Jonathan Thomas, Gary Pearce and more Pembrokeshire internationals

We continue our look at some of the famous Welsh internationals from Pembrokeshire (and over the county border) over the last 142 years.

Gary Pearce (Laugharne)

Picture: WRL/RFL (Image: WRL/RFL)

Peter Gary Pearce was born in Laugharne on November 11, 1960.

He played rugby union for Laugharne RFC, Bridgend RFC and Llanelli RFC as a fly half.

He made his Wales debut against Ireland in the 1981 Five Nations Championship and went on to play against France that same tournament and then his final Wales match the following year against Ireland in the championship, scoring a total of six points through two drop goals in his international rugby union career.

Following his rugby union career, he moved to rugby league where he represented Hull FC, Scarborough Pirates and Ryedale-York.

He also played for Wales in rugby league against Papua New Guinea in 1991 and twice against France in 1992.

He went on to coach at Hull Rugby Union Football Club and is currently at Rotheram Titans.

Brian Williams

Brian Richard Williams was born on July 9, 1960, in Penffordd, near Maenclochog. He began playing rugby at Ysgol y Preseli and played for Narberth RFC and Pembrokeshire RFC alongside his brothers John and Anthony.

He played as a prop for Neath RFC more than 250 times over a 16-year period. He made his debut for the club in 1983 against Bridgend RFC. He helped Neath win the Welsh Club Champions in 1986/87, 88/89 and 89/90, the inaugural Welsh Premier Division in 1990/91, WRU Challenge Cup in 1988/89 and 1989/90.

He was involved in the Neath RFC side that in the 1988/89 season, set world records for tries with 385 and points with 1,917. He also played against a number of international touring sides for the club.

In 1990, he was picked for Wales by coach Ron Waldron, who had coached him at Neath. He made his debut on March 3, 1990, against Scotland in the Five Nations.

He went on to play in a total of five matches for Wales – four in the Five Nations Championship and one friendly, all defeats. His last international match was on February 2, 1991 against Scotland in the Five Nations.

He retired from the first-class game in 1995.

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Jonathan Thomas

Jonathan Thomas (Image: NQ Staff)

Jonathan Thomas was born on December 27, 1982, in Pembroke. As a teenager, he played cricket for Wales U15s.

In rugby, he played as a back rower, mainly as a flanker, but also at number eight and he had played as a lock. He began his career playing for Pembroke RFC juniors before moving to Swansea RFC, who he captained at just 19-years-old.

He played for the Ospreys for a decade following the regionalisation of Welsh rugby in 2003, winning four league titles and an Anglo-Welsh Cup.

In 2013, he joined Worcester Warriors, who he played for, captaining them in the same season.

He has represented Wales at Under 16, Youth, Under 19, Under 21 and Sevens level. He made his debut for the senior side against Australia on the 2003 summer tour and was chosen in the Rugby World Cup squad for that year.

A match against New Zealand in the World Cup earned him man of the match. He would go on to represent Wales 67 times, scoring seven tries.

His first try came against Italy in the 2005 Six Nations, helping Wales to a Grand Slam victory. He was used sparingly in 2006 and was rested during the summer tour of Argentina but played in all four of the Invesco Perpetual Series that year, scoring two tries against Canada.

In the 2007 Six Nations, he started against Ireland and was then a replacement for the rest of the series. He started in both tests in the 2007 tour to Australia, the two summer series matches against Argentina and France before the 2007 World Cup, which he also played a part in – scoring against Australia.

He played in the 2007 Prince William Cup against South Africa. He played in every game in the 2008 Grand Slam victory in the Six Nations.

In his decade-long Wales career, he played in 29 Six Nations matches, five World Cup matches, 10 other test matches and 23 friendlies.

After his playing career, he went on to coach at Bristol Rugby as defence and forwards coach, Worcester Warriors, and is currently contact area coach for Wales.

William Bowen

William Bowen was born in Pembroke in 1862. He played his club rugby for Swansea.

He made his debut for Wales against England at the Rectory Field in Blackheath in 1886, making his second appearance in the following game against Scotland at Cardiff Arms Park.

He would be capped for Wales 13 times, featuring in all three of the 1887 Championship and would play against the New Zealand Maoris.

He played five games across the 1889 and 1890 championships and was then given the captaincy for the first and only time for the loss to England on January 3, 1891.

He played his last game for Wales against Scotland in the 1891 loss.

Alexander Bland

Alexander Bland was born on November 24, 1866, in Pembroke. He played his club rugby for Cardiff.

He would be capped nine times in four years, making his debut against Scotland in the 1887 Home Nations Championship. He also played against England and Ireland in the same tournament.

He played in both games against Scotland and Ireland in the 1888 Championship. He was also selected to play against the New Zealand Natives for Wales and also played against them for Cardiff a week later.

He returned for the opening game of the 1890 tournament and played all three matches, with his last match in the draw against Ireland.

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