Eddie Butler (rugby player)

Eddie Butler
Full name Edward Thomas Butler
Date of birth 5 August 1957
Place of birth Newport, Wales
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position Number eight
Amateur clubs
Years Club / team
1976-1990 Pontypool RFC
correct as of 13 September 2008.
National team(s)
Years Club / team Caps (points)
1980-1984 Wales 16 (8)
correct as of 14 September 2008.

Edward Thomas "Eddie" Butler (born 5 August 1957)[1] is a journalist, sports commentator, and former Welsh rugby union player, who won 16 caps for the Wales team between 1980 and 1984 and scored 2 tries. Butler was educated at Monmouth School and Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge. He lives in Monmouthshire and has six children, Rebecca born in 1984, Hannah 1986, Jack 1989, Jacob 1997, Nell 2002 and Seth 2004.

Rugby career

He played as a number eight and was at Cambridge for Blues in 1976, 1977 and 1978,[2] and captained Wales on six occasions.[3] He also captained the powerful Pontypool RFC side between 1982 and 1985, in succession to Jeff Squire. He also was chosen for the Barbarians and the British Lions[4] and he took part in a defeat of the English team in 1984.[5]

Journalist and broadcaster

Though retired from playing the game, Butler has written a weekly column in the Rugby Union section of The Observer Sport since 1991 and also writes for The Guardian,[6] as well as being a BBC sports commentator with Brian Moore, the former England hooker. He received some attention when it became public knowledge that Austin Healey's newspaper column had been written by Butler whilst Healey was on tour with the English Rugby squad in New Zealand in 2001.[5] He has presented two popular history series: Wales and the History of the World (BBC1 Wales) and Hidden Histories (BBC2).[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Eddie Butler". espnscrum.com. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  2. ↑ Ian Metcalfe to join RFU Council, RFU.com, accessed 23 February 2012
  3. ↑ "Newport Gwent Dragons Personnel: Eddie Butler". Newportgwentdragons.com. 23 January 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  4. ↑ Eddie Butler, Bloomsbury.com, accessed 23 February 2012
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Eddie Butler". Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  6. ↑ "Eddie Butler". journalisted.com. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  7. ↑ "Daily Post North Wales: "Eddie Butler swaps rugby for history"". Dailypost.co.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2012.

External links