Gethin Jenkins Bio

Gethin Jenkins is one of the most-capped rugby union players of all time. During his distinguished and record breaking career, he made 129 appearances for Wales and five for the British and Irish Lions.

Born 17 November 1980, Gethin Jenkins first began playing rugby at the age of 13. After playing his youth rugby at Pontypridd (where he captained his side to the Welsh Cup), he became a regular in the first team. During this period, he experienced continued success. He won the final Principality Cup and only narrowly lost the final of the Parker Pen Shield competition. At this time, he also regularly played rugby league for the Cardiff Demons.

After leaving Pontypridd in 2003 when the regional structure of Welsh rugby was formed, Gethin Jenkins signed for the Celtic Warriors. However, following the team’s demise, he signed for Cardiff Blues in 2004.

Gethin Jenkins stayed at Cardiff Blues until 2012. During his time with the club, he made 126 appearances and won the European Rugby Challenge Cup. He also reached the semi-final of the Heineken Champions Cup.

In 2012, Gethin Jenkins signed for Toulon and became only the second Welsh player to win both European cups when he played as a replacement in the final of the Heineken Champions Cup against Clermont Auvergne in 2013. When his contract with Clermont expired, he returned to Wales and signed with the Cardiff Blues once again. By the time he retired in 2018, he had made more than 200 appearances for the side.

Although he enjoyed a great deal of success at the domestic level, Gethin Jenkins is best known for his international career. Between 2002 and 2016, he made 129 appearances for Wales. During this time, he captained his side on several occasions and briefly became his country’s record cap holder.

Thanks to his successes for Wales, Gethin Jenkins was also named in three British and Irish Lions squads (2005, 2009, 2013). On these tours, he was capped on five occasions.

Since retiring from rugby in 2018, Gethin Jenkins has been involved in coaching at Cardiff Blues and Cardiff RFC. Since 2020, he has been the Wales Assistant Coach focusing on defence.