Sam Cross

Sam Cross
Date of birth (1992-08-26) 26 August 1992 (age 31)
Place of birthAbergavenny, Wales
Height190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight103 kg (227 lb; 16 st 3 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker
Number 8
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
-2013
2013–2014
2014–2016
2017-2023
2023-		 Ebbw Vale RFC
Cardiff Met
Newport RFC
Ospreys
Newcastle Falcons
Barbarians		 ()
()
()
31		 ()
()
()
20
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)

2017-		 Wales 7s
Wales
2
0
Correct as of 21 November 2017
Medal record
Men's rugby sevens
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team competition

Sam Cross (born 26 August 1992) is a Welsh rugby union player who plays for Wales and club rugby for the Newcastle Falcons as a flanker. Cross is an experienced rugby sevens player and has turned out for the Wales Sevens team in over a hundred matches, as well as captaining the side at 24 years old. Cross was a part of Team GB at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio winning a silver medal. Cross was selected for the Wales national team in 2017 with a substitution debut against Australia. He was later selected for his first international start a few months later against Georgia and selected in the following Six Nations squad in 2018. Cross represented the Ospreys 71 times between 2017 - 2023. Cross has also represented The Barbarians in 2023.

Personal history

Cross was born in Abergavenny in Wales in 1992.[1] He grew up in Brynmawr and after leaving secondary school he attended Cardiff Metropolitan University where he took up a Sport & Exercise Science scholarship.[2]

Rugby career

Cross first played rugby as a child for the Youth section of Brynmawr RFC. He then joined Ebbw Vale before switching to the Cardiff Met team.[2] An all-round sportsman, Cross also played football at county level for Gwent and was capped for Wales in rugby league at the under-18 level.[3]

Cross was selected for both the Welsh Students team and the GB Students, the latter at under 15 and under 18, and was part of the team that won the World Students Championships in Brive.[2] He also played in the 2013 Students Olympics.[2] Despite growing up playing the 15-a-side variant of rugby union, it was in rugby sevens that he made his mark. He has made over a hundred appearances as part of the Wales Sevens mainly in the World Rugby Sevens Series.

In 2016 Cross was selected to represent Great Britain at the Summer Olympics in Rio as part of the nation's rugby sevens team.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Squad Profiles: Wales Sevens – Sam Cross". wru.co.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Woolford, Anthony (19 July 2016). "Who is Sam Cross? Everything you need to know about the Welshman going from Brynmawr to Brazil". walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  3. ^ "Rio 2016: Wales' biggest overseas Olympic contingent ready for opening ceremony". BBC Sport. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Great Britain name rugby Sevens squads for Olympics in Rio". skysports.com. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.

External links