Scott Gibbs

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Scott Gibbs (Born 23 January 1971 in Bridgend) is a former rugby footballer who represented Wales and the Lions in rugby union and Wales and Great Britain in rugby league. His most memorable feats were his performance in the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa (in which he was named "Player of the Series") and the try he scored in the dying minutes of the last ever Five Nations match in 1999 against England.

Gibbs' first class career started at Bridgend RFC during the 1990/91, followed by a short spell at Neath RFC, before making his Welsh debut in 1991 against England. However he moved to Swansea RFC in January 1992, scoring a try on his debut in a Cup game against Oakdale. Gibbs also scored further tries that season in the cup against Neath RFC and Newport RFC to help Swansea reach the final where they lost to Llanelli RFC at Cardiff Arms Park.

Despite being only 22, he was selected for the 1993 British Lions tour to New Zealand, where he impressed so much that he was selected for the second and third tests instead of then-England captain Will Carling.

In 1994 Gibbs left union to join rugby league team St. Helens.

Whilst playing league, he was converted into a remarkably powerful player. On his return to union in 1996(?) it was sometimes joked that he was the fastest prop in world rugby, though in fact he was an inside centre. He became known as the world's hardest tackler and this was exemplified by his performance in his second Lions tour.

In 1997 Gibbs was a key member of the victorious British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa. The Springboks were at the time the world champions following the 1995 World Cup and were expected to win the series. However, the Lions produced some memorable defensive performances with Gibbs at the centre of the action pulling off some devastating tackles.

In the defining moment of the series, Gibbs crashed through the Springboks' key player, 19-stone Os du Randt on one of his trademark bullocking runs. The Lions went on to win the series 2-1 and Gibbs was voted "Player of the Series".

In later years Gibbs was sometimes criticised for being too one-dimensional but he did show startling agility to claim the winning try in the last-ever Five Nations match in 1999. Wales were playing England at Wembley with England trying to complete the Grand Slam. England led by 6 points with seconds left to play and appeared to have won the game but in the last play of the match, Gibbs received the ball in midfield 20m from the try line and proceeded to sidestep his way through most of the English defence for a memorable score. Following Neil Jenkins' conversion, Wales won the match 32-31 in what is agreed to be one of the best matches played in the competition.

In 2001 Gibbs was called up as a replacement to the 2001 British Lions tour to Australia, though he did not play in any of the Tests.

Gibbs has now retired from rugby (with 53 caps for Wales) but can still be seen contributing to the BBC's rugby union coverage. Since his retirement, the Wales national side has re-emerged with younger players, and developed an expansive style which conforms to the traditional style of Welsh rugby. This led to a famous Grand Slam in the 2005 Six Nations tournament. This suggests to some that during the 1990s, Wales built its game around players such as Gibbs, which may have ultimately compromised Wales' success and development during these years.

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