Will Harries Explained

Will Harries
Birth Name:William Thomas Morgan Harries
Birth Date:1987 3, df=yes
Birth Place:Cardiff, Wales
Height:173cm (68inches)
Weight:84kg (185lb)
Ru Position:Wing, Fullback
Ru Clubyears:2006–2009
2008–2009
2009–2014
2014–2019
Ru Clubcaps:6
24
97
56
Ru Clubpoints:(5)
(60)
(105)
(115)
Ru Nationalyears:2010–2012
Ru Nationalteam:Wales
Ru Nationalcaps:3
Ru Nationalpoints:(0)
Repsevensyears1:2008–2015
School:Millfield School
University:Loughborough University

Will Harries (born 30 March 1987) is a Welsh former international rugby union player. A wing or fullback, he played for the Northampton Saints, Bedford Blues, Newport Gwent Dragons, and most recently Ealing Trailfinders.

Professional career

Harries was educated at The Cathedral School, Llandaff and Millfield, a school known for its rugby tradition.[1] Harries was part of the Northampton Saints Senior Academy, and made his first competitive appearance against Saracens on 18 November 2006.[2] He featured in the Premiership A league, and five fixtures in the following season, while the Saints were relegated to League 1. For the 2008–09 season, Harries was loaned to Bedford Blues to gain further experience.[3] Harries was released at the end of the season.[4]

In 2008, Harries was first selected for the Wales national rugby sevens team squad, appearing in the IRB Sevens.[5]

On 1 July 2009, it was announced that Harries would join the Newport Gwent Dragons.[6] He appeared in a LV Cup game against the Saracens for the Dragons in January 2010, in which he scored 2 tries and was named Man of the Match.[7] During his first season with the Dragons, Harries scored eight tries, including a hat trick against Edinburgh.[8]

In May 2010 he was added to the Wales national rugby union team standby list for the summer matches and subsequently called into the full squad due to injury to Shane Williams.[9] He made his international debut against New Zealand in Hamilton on 26 June 2010.[10]

Following on from his debut, Harries was named in the squad for the 2010 end-of-year rugby union internationals. On 6 November 2010 he made his first international start, against Australia.[11] This was his only appearance of the autumn, Wales opting to give George North his international debut the following week. Harries was not selected in the squad for the 2011 Six Nations Championship.[12] At the end of the season, Harries suffered a substantial knee injury, ruling him out of remainder of the season, as well as the 2011 Rugby World Cup.[13]

Harries returned to the Welsh squad in May 2012, and came off the bench in a capped match against the Barbarians.[14] Harries did not travel with the squad to Australia, and this was to be his last cap for Wales.

He left Newport Gwent Dragons at the end of the 2013–14 season and was selected in the Wales Sevens squad for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, as they fell just short of a semi finals appearance.[15]

After finishing the Commonwealth Games, Harries joined Championship team Ealing Trailfinders, where he spent five seasons.[16] In 2019, he retired from professional rugby and alongside work, joined semi professional Chinnor RFC.[17]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: 'Crazy' year delights new Wales wing Will Harries. Western Mail. 6 November 2010.
  2. Web site: Northampton Saints vs Saracens - Summary - Premiership Rugby 2007 - 18 Nov, 2006 - ESPN . 2023-02-25 . ESPN.com . en.
  3. Web site: Live . Coventry . 2008-08-28 . Cov and co all set for action . 2023-02-25 . CoventryLive . en.
  4. News: 2009-06-04 . Saints release four more players . en-GB . BBC Sport . 2023-02-25.
  5. Web site: 2008-05-22 . Baber targets strong finish to IRB Sevens . 2023-02-25 . ESPN.com . en.
  6. Web site: 2009-07-01 . Harries re-inforces Dragons backline . 2023-02-25 . Welsh Rugby Union Club & Community . en-GB.
  7. Web site: Dragon News : HARRIES AND SMITH LEAD DRAGONS TO VICTORY . 2023-02-25 . www.dragonsrugby.wales . en.
  8. News: 2010-04-18 . Dragons 49-28 Edinburgh . en-GB . 2023-02-25.
  9. http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/sport/8195326.Dragon_Harries_to_tour_New_Zealand/ Wales Squad
  10. News: 2010-06-26 . New Zealand 29-10 Wales . en-GB . 2023-02-25.
  11. News: 2010-11-04 . Wales select Warburton at flanker . en-GB . 2023-02-25.
  12. Web site: 2011-01-23 . Wales Six Nations 2011 Squad - Williams, Henson out, Peel back in . 2023-02-25 . Rugby World . en-US.
  13. News: NG Dragons suffer Harries blow . en-GB . BBC Sport . 2023-02-25.
  14. News: Wales 30-21 Barbarians . en-GB . BBC Sport . 2023-02-25.
  15. News: Wales reflect on 'heart-break' loss . en-GB . BBC Sport . 2023-02-25.
  16. Web site: Harries set to make Ealing Trailfinders debut . 2022-11-30 . ealingtrailfinders.com.
  17. Web site: RUGBY UNION: Chinnor sign former Wales international Will Harries . 2022-11-30 . Oxford Mail . en.