James William Hook (born 27 June 1985) is a retired Welsh
rugby union player. Hook has won 81 caps for
Wales (currently 13th all-time) and is Wales' fourth highest
all-time points scorer. Most often playing as a
fly-half, Hook is known as a utility player, and has also played as a
centre,
wing and
fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to:
Sports
* A position in various kinds of football, including:
** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position
** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...
.
Hook began his club career with
Neath
Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a po ...
, from 2004 to 2006. He then played for the Ospreys (2006–2011),
Perpignan
Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...
(2011–2014) and
Gloucester (2014–2016), before returning to the Ospreys in 2016.
Hook toured
South Africa in 2009 with the
British & Irish Lions, making six appearances. He was named on the bench for the third test, but did not play in the game.
Early and personal life
Hook was born in the
South Wales
South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
industrial town of
Port Talbot, the second of three children. His brother
Mike Hook was also a professional rugby player, and sister Naidine a keen
netball player. He attended
Glan Afan Comprehensive School in the centre of Port Talbot, and
Neath College
Neath Port Talbot College (NPTC) was a further education institution established as two campuses in Port Talbot and Neath in Wales, United Kingdom.
The college allowed study of many courses including GCSEs, AS Level/A levels, AGCEs, AVCEs, Adult ...
where he started a
half back combination with
Martin Roberts.
Hook's childhood heroes were
Neil Jenkins
Neil Jenkins, (born 8 July 1971) is a Welsh former rugby union player and current coach. He played fly-half, centre, or full back for Pontypridd, Cardiff, Celtic Warriors, Wales and the British & Irish Lions. Jenkins is Wales' highest ever p ...
and
Robert Jones – Jenkins because of his kicking ability, and Jones because he played in Hook's favourite position, which was
scrum-half, the position he himself played for West Wales at the age of ten.
In June 2011, Hook married long-term partner Kimberley. In 2004 Kimberley was in the U17 Welsh Netball Squad. The couple have a son, born on 23 December 2009. In 2014, Hook announced that Kimberley was pregnant with their second child.
Career
Club
Hook grew up playing schoolboy rugby with the junior and youth set-ups at various Port Talbot-based clubs including
Aberavon Quins RFC
Aberavon Harlequins RFC (nicknamed "The Mighty Quins") is a Welsh rugby union team located in the Fairfield area of Port Talbot, a few minutes away from the town centre and Aberavon. In 1955, the team gained membership of the Welsh Rugby Union ( ...
,
Taibach RFC and
Corus (Port Talbot) RFC.
At senior level and before making the step up to regional rugby with the
Ospreys
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
, Hook enjoyed great success for
Neath RFC, becoming the record holder for the highest individual points tally within a season. He also played for Neath College as a youngster.
Hook played his way into the Ospreys first XV in the
2006–07 Magners League season, giving outstanding performances at both fly-half and inside centre. He kicked a conversion in a Pool 3 match against the
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks is a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
Originally founded in 1861 as Sale Football Club, now a distinct amateur club, they adopted the n ...
during the
2006-07 Heineken Cup, clinching the
Ospreys
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
win following a try from
Shane Williams.
In November 2010 it was announced that Hook would not be signing a new contract with the Ospreys. On 26 January 2011 James announced that he would be joining French
Top 14 side
USA Perpignan on a 3-year deal for the 2011–12 season despite warnings from Wales' national coach
Warren Gatland that he may not consider players based outside Wales in his future squads.
On 2 June 2014, Hook was granted early release from
USA Perpignan, following their relegation from the
Top 14, to join
Gloucester Rugby in the English
Aviva Premiership
Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition. The Premiership has consisted of thirteen clubs since 2021, and is the ...
on a three-year contract.
On 30 November 2016, Hook rejoined home region
Ospreys
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
in Wales on a three-year deal ahead of the 2017–18 season.
International
After excelling at under-21 level for Wales, Hook starred for the
Welsh sevens team, scoring a match-winning try to defeat
South Africa Sevens
The South Africa Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament that is held in South Africa. It is currently hosted in Cape Town and is part of the Sevens World Series run by World Rugby. A South African leg of the World series has been include ...
in the plate final of the
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...
. Hook made his international debut against
Argentina under new
Welsh coach
Gareth Jenkins, scoring a late try in the match.
Hook made his home debut for Wales 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 ...
on 4 November 2006 as a substitute for the injured
Stephen Jones. He showed great composure in scoring 13 points as Wales drew the match 29–29 and was named as Wales'
Man of the Match. Hook played against the
Pacific Islands
Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...
, scoring a try, and against
Canada where he scored 16 points.
During the
2007 Six Nations Championship
The 2007 Six Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 113th series of the international championship. Fifteen mat ...
, Hook played in all of Wales's games, but was hampered by being employed at inside centre, rather than in his preferred position of fly-half for the first four matches. As a result, he struggled to make an impact. In the final game against
England, however, he was finally switched to fly-half and produced a Man of the Match-winning performance, scoring 22 points in Wales' 27–18 win. He also completed his first "full house" in this match (scoring a drop goal, penalty, try and conversion). The victory was Wales' first over a 'Tier One' rugby nation since the
2006 Six Nations Championship
The 2006 Six Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this ...
victory over
Scotland.
Hook put in a man-of-the-match performance as he helped Wales beat England 26–19 in the first game of the
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship, the 114th series of the international championship.
Fifteen ...
on 2 February 2008.
On 10 February 2008, Hook was selected at fly-half for the 30–15 win over Scotland in the
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship, the 114th series of the international championship.
Fifteen ...
. Hook scored a try and kicked two conversions and a penalty, before being replaced by Stephen Jones in the 58th minute. He was a member of the Wales side that completed the
Grand Slam with victory against France.
In May 2009, Hook was included in the
2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa
The 2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa was an international rugby union tour which took place in South Africa from May to July 2009.
The British & Irish Lions played a three-match Test series against South Africa, with matches in ...
. He was called into the squad as a utility back to cover his Wales teammate,
Leigh Halfpenny, who was forced to withdraw from the beginning of the tour with a thigh injury. He made his
British & Irish Lions debut on 3 June, playing against the
Lions Super Rugby
Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...
team. Hook came off the bench in that game to score one try and kick 3 conversions. He did not however play in a test match on the tour.
In 2010, Hook was selected to the Wales
2010 Six Nations Championship
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 ...
team, playing for the first time at outside centre.
In January 2011 Hook confirmed he would join French side
Perpignan
Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...
on a three-year contract from the start of the 2011–12 season. His contract guaranteed availability for all of Wales's
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 ...
preparatory games. However, there is no clause covering future release outside of the normal
International Rugby Board window.
International tries
Post rugby career
On 13 January 2020, Hook announced his retirement from the game, to take place at the end of the 2019–20 season upon expiration of his contract with the Ospreys. He mentioned wanting to remain involved in rugby by coaching, with focus on skills, but also with his first children-stories book in the release process.
On 11 August 2020, Hook stays with his team
Ospreys
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
as their new Kicking and Skills coach.
In 2021, Hook took part in
S4C
S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking ...
's
Welsh language learning programme , being paired with referee
Nigel Owens as his mentor.
References
External links
Gloucester Rugby profileOspreys profileProfileat the Official website of th
''Welsh Rugby Union''*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20101128091832/http://www.wru.co.uk/14256.php?player=5124&includeref=dynamic Wales Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hook, James
1985 births
Living people
British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales
Rugby sevens players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Ospreys (rugby union) players
People educated at Glan Afan Comprehensive School
Rugby union players from Port Talbot
Rugby union fly-halves
Wales international rugby union players
Welsh rugby union players
Commonwealth Games rugby sevens players of Wales
Gloucester Rugby players
USA Perpignan players