James King (rugby union, born 1990)

For other people with the same name, see James King.

James King (born 24 July 1990) is a former Welsh rugby union player. A flanker or lock forward, he played for the Ospreys regional rugby side and the Welsh national side, having previously played for Aberavon.

James King

Birth name	James King
Date of birth	(1990-07-24) 24 July 1990 (age 35)
Place of birth	Wodonga, Australia
Height	193 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	107 kg (16 st 12 lb; 236 lb)
School	Alun School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Blindside Flanker Lock Number 8 Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2008–2012 Aberavon 48 (25) 2009–2021 Ospreys 203 (35) International career Years Team Apps (Points) Wales U18 2009–2010 Wales U20 14 (0) 2013–2017 Wales 11 (0)

In January 2012 King suffered a lacerated ear injury in a collision with Xavier Rush of the Cardiff Blues and had to undergo emergency plastic surgery at Morriston Hospital, Swansea.^[1]

In January 2013 he was selected in the 35-man Wales squad for the 2013 Six Nations championship.^[2] He made his international debut against Japan on 8 June 2013^[3] and would go on to win 11 caps for the national side, including at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

He was forced to retire from professional rugby in January 2021 aged just 30, after failing to recover from an injury sustained whilst playing against Ulster in 2019.^[4]