Scott Gibbs
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Ian Scott Gibbs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Centre | 23 January 1971||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Position | Centre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ian Scott Gibbs (born 23 January 1971) is a Welsh former rugby footballer who has represented Wales and the Lions in rugby union and Wales and Great Britain in rugby league.[1] Noted feats included his performance in the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa (in which he was named "Player of the Series") and the individual try he scored in the dying minutes of the last Five Nations match in 1999 against England.
Background
Gibbs was born in Bridgend, Glamorgan, Wales.
Rugby union
Gibbs began his rugby career at
Despite being only 22, he was selected for the 1993 British Lions tour to New Zealand, where he impressed so much that he was selected for the second and third tests instead of then-England captain Will Carling.
Rugby league
In 1994 Gibbs left union to join rugby league team St. Helens.[1][5] While playing league, Gibbs was selected to play for Wales in the 1995 World Cup.[6] He also won the Challenge Cup, and the inaugural Super League title with St. Helens in 1996.[7] He played at centre in the 1996 Challenge Cup final victory over Bradford Bulls.[8]
Scott Gibbs played at
Return to union
On his return to union in 1996 it was sometimes joked that he was the fastest
In 1997 Gibbs was a key member of the victorious
In later years Gibbs was sometimes criticised for being too one-dimensional, but he did show agility to claim the winning try in the last-ever Five Nations match in 1999. Wales were playing England at
In a 2013 article for The Guardian, Gibbs said that the play was inspired by a move that his old St Helens teammate Bobbie Goulding had regularly used to great success in the 13-man code, namely packing the midfield with forwards before allowing a back to cut through on a diagonal dummy run.[10] Following Neil Jenkins' conversion, Wales won the match 32–31 in what is agreed to be one of the best matches played in the competition,[citation needed] and caused England not only to miss out on the Grand Slam, but handed the last Five Nations Championship to Scotland.
In 2001 Gibbs was called up as a replacement to the 2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, though he did not play in any of the Tests.
Post-retirement
Gibbs retired from rugby in 2004 at age 33
Gibbs resides in Cape Town, South Africa, with his fiancée.[12]
References
- ^ a b c "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org (RL)". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Statistics at en.espn.co.uk (RU)". espn.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Statistics at wru.co.uk (RU)". wru.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Profile at lionsrugby.com (RU)". lionsrugby.com. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ Rugby Union: Gibbs' flight to St Helens outrages Swansea: Welsh and British Isles union centre switches codes for five-year contract and derides his former sport's efforts to keep him The Independent, 20 April 1994
- ^ Howell, Andy (12 December 2007). "Henson would be big success, says Gibbs". Western Mail. walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
- ^ "Gareth Thomas completes switch from union to Wales rugby league side Crusaders". telegraph.co.uk. London: Telegraph Media Group. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ "steveprescottfoundation.co.uk". Steve Prescott Stats. Steve Prescott Foundation. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
- ^ "13th January 1996: St Helens 16 Wigan 25 (Regal Trophy Final)". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ Rees, Paul (13 March 2013). "The story of Scott Gibbs's try that broke England hearts". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Aldred, Tanya. "Gibbs hangs up his boots at 33". The Guardian. No. 23 January 2004. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ Gaskell, Simon (2 March 2013). "Scott Gibbs to wed". WalesOnline.co.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
External links
- (archived by web.archive.org) Profile at wru.co.uk (RU)
- Profile at saints.org.uk (RL)