View source for Scott Quinnell

{{short description|British Lions & Wales international dual-code rugby footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2016}}
{{Infobox Rugby biography
| name = Scott Quinnell
| image =
| birth_name = Leon Scott Quinnell
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1972|8|20}}
| birth_place = [[Morriston]], [[Swansea]], [[Glamorgan]], Wales
| height = {{convert|6|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|18|st|13|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
| school = Graig Comprehensive School
| university = 
| relatives = [[Derek Quinnell]] (father)<br />[[Craig Quinnell]] (brother)<br />[[Gavin Quinnell]] (brother)<br/>[[Barry John]] (uncle)<ref name=Gavin>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/12964924|title=Quinnell family's shock over sight loss ruling|work=BBC Sport|date=4 April 2011|access-date=6 April 2011}}</ref>
| ru_position = [[Number eight (rugby union)|No. 8]]
| ru_currentteam = 
| years1 = 1990–1994 | clubs1 = [[Llanelli RFC|Llanelli]]      | apps1 = 146 | points1 = 160
| years2 = 1996–1998 | clubs2 = [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]]     | apps2 = 44  | points2 = 175
| years3 = 1998–2005 | clubs3 = [[Scarlets|Llanelli Scarlets]] | apps3 = 59  | points3 = 60
| repyears1 = 1993–2002
| repyears2 = [[1997 British Lions tour to South Africa|1997]], [[2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia|2001]]
| repteam1 = [[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]]
| repteam2 = [[British & Irish Lions]]<ref name="Profile at lionsrugby.com (RU)">{{cite web|url=https://www.lionsrugby.com/player?PlayGuid=LQ508137|title=Profile at lionsrugby.com (RU)|publisher=lionsrugby.com|date=31 December 2017|access-date=1 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="Statistics at en.espn.co.uk (RU)">{{cite web|url=http://en.espn.co.uk/wales/rugby/player/11663.html|title=Statistics at en.espn.co.uk (RU)|publisher=espn.co.uk|date=31 December 2017|access-date=1 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="Statistics at wru.co.uk (RU)">{{cite web|url=http://www.wru.co.uk/eng/matchcentre/squads_wales_player_archive.php?player=3661&includeref=dynamic|title=Statistics at wru.co.uk (RU)|publisher=wru.co.uk|date=31 December 2017|access-date=1 January 2018}}</ref>
| repcaps1 = 52
| repcaps2 = 3
| reppoints1 = 55
| reppoints2 = 5
| module = {{infobox rugby league biography|embed=yes
| position = {{rlp|PR|SR}}
| year1start = 1994
| year1end = 96
| club1 = [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
| appearances1 = 41
| tries1 = 18
| points1 = 72
| yearAstart = 1995
| teamA = [[Wales national rugby league team|Wales]]<ref name="Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org (RL)">{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/scott-quinnell/summary.html|title=Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org (RL)|publisher=rugbyleagueproject.org|date=31 December 2017|access-date=1 January 2018}}</ref>
| appearancesA = 2
| pointsA = 0
}}
}}
'''Scott Quinnell''' (born 20 August 1972) is a Welsh former [[rugby union]] and [[rugby league]] player who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He was a [[Number eight (rugby union)|number eight]] for Wales, [[Llanelli RFC]], [[Scarlets|Llanelli Scarlets]], [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]] and the [[British & Irish Lions]] in rugby union. He won 52 caps for Wales (seven as captain) and three for the Lions, and scored 11 international tries for Wales and one for the Lions.<ref name="Profile at lionsrugby.com (RU)"/><ref name="Statistics at en.espn.co.uk (RU)"/><ref name="Statistics at wru.co.uk (RU)"/>

In 1994 he changed codes from rugby union to rugby league when he transferred from [[Llanelli RFC]] to [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]], and played two seasons, winning a league championship and two caps for [[Wales national rugby league team|Wales]].<ref name="Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org (RL)"/>

==Early life==
Quinnell was born in [[Morriston]], [[Swansea]], [[Glamorgan]], [[Wales]]. He is the son of former Welsh international [[Derek Quinnell]]. His two brothers [[Craig Quinnell|Craig]] and [[Gavin Quinnell|Gavin]] played professional rugby union. Gavin lost the sight in one eye after an incident in a 2010 match. The brothers are also nephews of Welsh international [[Barry John]],<ref name=Gavin/> and Quinnell's [[Godparent|godfather]] was [[Mervyn Davies (rugby union)|Mervyn Davies]].

==Playing career==
Quinnell first joined the [[Llanelli RFC|Llanelli]] juniors aged 8 and he made his début as an 18-year-old back in 1990 against [[Pen-y-groes, Carmarthenshire|Pen-y-groes]]. He went on to represent Llanelli on 146 occasions, scoring 69 tries.

Quinnell first played for Wales as a blindside flanker in a 26–24 defeat against [[Canada national rugby union team|Canada]] in 1993. He was part of the 1994 Five Nations-winning Welsh team and was man of the match in Wales' 24–15 victory over [[France national rugby union team|France]] that year with a try and a breakaway to set up another try.

===Rugby league===
He switched to [[rugby league]] in 1994, joining [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]].<ref>{{cite news 
| title = Gareth Thomas completes switch from union to Wales rugby league side Crusaders
| work = telegraph.co.uk
| place =UK
| publisher = Telegraph Media Group Limited
| date = 5 March 2010
| url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/wales/7376424/Gareth-Thomas-completes-switch-from-union-to-Wales-rugby-league-side-Crusaders.html
| access-date = 2 May 2010}}</ref> He stayed with Wigan for two years, and during this time he won the league. Quinnell played loose forward in Wigan's 25–16 victory over [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]] in the [[1995–96 League Cup (rugby league)|1996 Regal Trophy]] final.<ref name="13th January 1996: St Helens 16 Wigan 25 (Regal Trophy Final)">{{cite web|url=http://wigan.rlfans.com/news.php?readmore=2976|title=13th January 1996: St Helens 16 Wigan 25 (Regal Trophy Final)|publisher=wigan.rlfans.com|date=31 December 2014|access-date=1 January 2015|archive-date=7 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007005311/http://wigan.rlfans.com/news.php?readmore=2976|url-status=dead}}</ref> He also represented Wales in the [[1995 Rugby League World Cup]]. He said that the toughest game of rugby he ever played was the quarter-final against [[Samoa national rugby league team|Western Samoa]].<ref name="Quinnell gives Millennium Magic the thumbs up">{{cite web|url=http://2008.superleague.co.uk/article.php?id=10246|title=Quinnell gives Millennium Magic the thumbs up|publisher=SuperLeague|date=15 April 2008|access-date=17 April 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211151658/http://2008.superleague.co.uk/article.php?id=10246|archive-date=11 February 2012}}</ref>  Wales went out to England 25–10 in the semi-finals.

===Return to rugby union===
Quinnell returned to rugby union with [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]] in 1996. He was selected for the 1997 Lions tour of South Africa. but a double hernia operation forced him to leave the tour and he was replaced by [[Tony Diprose]].<ref>{{cite news 
|url=https://www.lionsrugby.com/player/?PlayGuid=AD359403&includeref=dynamic#history
|title=TONY DIPROSE
|publisher=lionsrugby.com
|access-date=3 March 2021}}</ref>

He returned to Llanelli in 1998. During the 1998–99 season he did no conditioning work at all as he had rheumatoid arthritis in his left knee. For seven years he played with the condition that seemed likely to end his career.

He was part of a Wales team that won eight straight games before the 1999 World Cup and then reached the World Cup quarter-finals, when they went out 24–9 to the eventual winners [[Australia national rugby union team|Australia]]. He captained Wales for the first time in a 23–13 defeat by [[South Africa national rugby union team|South Africa]] at the [[Millennium Stadium]]. Quinnell played his last game for Wales as a replacement in a 32–21 win over Canada in 2002 after winning 52 caps.

He was again selected for the 2001 Lions tour to Australia where he played in all three tests, and scored a try in the first test in [[Brisbane]].

After the Welsh domestic game went regional in 2003, he appeared 59 times for the Scarlets, scoring 32 tries. He was part of the Llanelli Scarlets team that won the [[Pro14|Celtic League]] title in 2004.
 
Quinnell announced his retirement from rugby union at the end of the 2004–05 season in order to concentrate on his role as coach of the Llanelli RFC [[Welsh Premier Division]] team. A hand injury suffered in March 2005 forced him to end his career a few weeks prematurely. He played his final game in a [[testimonial match]] with fellow retiree [[Rob Howley]] at the [[Millennium Stadium]]. Quinnell's Britain & Ireland selection lost 57–67 to Howley's Rest of the World side.

==After retirement==
Quinnell currently regularly appears as a commentator and pundit on a number of [[Sky Sports]] televised rugby matches. He is also a People's Postcode Lottery ambassador and appears on the adverts. He is a co-presenter and coach (with [[Will Greenwood]]) of Sky's ''[[School of Hard Knocks (TV series)|School of Hard Knocks]]'' TV series. He has had a recurring guest role as himself in the [[Sky 1]] TV comedy series ''[[Stella (UK TV series)|Stella]]''. In 2017 he co-wrote (with psychologist Paul Boross) the book ''Leader On The Pitch'', with a foreword written by Sir Clive Woodward.

In 2020, he participated in {{lang|cy|Iaith ar Daith}} ('Language Road Trip'), a show for [[S4C]] where he and several other celebrities learned [[Welsh language|Welsh]], broadcast in April 2020. An extra episode, {{lang|cy|Iaith ar Daith 'Dolig}} ('Language Road Trip: Christmas') was broadcast at the end of 2020, interviewing each of the celebrities about whether they were still making use of their Welsh and the opportunities they had had to use Welsh [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|during lockdown]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.boomcymru.co.uk/cynnwys/iaith-ar-daith-dolig/?lang=en |title=Iaith ar Daith 'Dolig |trans-title=Language Road Trip: Christmas |publisher=Boom Cymru |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131125652/https://www.boomcymru.co.uk/cynnwys/iaith-ar-daith-dolig/?lang=en |date= |archive-date=31 January 2021 |access-date=31 January 2021 }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Quinnell is married to Nicola, and the couple have three children. Having lived all of his life in Llanelli, in early 2009 in light of his increased media commitments, the family moved to [[Kenilworth]], [[Warwickshire]], although they have since moved back to [[South Wales]] to a [[smallholding]] near [[Usk]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/05/17/scott-quinnell-heads-east-91466-23640620|title=Scott Quinnell heads east|publisher=walesonline.co.uk|date=15 May 2009|access-date=15 May 2009}}</ref>

Quinnell is [[dyslexia|dyslexic]], but was not diagnosed until his early 30s, when his lack of ability to read and write was correctly diagnosed. Having undertaken a series of therapies to resolve the condition, as of 2010, Quinnell is a popular speaker on the matter. He has represented the Welsh Dyslexia Project, and also completed an autobiography<ref name=autobiography>Quinnell, Scott – The Hardest Test, published by Accent Press, 2008, {{ISBN|978-1-906125-95-0}}</ref> as part of the Accent Press Quick Reads series.

In August 2007 Quinnell was treated for serious injuries after slipping whilst entering a shower and falling through a glass shower door at his then home near Llanelli. He was taken to [[Glangwili General Hospital|West Wales General Hospital]] in [[Carmarthen]] with a severed right [[triceps]], and glass embedded in his right arm, hand and knee.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/6927465.stm Quinnell hurt in shower accident]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://wigan.rlfans.com/readarticle.php?article_id=828 Statistics at wigan.rlfans.com]

{{Wales squad 1995 Rugby League World Cup}}
{{Wales 1999 Rugby World Cup squad}}
{{British and Irish Lions 1997}}
{{British and Irish Lions 2001}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinnell, Scott}}
[[Category:1972 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1999 Rugby World Cup players]]
[[Category:20th-century Welsh sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century Welsh sportsmen]]
[[Category:British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales]]
[[Category:Dual-code rugby internationals]]
[[Category:Llanelli RFC players]]
[[Category:Richmond F.C. players]]
[[Category:Rugby league players from Swansea]]
[[Category:Rugby union number eights]]
[[Category:Rugby union players from Morriston]]
[[Category:Scarlets players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople with dyslexia]]
[[Category:Wales international rugby union players]]
[[Category:Wales national rugby league team players]]
[[Category:Wales rugby union captains]]
[[Category:Welsh disabled sportspeople]]
[[Category:Welsh rugby league players]]
[[Category:Welsh rugby union players]]
[[Category:Wigan Warriors players]]