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Birth name | WillGriff John | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | (1992-12-04) 4 December 1992 (age 32) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Plymouth, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 127 kg (280 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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WillGriff John (born 4 December 1992) is a Welsh rugby union player who currently plays for Sale Sharks in Premiership Rugby. A tight head prop, John has previously played for Cardiff Blues, Northland, Doncaster Knights, Sale Sharks, and the Scarlets. He won two caps for Wales in 2021.
Club career
Born in Plymouth, England, and raised in the Rhondda in Wales, John began his playing career at Pontypridd and represented Wales at youth levels. He also played for Cardiff Blues and was part of the squad that won the European Challenge Cup in 2010. In 2013 he moved to New Zealand and played for two seasons in the ITM Cup with the province of Northland.
John then returned to the UK and joined Doncaster in the Championship in 2014. On 3 May 2017 John was signed by Sale Sharks in the English Premiership.
John departed Sale to join Scarlets for the 2021–22 season.
At the end of the 2022–23 season, John was released by the Scarlets, and subsequently joined Racing 92 on a short term contract. Following his departure from Racing John joined Pro D2 club US Montauban as a medical joker in November 2023. He rejoined his former club Sale Sharks on a short term contract as injury cover for Nick Schonert in April 2024 and remained at the club for the 2024-2025 season.
International career
On 15 January 2020, John was named in the Wales squad for the 2020 Six Nations Championship. He was named in the starting side against Scotland, but the match was cancelled prior to kickoff due to COVID-19.
On 6 November 2021, John made his Wales debut coming off the bench against South Africa. John made his first start against Fiji later in the month.
On 13 January 2025 John was named in the Wales squad for the 2025 Six Nations Championship.
References
- "Aviva Premiership Rugby - Sale Sharks - Willgriff John profile". web page. Premier Rugby. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- "Prop WillGriff John joins Knights ranks".
- "WillGriff John: Sale Sharks sign Doncaster Knights prop". BBC. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- "WillGriff John: Scarlets sign prop from Sale". BBC Sport. 2 February 2021.
- "Racing 92 sign Wales prop John as World Cup cover". BBC Sport. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- "US Montauban : un pilier international gallois s'engage avec le club sapiacain". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- Diamond, Sam (3 April 2024). "FORMER SHARK WILLGRIFF JOHN RETURNS". Sale Sharks. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- "Six Nations: Wales call up teenager Rees-Zammit and Saracens' Tompkins". BBC Sport. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- "WillGriff John: Prop dreams of first Wales cap after 2020 false start". BBC Sport. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- "Wales v South Africa team announcement as Pivac makes six changes to face Springboks". Wales Online. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- "Wales 38-23 Fiji: Laboured hosts hit back to beat 14-man visitors". BBC Sport. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- "Six Nations 2025: Wales to be captained by Jac Morgan". ESPN.com. 13 January 2025. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
External links
- WillGriff John at European Professional Club Rugby
- WillGriff John at Welsh Rugby Union
- WillGriff John at ESPNscrum
- WillGriff John at ItsRugby.co.uk
- Sale Sharks' Player Profile
- 1992 births
- Living people
- Cardiff Rugby players
- Doncaster Knights players
- English people of Welsh descent
- English rugby union players
- Pontypridd RFC players
- Rugby union players from Plymouth, Devon
- Rugby union props
- Sale Sharks players
- Wales international rugby union players
- Northland rugby union players
- Scarlets players
- 21st-century Welsh sportsmen
- Welsh rugby union players