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Alex King (rugby union)

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Alex King
Birth nameAlexander David King
Date of birth (1975-01-17) 17 January 1975 (age 49)
Place of birthBrighton, Sussex, England
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight91 kg (14 st 5 lb; 201 lb)
SchoolBrighton College
UniversityBristol University
Rugby union career
Position(s) Attack Coach
Current team Wales
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Hove ()
– Rosslyn Park ()
– Bristol University ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1996–2007 Wasps (269) (1522)
2007–2008 Clermont Auvergne ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1997–2003 England 5 (23)
Coaching career
Years Team
2009–2013 Clermont Auvergne (Backs Coach)
2013–2016 Northampton Saints (Backs Coach)
2017, 2023- Wales (Attack Coach)
2017–2020 Montpellier (Backs Coach)
2020– Gloucester (Attack Coach)
Correct as of 13 July 2020

Alexander David King (born 17 January 1975) is a rugby union footballer who played at fly-half for ASM Clermont Auvergne and formerly Wasps. He was also capped by England and the Barbarians.

In July 2020 it was announced King would be the attack coach at Gloucester Rugby.[1] In January 2023, King was announced as the Attack Coach of the Welsh Rugby Union ahead of their Six Nations campaign.[2]

Playing career

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King attended St.Christopher's prep school in Hove, Brighton College and Bristol University but started his rugby career with Hove. The former Rosslyn Park player joined Wasps in 1996 and helped them win the League that year. He scored a try on his England debut against Argentina in 1997 and made his first Test appearance at Twickenham as a replacement against South Africa in 1998. He scored a try and a drop goal as Wasps won the 1999 Anglo-Welsh Cup Final,[3] and the following year he kicked three penalties as Wasps retained the cup.[4]

He earned his final cap against Wales in a World Cup warm up match in Cardiff in August 2003. However, an injury acquired during the game ultimately affected his selection prospects for the World Cup and he stayed at home. In the Zurich Premiership he had seen a positive climax to 2003, being 'man of the match' in the Premiership final and amassing 24 points, as Wasps beat Gloucester 39–3. He finished as the leading Premiership points scorer, including playoffs, with 284 points. He was a kingpin of the Wasps team which won the Zurich Premiership and Heineken Cup double in the season 2003–04, scoring a drop goal in the Premiership final. The following season he helped Wasps complete a hat-trick of Premiership titles, again scoring a drop goal in the final.[5][6][7][8]

King won his second Heineken Cup with Wasps in 2007, in the final of which he scored four penalties and a drop goal.[9]

Coaching

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After retiring he worked as a backs coach with ASM Clermont Auvergne. At the end of 2012 it was announced that he would go to Northampton Saints as their backs coach for the start of the 2013/14 season. For the 2017 Six Nations Championship, he has assumed the role of attack coach for the Wales national rugby union team. After a three-year stint with Montpellier, in July 2020 King was announced as the attack coach at Gloucester Rugby.[10] In January 2023, King was announced as the Attack Coach of the Welsh Rugby Union ahead of their Six Nations campaign.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Alex King appointed Gloucester Rugby Attack Coach". Gloucester Rugby.
  2. ^ "Wales name King and Forshaw as coaches". BBC Sport.
  3. ^ "Wasps win Cup at last". BBC. 16 May 1999. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Wasps deny Saints cup double". BBC. 13 May 2000. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Wasps romp to title". BBC. 31 May 2003. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  6. ^ "Wasps 10-6 Bath". BBC. 29 May 2004. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Leicester 14-39 Wasps". BBC. 14 May 2005. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Wasps 27-20 Toulouse". BBC. 23 May 2004. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Heineken Cup final: Leicester 9-25 Wasps". BBC. 19 May 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Alex King appointed Gloucester Rugby Attack Coach". Gloucester Rugby.
  11. ^ "Wales name King and Forshaw as coaches". BBC Sport.
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