Rhodri Gomer-Davies
| Birth name | Rhodri Gomer Davies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 11 January 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Carmarthen, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 92 kg (14 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Lampeter Comprehensive School, Llandovery College, Auckland Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Lougborough University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rhodri Gomer Davies (born 11 January 1983) was a rugby union footballer who played at centre .
Professional career
Rhodri signed for Northampton Saints in 2003, combining his rugby career with his studies at Loughborough University. A groin injury in December 2005 (which kept him out for a total of 20 months) meant his contract was terminated in February 2007. Gomer Davies moved to the Newport Gwent Dragons for the start of the 2007–08 Celtic League season.[1] He signed for the Wales National 7s team in March 2011 on a dual contract with the Scarlets. An injury to his left knee at the beginning of the 2011/12 season was deemed too serious to return to play and his last game was for the Scarlets in an LV Cup game against Leicester Tigers on 15 October 2011.
Television
During his rugby career and upon retiring, he has worked as a rugby pundit, co-commentator and pitch-side reporter for Pro12 and European games on S4C. He also presented two series of children’s programme ‘Y Sgwad’.
In 2013 he became a roaming sports reporter for Welsh language magazine show Heno, producing and reporting on sports events and stories all over Wales. For 18 months between 2014-15, he co-presented S4C’s live afternoon show Prynhawn Da.
Upon S4C gaining rights to the prestigious Tour de France coverage in 2014, Rhodri became presenter of the ‘Seiclo’ series, presenting live outside broadcasts on location all over France. 2018 will be his fifth time presenting the famous stage race.
As a producer, he has been credited with two sports documentaries on S4C. The first ‘Medal Aur Owain Doull’ portrayed Olympic gold medal cyclist Owain Doull’s memorable 2016; and the second, ‘Mr Marathon: Josh Griffiths’ focused on amateur marathon runner Josh Griffiths’ incredible run at the 2017 London Marathon, finishing as the first Briton and qualifying for the World Championships later that year.
Business interests
Rhodri set up a mobile photobooth business with his best friend in October 2009. Having grown the business to owning several booths and taking over a hundred bookings at weddings and various corporate events each year, they sold in early 2013.
Personal life
Born at Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthen, he was raised on the family farm just outside Ffarmers in the Cambrian Mountains of west Wales. Having attended the village primary school, he studied at Lampeter Comprehensive School, before gaining a 6th form Carwyn James scholarship to Llandovery College in 1999. Following a gap year working at Auckland Grammar School, he then won a sports scholarship to Loughborough University in 2002, where he was quickly signed to the Northampton Saints academy in 2003.
Charity work
Following a voluntary trip in 2009 to Spring Valley primary school, Nairobi, with several friends and colleagues from the Gwent Dragons, he went about organising a charity bike ride around Wales. It has grown from 10 cyclists in 2010, including friends Richard Parks, Colin Charvis, Iolo Williams and Rhydian Roberts, to 70 cyclists in 2013, raising in total over £100,000 for various charities.[2]
Gomer Davies married his Primary school teacher fiancé Carys Huws in autumn 2011 at Bethlehem Chapel, Gwaelod-y-Garth. The couple have now settled in west Wales with their three children.[3]