Mike Ruddock

Mike Ruddock
Date of birth (1959-09-05) 5 September 1959
Place of birth Blaina, Wales
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position Flanker
Amateur clubs
Years Club / team
Blaina RFC
Tredegar RFC
Swansea RFC
Coaching career
Years Club / team
1991-1997
1997-2000
2000-2003
2003-2004
2004-2006
2007-2010
2010-2014
Swansea RFC
Leinster Rugby
Ebbw Vale RFC
Newport Gwent Dragons
Wales
Worcester Warriors
Ireland U20

Mike Ruddock, OBE (born 5 September 1959 in Blaina) is a Welsh rugby union coach, currently coach of the Ireland Under-20 Rugby Union Team and Lansdowne FC . Ruddock was the Director of Rugby at the Worcester Warriors until his resignation on 28 April 2010. Previously, Ruddock was the coach of the Welsh national rugby union team from 2004 until February 2006 and Leinster Coach from 1997 to 2000[1]

He is the father of Irish rugby union international Rhys Ruddock.

Playing career

Ruddock played in the back row for Blaina, Tredegar and Swansea, making 119 appearances for Swansea and scoring 43 tries.

He also played for Wales under-16s and Wales B, but his playing days were ended prematurely by an accident at work in 1985. Working as an electricity linesman, he fell from a pole, suffering serious injuries including three compressed vertebrae and a fractured skull.[1]

Coaching career

Club rugby

He began his career as a coach at Blaina and guided them to a Monmouthshire Premier League title & a Ben Francis Cup victory, he later coached Cross Keys and had a spell in Ireland with Bective Rangers. As coach of Swansea, he recorded a 216 win over the touring Australians in 1992 and won Welsh league titles in 1992 and 1994 and the Welsh Cup in 1995.[1] In 1997, he again moved to Ireland as director of coaching at Leinster.

Returning to Wales in 2000, he coached Ebbw Vale and Wales 'A' then coached Newport Gwent Dragons with considerable success.

Wales national rugby union team

Ruddock was given control of the Wales team to face Romania in the run up to the 2003 Rugby World Cup, a match which Wales won 548 their first win in 11 games.

In 2004, Steve Hansen left his post as coach of the Welsh national side to return to New Zealand, and Ruddock was appointed to the job. In his first season, Wales completed the Grand Slam in the Six Nations Championship for the first time since 1978. He received an OBE in the 2006 New Years Honours List.[2]

On 14 February 2006, Ruddock resigned as coach of the Welsh National Team when contract negotiations with the WRU broke down.

Post Welsh national coach

Ruddock temporarily left rugby following his departure from the Wales team, but soon returned to the game as an assistant coach of Mumbles RFC winning the Division 3 South West title, also taking charge of a World XV and coaching the forwards of a Barbarians select team on a tour of England & South Africa. During his coaching career Ruddock won the Welsh Coach of the Year in 1992 and 2005.

Worcester

Ruddock's return to the mainstream was announced on 1 May 2007, when, two days after their narrow escape from relegation from the Guinness Premiership, Worcester Warriors appointed Ruddock as Director of Rugby, replacing John Brain. Ruddock took Worcester to the Amlin Challenge Cup Final as well as the Middlesex 7's final at Twickenham before their luck ran out. Following the Warriors 12-10 defeat to Leeds Carnegie on 25 April 2010, the Worcester were relegated from the Guinness Premiership, and Mike Ruddock subsequently resigned from his post as Director of Rugby on the 28th of April.

Ireland U-20

It was announced on 4 August 2010 that Ruddock was appointed as head coach of the Ireland Under-20 Rugby Union Team.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Wales Coach Archive: Mike Ruddock 2004 -2006". WRU. Retrieved 2008-12-10..
  2. Worcester profile
  3. "Ruddock Appointed Ireland U-20 Coach". Irishrugby.ie. 04/08/2010. Archived from the original on August 6, 2010. Retrieved 04/08/2010. Check date values in: |access-date=, |date= (help)

External links

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