Aaron Wainwright
Full name | Aaron James Wainwright | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 25 September 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Newport, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 106 kg (234 lb; 16 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Bassaleg School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | Cardiff Metropolitan University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Aaron James Wainwright (born 25 September 1997) is a Welsh professional
.Early life
Wainwright originally looked destined for a career in football having been on the books of both Cardiff City and Newport County during his teenage years. He was at Cardiff City from Under 9-16 and was included in the Wales Under 16 football squad.[1] Wainwright played youth rugby for Whiteheads RFC. Wainwright attended Cardiff Metropolitan University and played in the BUCS Super Rugby tournament.[2]
Club career
Wainwright made his debut for the Dragons regional team in 2017 having previously played for Newport RFC. The back row completed a clean sweep at the region's end of season awards in May 2019 as he was named the Coaches Player-of-the-Year, Players' Player-of-the-Year and DOSC Player-of-the-Year.
From his new position of Number 8, Wainwright scored against the Ospreys, as the Dragons won the derby 31–20 on 6 March 2021.[3] His success against regional rivals continued as he touched down twice helping the Dragons beat the Scarlets 52–32 on 25 April 2021.[4]
International career
Wainwright made his debut for the Welsh national team on 10 June 2018 versus Argentina as a second-half replacement.[5] He was named on the bench a week prior for the match against South Africa, but did not take to the field.[6]
He scored his debut international try, on 20 October 2019, as Wales' opening try in the
Under new Welsh coach Wayne Pivac, Wainwright underwent a shift from blindside flanker to Number 8.[9] He was named man of the match in the win against Georgia in the 2020 Autumn Nations Series.[10] He featured twice in the 2021 Six Nations Championship, as Wales won the title and the Triple Crown. Wainwright continued to feature for Wales throughout the 2021 end-of-year rugby union internationals and 2022 Six Nations, primarily at Number 8 but also appearing on the blindside.
Injury ruled Wainwright out of the 2022 Wales rugby union tour of South Africa,[11] and he was omitted from the squad for the 2022 end-of-year rugby union internationals, but was selected for the Barbarians in their match against the All Blacks XV.[2]
Career statistics
List of international tries
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 20 October 2019 | Ōita Bank Dome, Ōita, Japan | France | 5–12 | 20–19 | 2019 Rugby World Cup |
as of 20 October 2019[update]
References
- ^ "Aaron Wainwright".
- ^ a b November 2022, Joe Harvey Friday 11. "Aaron Wainwright Exclusive: 'University rugby is probably what got me where I am'". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Ospreys versus Dragons Match Report on 06 March 2021 | Dragons". www.dragonsrugby.wales. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ "Dragons versus Scarlets Match Report on 25 April 2021 | Dragons". www.dragonsrugby.wales. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ Southcombe, Matthew (9 June 2018). "Everything Warren Gatland said after Wales' outstanding win". walesonline.
- ^ "A father's epic journey to support his son". Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ "Wales beat France 20-19 to reach Rugby World Cup semi-finals in thriller". BBC Sport. 20 October 2019.
- ^ rugbybworldcup.com. "Wales strike late to make 'unlucky' France pay for red card". www.worldrugby.org. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "'Pivac sees me at number eight and I can see where he's coming from'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ "Dragon News : Waino named man of the match in Georgia win". www.dragonsrugby.wales. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ "Injured Wainwright out of Wales tour". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
External links
- Aaron Wainwright at ESPNscrum
- Aaron Wainwright at ItsRugby.co.uk
- Aaron Wainwright at Welsh Rugby Union
- Dragons profile