Ellis Jenkins (born 29 April 1993) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

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 ...

flanker who currently plays for the

Cardiff Rugby Cardiff Rugby ( cy, Rygbi Caerdydd) are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms ...

and for the Wales national team.

Career

Cardiff Rugby

Jenkins made his debut for Cardiff in 2011 having previously played for their academy team and

Cardiff RFC Cardiff Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Caerdydd) is a rugby union club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876Parry-Jones (1989), pg 59 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, shortly after ...

. He has been a regular member of the first-choice team since 2014, and was part of the victorious team that beat

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

in the final of the

2017–18 European Rugby Challenge Cup The 2017–18 European Rugby Challenge Cup was the fourth edition of the European Rugby Challenge Cup, an annual second-tier rugby union competition for professional clubs. It was also the 22nd season of the Challenge Cup competition in all forms, ...

International career

Jenkins was a Wales under-20 international, captaining the side at the

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and 2013 Junior World Cup where Wales finished as runners up. Jenkins captained team consisting of a number of future Wales senior internationals: in the 2012 championship he captained the side which became the first side from any country to defeat New Zealand at that level. His team-mates that day included future senior Wales regulars Rob Evans and

Samson Lee Samson Lee (born 30 November 1992) is a Wales international rugby union player currently playing for the Scarlets having previously played for Llanelli and Ammanford. His position is prop forward. Lee has represented Wales, making his debut aga ...

as well as several other players who would go on to earn senior Wales caps including

Tom Prydie Tom Prydie (born 23 February 1992) is a Welsh rugby union player. A fullback who can also play on the wing, Prydie is the youngest player ever to represent the Wales national team and the youngest player in the history of Europe's top rugby ...

, Dan Baker, Eli Walker and Matthew Morgan, as well as future

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 ...

international Luke Hamilton. In 2013, Jenkins would captain the side which finished runners-up, Wales' best performance at U20 level to date. Jenkins would have to bide his time before making his senior

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 ...

appearance, in part due to intense competition for places in the Wales back row from the likes of

Sam Warburton Sam Kennedy-Warburton, OBE MStJ (born 5 October 1988), commonly known as Sam Warburton, is a Welsh former international rugby union player. Warburton played rugby for Cardiff Rugby and was first capped for Wales in 2009. He usually played as ...

Dan Lydiate Dan Lydiate (born 18 December 1987) is a Wales international rugby union player. A flanker, Lydiate was raised in Llandrindod Wells and is a product of the Newport Gwent Dragons academy. Early life The younger of two boys born to English docke ...

, Justin Tipuric,

Josh Navidi Josh Navidi (born 30 December 1990) is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays for the Cardiff Rugby, Wales and British and Irish Lions. He has previously captained Wales U20. Personal life Navidi's father is Iranian and his mother ...

and

Aaron Shingler Aaron Craig Shingler (born 7 August 1987) is a Wales international rugby union player and former cricketer. His usual rugby position is flanker. Background Born 7 August 1987, Shingler grew up in the west of Wales, attending Pontarddulais Com ...

. He finally made his debut aged 23 on the 2016 tour of New Zealand, coming off the bench in all three tests. He would captain Wales for the first time against South Africa in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

during the

2018 Wales rugby union tour to Argentina and the United States In June 2018, Wales played a two-test series against Argentina as part of the 2018 June rugby union tests. It was Wales's first test series against Argentina since their 2006 tour. Ahead of the test series, Wales played South Africa in a one-off t ...

. Unfortunately, during the final match against South Africa national rugby union team of the Under Armour Autumn Series, Jenkins suffered from a torn AC, MCL and numerous damages to the tendons in his left knee. This left him in rehabilitation up until now, leaving his availability for the

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 ...

looking unlikely.

Personal life

Jenkins has been engaged with Welsh actress and singer Sophie Evans since they were teenagers.

References

External links

Cardiff Blues Player ProfileWales profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Ellis 1993 births Living people Cardiff Rugby players Rugby union players from Church Village Welsh rugby union players Rugby union flankers Wales international rugby union players