 48.52
Gloucester Rugby 2007-2009 23 12 11 0 0 0 0 0 13 10 0 56.52
Profile

Wales scrum-half Gareth Cooper made his Test debut against Italy in Rome in 2001 whilst playing his club rugby for English side Bath. Cooper's early years had been spent with Pencoed RFC before he made the switch across the Severn Bridge to the West Country.

After making his debut Cooper toured Japan with Wales before nailing down the Wales scrum-half jersey as his own before the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia. Cooper made five appearances during the tournament as Wales were knocked out at the quarter-final stage.

Cooper returned to Wales to play for the newly-formed Celtic Warriors in 2003 but as Wales improved through the 2004 Six Nations he found himself scrapping for the Test jersey with Scarlets scrum-half Dwayne Peel.

Cooper joined Newport Gwent Dragons in 2004, but the change in scenery couldn't rejuvenate his form as Peel secured the scrum-half berth as Wales racked up a Grand Slam in 2005, leaving Cooper on the bench. Despite falling out-of-favour with Wales Cooper was selected for the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand, playing the warm-up Test against Argentina at the Millennium Stadium before finding himself behind Peel and Scotland's Chris Cusiter in the pecking order on tour.

Cooper struggled to fight his way into the Wales reckoning following the Lions tour, with Mike Phillips also edging ahead of him in the scrum-half stakes. Cooper announced in March 2007 that he would be joining Guinness Premiership side Gloucester at the start of the 2007-08 season.

Cooper made his second Rugby World Cup in 2007, but was limited to a single replacement appearance against Japan. Cooper was an unused squad member as Wales again secured a Grand Slam in 2008, before injuries to both Peel and Phillips offered him another shot at the Wales jersey for their summer tour to South Africa.

Cooper played both Tests, scoring an excellent individual try in the second. He then kept Peel on the bench for Wales' autumn internationals, including a win over Australia at the Millennium Stadium.

In January 2009 Cooper was announced alongside Phillips as Wales' scrum-halves for the 2009 Six Nations, but injury prevented him from taking any part in the tournament. In March 2009 he announced that he would be joining Cardiff Blues for the 2009-10 season but failed to make a mark at the region due to a groin injury. In November 2010 he left the Blues in order to take a six to 12-month rest.

Scrum Staff

Latest Articles
First time lucky (Feb 11, 2015) Injured Cooper forced to leave Blues (Nov 3, 2010) Lauaki walks away from car crash (Apr 26, 2010) Jones retains Wales starting berth (Feb 9, 2010) Wallabies' only consistency is their inconsistency (Dec 7, 2009) Gareth Cooper news and articles (23) »
Latest Photos
Feb 6, 2010
Wales scrum-half Gareth Cooper spins the ball
Wales scrum-half Gareth Cooper spins the ball
©  Getty Images
Dec 12, 2009
Cardiff Blues scrum-half Gareth Cooper is shackled by the Toulouse defence
Cardiff Blues scrum-half Gareth Cooper is shackled by the Toulouse defence
©  PA Photos
Nov 24, 2009
Blues scrum-half Gareth Cooper takes the attack to Australia
Blues scrum-half Gareth Cooper takes the attack to Australia
©  Getty Images
Nov 7, 2009
Gareth Cooper clears for Wales
Gareth Cooper clears for Wales
©  Getty Images
Gareth Cooper rugby photos (11) »

Live Sports

Communication error please reload the page.