Daniel Biggar (born 16 October 1989) is a Welsh

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player currently playing for French

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

side

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

as a

fly-half In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...

. A

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

international, Biggar has also twice been selected to tour with the

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

Early life and youth rugby

Born in

Morriston Morriston (; cy, Treforys ) is a Community (Wales), community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales and falls within the Morriston (electoral ward), Morriston ward. It is the largest community in Swansea county. Morriston is sometimes ref ...

, Swansea, Biggar came through the Ospreys development pathway, having attended Gowerton Comprehensive School in Swansea. Biggar played his club rugby at

Gorseinon RFC Gorseinon RFC is a Welsh rugby union club representing the town of Gorseinon, Swansea, South Wales. Gorseinon RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys. History Gorseinon RFC were formed in 1883 and they were s ...

Club career

Biggar featured in the Premiership in the white of

Swansea RFC Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premiership. The club play at St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea and are also known as ''The Whites,'' in reference to their home kit colours. History ...

. He made his Ospreys debut as an 18-year old at the

Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...

, coming off the bench late on in an EDF Energy Cup semi-final win over

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

. On 12 September 2008, Biggar made his first Ospreys start in a

Magners League The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

game against

Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...

. Biggar kicked 9 points including a long range drop-goal as the Ospreys ran out 18-21 winners at

Firhill Firhill Stadium is a football and former rugby union, rugby league and greyhound racing stadium located in the Maryhill area of Glasgow, Scotland which has been the home of Partick Thistle since 1909. The stadium is commonly referred to as simp ...

. Biggar finished the

2010–11 Celtic League The 2010–11 Magners League was the tenth Celtic League season and the fifth with Magners as title sponsor. The regular season began on 3 September 2010 and finished on the weekend of 6–8 May 2011. During these stages, each team played every ot ...

as top points scorer, ending the season with 248 points. He would follow this up the following season, again finishing top scorer on 257 points as Ospreys ran out

PRO12 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

Champions. This season concluded with Biggar sinking the title-winning touchline conversion in the

Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...

win over

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

. In September 2017 it was announced Biggar would join English Premiership side

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

ahead of the 2018/19 season. Following his exit from the Ospreys, Biggar held multiple records at the region. In 2012 he became the youngest player to reach 100 Ospreys appearances at just 22 and became the youngest to make 200 aged just 27 in 2007. He also became Ospreys and the Pro 14's record points scorer with 2203 points to his name. Biggar made his Northampton debut against the Ospreys in a pre-season friendly ahead of the 2018/2019 season. That season saw Saints lift the

Premiership Rugby Cup The Premiership Rugby Cup is an English rugby union knockout cup competition for teams in Premiership Rugby. It was created in 2018 to replace the Anglo-Welsh Cup after the withdrawal of the Welsh regions. History The Premiership Rugby Cup was ...

and reach the knock-out stages of the Premiership for the first time in four years. On 27 October 2022, he left Northampton to join top French side

in the

competition with immediate effect.

International

Wales

A Wales age grades international, Biggar was selected for the

Wales national rugby union team The Wales national rugby union team ( cy, Tîm rygbi'r undeb cenedlaethol Cymru) represents Wales in men's international rugby union. Its governing body, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played thei ...

for the 2008 Autumn Internationals series, making his debut at the age of 19 against Canada on 18 November. On 18 January 2010, Biggar was named in the 35-man Wales national squad for the

2010 Six Nations The 2010 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2010 RBS 6 Nations due to sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 11th series of the Six Nations Championship and the 116th international championship, an annual rugby union competition be ...

tournament. After 18 months in the wilderness, including missing the

2011 Rugby World Cup The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Af ...

, Biggar was recalled for the 2012 Welsh squad after a run of good form with the Ospreys. This form was topped off by the match-winning conversion from the touchline in the 2012 Pro12 Grand Final, as well as a number of man-of-the-match performances in the run-in at the end of the season. Biggar finally got his chance in the Welsh number 10 shirt in the victorious 2013 Six Nations Championship campaign, starting all five games at fly half, thanks to a

Rhys Priestland Rhys Priestland (born 9 January 1987) is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Cardiff Rugby and the Wales national team. Although he primarily plays as a fly-half, he is also capable of playing at full-back. Born ...

injury. Biggar capped off the tournament with a drop goal, conversion and penalty in the Championship decider against England. Biggar continued his good run of form into the 2013–14 season, his performances for the Ospreys earning him a call-up for the 2013 Autumn Internationals, in which he started against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, scoring a try against the former. He played three games during the 2014 Six Nations, coming on as a substitute for

against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and starting against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. In June 2014 Biggar started two tests against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, including in the narrow 31–30 second test defeat, despite being yellow-carded. Biggar cemented his place as the

starting fly-half during the 2014 Autumn Internationals, starting three out of the four tests. He received many plaudits for his world-class performances, as well as receiving the man-of-the-match award against South Africa in a 12–6 victory. Biggar starred in all of Wales'

2015 Six Nations Championship The 2015 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2015 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 16th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union tournament. It was contested b ...

matches, and scored his first Welsh try vs France. In the

2015 Rugby World Cup The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was onl ...

, Biggar took over the kicking duties after Halfpenny was ruled out of the whole tournament. Biggar kicked 56 points during the tournament including 23 points in Wales' 28–25 win over England, and claimed the Man of the Match accolade. In the quarter-final, he converted Gareth Davies' try against South Africa. Despite this, Wales would go on to lose 23–19. On 12 November 2016, Biggar won his 50th Wales cap in an Autumn International against Argentina as Wales ran out 24-20 winners. Biggar was selected as part of the Wales squad for

2019 Rugby World Cup The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...

. Biggar entered the tournament as first choice fly-half and played a pivotal role as Wales reached the semi-finals. In the second pool game against Australia, Biggar kicked the fastest drop-goal in Rugby World Cup history with the referee signalling the score after 36 seconds. Biggar missed the final Pool game against

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

due to a second head injury of the tournament but returned for the quarter final against

. In this game, Biggar kicked a 75th minute conversion and the final score of the game to help Wales progress with a tight 20-19 win. Biggar would play the final two games of the tournament; the semi-final defeat to South Africa and Bronze Final defeat against New Zealand. With Alun Wyn Jones out injured, Biggar was the captain for the 2022 Six Nations campaign. On 12 February 2022, in the match against

, he earned his 100th international cap. Biggar has his own routine before kicking goals, which fans now call "The Biggarena" after

Los Del Rio LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...

's 1995 hit,

Macarena "Macarena" is a dance song by Spanish pop duo Los del Río, about a woman of the same name. The song uses a type of clave rhythm. Originally appearing on the 1993 album '' A mí me gusta'', a subsequent remix by Miami-based producers The Bays ...

British & Irish Lions

In April 2017, Biggar was selected for the

2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand The British & Irish Lions toured New Zealand during June and July 2017. The Lions, a rugby union team selected from players eligible to represent England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, played ten matches: against all five New Zealand Super Rugby fr ...

as one of three Fly-half options. Biggar made his first start of the tour in the provincial game against the

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

on 7 June 2017, but was withdrawn after a 35 minutes and failed to reappear following a HIA. Biggar would next appear in the fourth tour game against the Highlanders, assisting the opening try for Jonathan Joseph and kicking his first points as the Lions narrowly lost 33–32, despite being up when Biggar left the field. Biggar's stand out performance came against the Chiefs, kicking 100% in a comfortable win. Despite his impressive form in the provincial games, Biggar would not make a test appearance against the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

. Biggar ended the tour with 35 points from 5 appearances. Biggar was selected for his second

tour in May 2021 against reigning World Champions

. Biggar started in the pre-tour match against

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Murrayfield Murrayfield is an affluent area to the west of Edinburgh city centre in Scotland. It is to the east of Corstorphine and north of Balgreen and Roseburn. The A8 road runs east–west through the south of the area. Murrayfield is often conside ...

. Biggar kicked 4 conversions and assisted

Tadhg Beirne Tadhg Gerard Beirne (; born 8 January 1992) is an Irish rugby union player, currently playing for Munster in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. His primary playing position is lock, but can also play in the b ...

's try, being named Player of the Match. Biggar's first appearance in South Africa was against the

Sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorp ...

on 10 July 2021, kicking 16 points in a 71–31 win. Biggar was selected to start the first test 24 July 2021, making his test debut, as the Lions took a 1–0 series lead. Biggar kicked 5/6 for a total of 14 points before leaving the field with a head injury. Biggar would start the following two tests, contributing 9 more points as the Lions lost the series 2–1. Biggar suffered a shin injury after 10 minutes of the third test which led to his early withdrawal from the game. Biggar's tour ended with 47 points from 5 appearances.

International tries

Personal life

On 7 December 2015, Biggar won the BBC Cymru Sports Personality of the Year Award.

References

External links

*
Wales ProfileOspreys Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biggar, Dan 1989 births Living people British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales Northampton Saints players Ospreys (rugby union) players People educated at Gowerton Comprehensive School Rugby union players from Morriston Swansea RFC players Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players Rugby union fly-halves