Gareth Delve

• Date of Birth – 30/12/82
• Height – 6ft3
• Weight – 18st 2lbs
• Caps – 8
• Club – Gloucester

Gareth Delve has always been extremely unlucky with injuries ever since entering into professional rugby.  Without his constant injuries Gareth Delve would have had dramatically more caps than his current 8.  Many consider him to be at least on a par with the Welsh captain Ryan Jones.  Indeed at Welsh youth level they played in the same team – With Delve’s presence at number 8 forcing Ryan to move into the 2nd row.

Gareth Delve has always played his club rugby in England (although Delve was born in Cardiff he took a scholarship to play rugby in a Bristol college) and as such is not likely to fall foul of ‘Gatlands law’ – stopping players who are abroad from playing for Wales internationally (assuming such a law is still in effect, which is debatable).  Most of that time has been spent with the world famous Bath rugby club, where Delve made 62 appearances,scoring 4 tries.

In the summer of 2008 Gareth Delve moved the short distance from bath to their near rivals Gloucester – along with a couple of other players including Ollie Barclay.  Injuries again struck, limiting his appearences to just 9, scoring 2 tries in the process.

If Gareth Delve ever gets a run of games he is likely to be making Welsh rugby squads again.  Everytime he manages a few games he looks like an international quality player – one that would easily be putting pressure on Ryan Jones and would force Andy Powell, in my opinion, into 3rd choice for the position.

Unfortunately such a run of games is always followed by an injury so whether we will ever get to see the best of Gareth Delve is open to debate.  But I for one hope we will have seen the last of the long lay offs that he’s suffered and can at last see him challenge more consistently for international honours.