John Yapp (born 9 April 1983) is a Welsh international

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 it ...

player, currently with

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. He first played for

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

during the Christmas period in 2002. He made his first team debut against Ebbw Vale on Boxing Day at the age of 18. Despite his young age, he was featured in 17 of a possible 19 games by the end of the season and had been called up to train with the Wales-under-21 squad. Yapp has represented Cardiff Youth and under-21s, winning cup and league medals and playing for Wales at under-19 level. Originally educated at Cowbridge Comprehensive School, he had first team experience with the Llantwit Major and

Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...

clubs before becoming a full-time Cardiff Blues squad member. Yapp won his first cap for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

as a substitute in the victory over England in the RBS 6 Nations in February 2005 during the team's

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

winning season. In the summer of 2008, Yapp had discussions with club coach

Dai Young David "Dai" Young (born 26 July 1967) is a Welsh rugby union coach and former rugby union and rugby league footballer. He was recently Director of Rugby at Premiership Rugby club Wasps but departed the club after initially stepping down from f ...

and national coach

Warren Gatland Warren David Gatland (born 17 September 1963) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player who is currently in his second spell as the head coach of the Wales national team. As head coach of Wales from 2007 to 2019, he won four Six N ...

about the possibility of switching from loose head to tight head prop. He then headed out to Australia to play for

Tuggeranong Vikings The Tuggeranong Vikings are a rugby union club based in Tuggeranong, Australian Capital Territory. It is supported by 4 licensed clubs based in Wanniassa, Greenway, Conder, Chisholm. The club has been successful in local and national competiti ...

during the Northern hemispheres off season in an effort to become familiar with his new role in the scrum, before returning to the Cardiff Blues for the start of their domestic season. In 2014, Yapp was listed as a replacement for London Irish during the Aviva Premiership round 17. Wasps and former Wales prop John Yapp has announced his retirement from rugby after suffering a back injury. The 32-year-old made 13 appearances for Premiership side Wasps after signing from Edinburgh in July 2014. Yapp also won 21 test caps for Wales, and was part of the squad that won a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2005.

References

External links

Cardiff profileWRU profileTuggeranong Vikings Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yapp, John 1983 births Cardiff Rugby players Cardiff RFC players Living people Llantwit Major RFC players Rugby union players from Cardiff Pontypridd RFC players Rugby union props Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players Welsh expatriate rugby union players Expatriate rugby union players in Australia British expatriates in Australia Edinburgh Rugby players Wasps RFC players