Robin James Cowling (born ) is an English retired

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player. He won 8 caps for between 1977 and 1979, and played 216 games for

Gloucester Rugby Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was formed in 1873 and since 1891 has played its home matches ...

between 1967 and 1974 before playing 184 times for

Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its home ...

between 1974 and his retirement in 1981.

Career

Cowling was born in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, but moved to the South West as a small baby. His mother was from

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

, his grandfather was a former captain of

, and his uncle was John A'Bear, who toured with the British Lions in 1936. Cowling made his Gloucester debut on October 21, 1967, as a hooker, against Newport. He quickly switched to his henceforth regular position of loosehead prop and was a regular in the side from December 1967. In 1972, Cowling started the inaugural RFU Knockout Cup Final where Gloucester beat

Moseley Moseley ( ') is an affluent suburb in south Birmingham, England, south of the city centre. It is located within the eponymous Moseley ward of the constituency of Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley (UK Parliament constituency), Hall Green and ...

, and the County Championship Final where Gloucestershire won their first title since 1937. In the 1972–73 season Cowling featured in a remarkable 50 first class games, playing 45 times for Gloucester plus representative matches for Gloucestershire in the County Championship and for the combined Western Counties in their tour game against New Zealand. Cowling moved to Market Harborough in 1974 to take a post as farm manager and joined

, making his Tigers debut on September 7_,1974 against

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

. He was reserve prop throughout the following season and went on to win eight England caps with Leicester between 1977 and 1979. He didn't play in the John Player Cup Final against Gloucester in 1978 due to a shoulder injury sustained playing for England, but started in Leicester's three successive Cup Final wins, against

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club that most recently competed in the Premiership Rugby, Premiership, the top division of rugby union in England. The club also participated in the European Rugby Champions Cup, European Champion ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

and in his final game the 1981 Final against

Gosforth Gosforth is an area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, situated north of the Newcastle City Centre, City Centre. It constituted a separate Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland), urban district of Northumberland from 1895 until 1974 before of ...

. He also played for the Barbarians. Robin Cowling has been on the

Exeter Chiefs Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an England, English professional rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1871 and since 2006 has played i ...

coaching staff since 1997, apart from two years with

Cornish Pirates The Cornish Pirates () are a professional rugby union team who play in the RFU Championship, Championship, the second level of the English rugby union pyramid, and are the premier Cornish rugby club. The Cornish Pirates team are the 'First XV' o ...

. When Don Rutherford was

Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the Sports governing body, national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby ...

Technical Director, he asked Cowling to run a pilot academy scheme in the South West and he has been involved in academy rugby from the outset of the professional game. As team manager and talent scout, he has contributed substantially to the Exeter Chiefs’ current success.

References

External links

Exeter Chiefs Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowling, Robin James 1944 births Living people England international rugby union players English rugby union coaches English rugby union players Leicester Tigers players Gloucester Rugby players Rugby union props Gloucestershire County RFU players 20th-century English sportsmen