James Bater (born 7 January 1980) is a Welsh former rugby union footballer who played as a flanker at club level for Swansea RFC, and in the Celtic League for the Ospreys and the Scarlets.
| Birth name | James Bater | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 January 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bridgend, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 103 kg (16 st 3 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Brynteg Comprehensive | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born in Bridgend, Bater began his professional rugby career at Swansea RFC, before moving to the Ospreys at the team's inception at the dawn of regional rugby in Wales. In his three years at the Ospreys, Bater made a total of 67 appearances, scoring six tries. However, due to the rise of future Wales captain Ryan Jones and the signings of Filo Tiatia and Jono Gibbes, Bater found himself on the fringes of the first team at the Ospreys. The Scarlets came in with a bid for him, and he was allowed to leave.[1] Bater has managed to make a place for himself in the Scarlets side, and has even captained the team when regular captain, Simon Easterby, and vice-captain, Stephen Jones, are on international duty.
In March 2009 it was announced that Bater had been forced to retire due to a neck injury and hoped to return to dentistry.[2] Bater resumed his career in dentistry and now works for a dental practice in Skewen, Wales.[3]
He attained his only international cap as a replacement against Romania on 27 August 2003.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Scarlets relief at Bater recovery". BBC Sport. 21 August 2006. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
- ^ "Injury forces Bater to quit rugby". The BBC. 14 March 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
- ^ "Meet the Team". VillageDentalPractice. 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- ^ Wales win at last