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Jake Ball (rugby union)

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Jake Ball
Date of birth (1991-06-21) 21 June 1991 (age 33)
Place of birthAscot, Berkshire, England
Height1.99 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight121 kg (19 st 1 lb; 267 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2012–13 Llanelli RFC 11 (0)
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
2012 Western Force 0 (0)
2012–2021 Scarlets 133 (15)
2021– Green Rockets Tokatsu 15 (0)
Correct as of 00:20, 17 January 2023 (UTC)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014–2021 Wales 50 (0)
Correct as of September 2021

Jake Ball (born 21 June 1991) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a lock. Ball played over 100 times for the Scarlets regional side in Wales and was capped 50 times for the Wales national rugby union team. In 2021, Ball retired from international rugby to join Green Rockets Tokatsu in Japan.

Biography

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Ball was born in Ascot, England, to a Welsh father from Pwllheli, North Wales. His father was a rugby player who played for the London-based clubs London Welsh RFC, and Harlequins. The Ball family migrated to Australia when he was 16, where they are now based in Perth, Western Australia, which is where his four children and wife live. A keen sportsman, Ball had played in the Australian under-19 cricket championship of 2008–09.[1][2]

Rugby career

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Club

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Ball began his professional rugby career in Perth with the Western Force, with whom he trained at the age of 21 in 2012. This experience led to Ball being signed on an initial three-year deal by Welsh regional team the Scarlets in 2012.[3] Ball made his professional debut for the club on 15 September 2012, coming on as a 61st-minute replacement in the team's victory over Connacht in the Pro 12 tournament.[4] During Ball's spell playing in Wales for the Scarlets, he had been a part of the 2016–17 Pro12 league winning season for the Welsh side.[2]

After playing 133 games for the Scarlets, Ball moved to Japan in 2021 to play rugby for Green Rockets Tokatsu in the Japan Rugby League One. As of the beginning of 2023, Ball has played 15 games.[5]

International

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Born in England, Ball was also eligible to play for Wales thanks to his father, who was born in Colwyn Bay. Ball said his move to the Scarlets in 2012 was motivated by a desire to play international rugby for Wales.[6] He received his first call-up to the Wales squad in 2014, replacing the suspended Ian Evans ahead of the 2014 Six Nations Championship.[7] He made his debut off the bench in the 26–3 loss to Ireland in week 2 of the tournament,[8] before making his first test start in a 27–6 victory over France in Wales' third match.[9] Later that year, Ball was selected for Wales' tour of South Africa, and in 2015, he played for Wales in their Rugby World Cup pool game against Uruguay.[2]

Ball became a regular starter for Wales, until a dislocated shoulder suffered in an international against New Zealand in the 2017 Autumn internationals kept him off the field for 10 months. After his return, Ball played a part in Wales' Grand Slam-winning 2019 Six Nations Championship campaign, and later that year he featured prominently in the 2019 Rugby World Cup.[10] Ball retired from international duty in 2021 having gained 50 caps for his country.[5]

BBC website gaffe

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For Ball's inaugural international year, the BBC made him famous by mistakenly changing his surname to a rude name which was spotted by his fellow team mate Jamie Roberts and reported and subsequently changed, but not before being ridiculed on social media and in the press. As a response to the gaffe, Ball joked on Twitter that it would haunt him for the rest of his days.[11][12]

References

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  1. ^ "The new life of Jake Ball, the man who suddenly ended his Wales career for personal reasons". walesonline.co.uk. 6 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Jake Ball profile". wru.wales.
  3. ^ "The Scarlets agree three-year deal for lock Jake Ball". BBC Sport. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  4. ^ "Pro12: Connacht 11-24 Scarlets". BBC Sport. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Jake Ball: Former Wales lock signs for Japanese side Green Rockets". BBC Sport. 2 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Scarlets lock Jake Ball reveals Wales rugby ambitions". BBC Sport. 3 November 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Six Nations 2014: Jake Ball added to Gatland's Wales squad". BBC Sport. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  8. ^ Dirs, Ben (8 February 2014). "Six Nations 2014: Ireland 26-3 Wales". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Six Nations 2014: Ball gives Wales selection headache - Easterby". BBC Sport. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  10. ^ "Ball overcomes injury nightmare to regain Wales spot". rugbyworldcup.com. 6 October 2019.
  11. ^ "BBC says sorry for calling Welsh rugby player 'Jake Ballsack'". theguardian.com. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Wales' Jake Ball jokes BBC gaffe could 'haunt' him for rest of his days". Wales Online. 10 November 2014.
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