James Olds (rugby league)
| Full name | James Olds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 6 April 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bridgend, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 169 cm (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb; 12 st 0 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Ollie Olds (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby league career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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James Olds (born 6 April 1991) is an international Welsh rugby league player who currently plays for Fortitude Valleys Diehards in the Brisbane Rugby League. He mainly plays at centre or on the wing.[1][2]
Club career[edit]
Olds was born in Bridgend in Wales, beginning his career at local side Tondu RFC before moving to Bridgend Athletic RFC, winning the Ospreys Youth League championship.[3] He made his 1st XV debut at 18, playing at the club until 2012 he scored 12 tries in 34 appearances.[4]
He moved to Australia with his brother, Ollie Olds. Playing for Albury Wodonga RUFC winning the Southern Inland Rugby Union Premiership in 2013 and 2015,[5][6] before joining Brisbane Rugby League side Wests Panthers, winning a minor premiership with the side. In 2020 he joined Albury Thunder.[7][8][9] In 2022 he joined Fortitude Valleys Diehards scoring 76 points in his first season.[10][11]
International career[edit]
He made his debut for the Wales national rugby league team in the European Championship 2018, scoring a try and three goals in a 18–54 loss against France. On 11 November 2018 he scored 8 goals in a European Championship win over Ireland, this put him at joint-third for the most goals by a player in a match for Wales, and joint-sixth for most points by a player in a match for Wales.[12][13] His efforts helped secure a second-place finish for Wales, qualifying them for the 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup.
In 2019 he played in the 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s featuring once, in a 23–6 loss against France.[14]
After the 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s he didn't feature again for Wales until being named in the Wales squad for the 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup,[15] he did not feature in the competition however started on the wing in a warmup match against Lebanon scoring a solitary goal.
References[edit]
- ^ "James Olds – Playing Career – RLP". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "James OLDS – Player statistics – It's rugby". www.itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ WalesOnline (2010-04-14). "Rugby: Same Olds story as Athletic Youth home and dry". Wales Online. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "Current & Recent BARFC Player – Centres". Bridgend Athletic RFC. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "Premiership player Olds heads up north". The Border Mail. 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "Border footballer beats spider bite to play in World Cup 9s". The Border Mail. 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "Thunder form can only help my World Cup chances". The Border Mail. 2021-05-21. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ Moore, Glenn (2022-10-03). "Diehards' Olds bros to play in World Cup". Blue Mountains Gazette. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "International returns as Albury look to get back on field". The Daily Advertiser. 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "Team: Valleys Premier A-Grade 2022". www.playrugbyleague.com. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "Gwylio'r Cymry: Mis Mawrth 25–28 2022 – Wales Rugby League (WRL)". 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "Wales – Records – RLP". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "Player Records – WRL International Sides". Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "James Olds". National Rugby League. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "Rugby League World Cup 2022: Every nation's full squad | Sporting News United Kingdom". www.sportingnews.com. 2022-10-10. Retrieved 2024-02-27.