Dan Ward-Smith
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| Personal information | |||||||
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| Full name | Daniel Ward-Smith | ||||||
| Date of birth | January 2, 1978 | ||||||
| Place of birth | Palmerston North, New Zealand | ||||||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||
| Weight | 112 kg (17 st 9 lb) [1] | ||||||
| School(s) attended |
Budehaven Community College Awatapu College | ||||||
| University(s) | Massey University | ||||||
| Youth clubs | |||||||
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| Senior clubs* | |||||||
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| Representative teams | |||||||
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* Professional club appearances and points counted for domestic first grade only. | |||||||
Dan Ward-Smith (born 2 January 1978 in New Zealand) was a professional rugby union player who played at Number Eight for London Wasps. He can also cover Flanker and Second Row, making him a useful forward to have in the Wasps squad.
Career
Ward-Smith joined Bristol for the 2005-6 campaign from Plymouth Albion and looked to make a huge impression in his first season in the Premiership.
That is exactly what he did, his massive 1.93m, 115 kg frame was a driving point in Bristol's survival that season, his massive strength from the No.8 position gave the Bristol backs a strong platform off which to perform, and his strength from the base of the scrum was one of the reasons why Shaun Perry shone as he did. His nickname is "mutant" amongst his peers.
He was selected for England 'A' in his first season at Bristol Rugby, making his debut against Ireland A.[2] In his second season at the club he was called up to the 30-man England training squad for the Autumn Internationals.[3] To the fans he is simply known as "Massive"
He missed out on a place in the 2007 England World Cup squad due to a dislocated patella[4] after being part of the initial training squad.[5]
After a promising start to the 2007–08 season with Bristol he broke his hand and missed out on selection for the 2008 Six Nations squad.[6]
It was announced on the 24th March 2009 that he had signed a 2-year deal with London Wasps.[7]
On July 7, 2009; Ward-Smith was selected for the England Saxons squad.[8]
He has been selected by Martin Johnson for the 2010 tour to the southern hemisphere.
In Angust 2011 he announced immediate retirement from the game due to medical advice. [9]
References
- ↑ "Aviva Premiership Rugby - London Wasps". web page. Premier Rugby. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ↑ "England A 18–33 Ireland A". BBC. 2006-03-17. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ↑ "Hill tips Ward-Smith for England honours". ESPN Scrum. 2006-11-25. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ↑ "Ward-Smith faces lengthy lay-off". BBC. 2007-01-31. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ↑ "Ward-Smith offered Cup lifeline". BBC. 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ↑ "Ward-Smith suffers injury setback". BBC. 2007-12-16. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ↑ "Triple signing boosts Wasps squad". BBC. 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ↑ "Wilkinson returns to England fold". BBC. 2009-07-07. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ↑ "Ward-Smith forced to retire". ESPN Scrum. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.