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Bethan Dainton

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Bethan Dainton
Personal information
Born (1989-04-12) 12 April 1989 (age 35)
Caerphilly, South Wales
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight68.18 kg (10 st 10.3 lb)
Playing information
Rugby union
PositionBack row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
Bristol Bears
Newport Gwent Dragons
20??–22 Cardiff Harlequins RFC
Total 0 0 0 0 0
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2016–21 Wales 8
2021 Barbarian F.C.
British Army 2 0 0 10
Rugby league
PositionSecond-row, Centre, Wing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2023– Leeds Rhinos 0 0 0 0 0
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2022– Wales 3 0 0 0 0
202?– British Army Rugby League 0 0
As of 4 November 2023

Bethan Dainton (born 12 April 1989) is a Welsh rugby league player who plays as second-row for Leeds Rhinos. She formerly played rugby union as back row for the Wales women's national rugby union team and Harlequins Women in the Allianz's Premier 15s. She made her debut for the Wales national squad in 2016, and represented them at the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship.[1]

Club career

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Dainton has a long-established sporting career, having represented Wales in athletics and cross country in both Union and league codes. However, she did not begin playing rugby until 2015, when she was invited to play for the Dragon's sevens team by Wales player Gemma Rowland.[1]

Dainton then played for Bristol Bears[2] before signing with her current club, Harlequins Women in the Premier 15s .[3]

International career

[edit]

After joining the Dragon's sevens team in 2015, Dainton represented Wales in both legs of the Rugby Europe Championship in Russia and France, where she helped Wales secure a place in the Women's Sevens World Series Qualifiers in Dublin, Ireland.[1]

In January 2016, she was named in Wales' 28-woman squad for the 2016 Women's Six Nations Championship, and won her first cap in the opening game against Ireland.[1]

A serious foot injury sustained on international sevens duty kept her out of action for nearly all of the 2017/18 season, and after a lengthy period of rehab she switched from wing to back row.[4] Dainton then returned to the international scene as she was called up for the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship. in Wales' opening game against France in the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship[5]

Dainton has won eight caps in her rugby career to date. She has won international caps in both the backs and the forwards.[1]

Personal life

[edit]

Bombardier Dainton is enlisted in the British Army, serving with the 74th Battery of the 39th Regiment Royal Artillery. Over the winter of 2010–11, she was posted to Afghanistan, where her squadron provided precision artillery support to 16 Air Assault Brigade in Helmand Province. Dainton was one of 71 soldiers to be awarded their Operational Service Medals for Afghanistan at a ceremony in Newcastle in March 2011.[6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Bethan Dainton". Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Wales wing Bethan Dainton proving to be a fast learner after 'whirlwind' year". South Wales Argus. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Bethan Dainton". www.quins.co.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  4. ^ thesportsdragon (5 February 2019). "In The Line Of Fire Bombardier Beth Dainton". The SportsDragon. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Dainton praises Mullen's influence following Wales call-up". www.quins.co.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  6. ^ WalesOnline (4 May 2011). "Soldier Bethan can't wait to see City game at home!". WalesOnline. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
[edit]
  • Profile at the Wales Rugby Union website
  • Profile at the Leeds Rhinos website