Gareth Jenkins

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Gareth Jenkins (born 11 September 1951) is a Welsh rugby union coach.

Jenkins played as a flanker for Llanelli RFC, the Welsh B team and the Barbarians. Jenkins also toured Japan with the Welsh national Rugby team in 1975, but was not capped. Jenkins coached both Llanelli RFC and the Llanelli Scarlets Regional Rugby Team from it’s inception until 2006 when he accepted the position as the coach for the Welsh national Rugby Team.

Jenkins made over 250 appearances for Llanelli RFC since his debut as a 17 year old. He was a member of the Llanelli team that famously beat New Zealand 9-3 at Stradey Park in 1973.

Jenkins had worked in the Welsh team setup prior to 2006 when he was the assistant Wales coach to Alan Davies. During this period Wales won the 1994-95 Five Nations title.

He has had coached Llanelli RFC to four Welsh Cup victories, a 1992-93 League and cup double making Llanelli the only club to have done this. In 1998-99 and 2001-02 Llanelli won league titles and the regional side ‘Llanelli Scarlets’ won the 2003 Celtic League Championship.

In April 2006 Jenkins was named as the new Welsh National Team coach after the shock resignation of his predecessor Mike Ruddock. Ruddock, who had helped the Welsh Team to their first Grand Slam in 28 years, departed his position half way through the 2006 Six Nations Championship causing something of a national scandal.