The Dragons No 8 reached the milestone of a half-century of caps in 2022
Who is Ross Moriarty: Ten things you should know about the Wales back-row
Ross Moriarty, who is known for his physicality whether playing at No 8 or blindside, has a rich rugby pedigree.
Ten things you should know about Ross Moriarty
1. Ross Moriarty was born on 18 April 1994 in St Helens, England. He stands at 6ft 2in (1.88m) and weighs 16st 3lb (103kg).
2. He signed for the Dragons in 2018 having previously played for Gloucester.
3. Moriarty played for England’s age-grade teams, winning the U20 World Championship, but he switched to Wales for senior rugby.
He made his debut in 2015 against Ireland and won his 50th cap against the same opponents during the 2022 Six Nations.
4. Moriarty, who moved to Wales when he was two, told WalesOnline of playing for England: “I took it as an opportunity, which I grabbed with both hands. If I hadn’t had taken that route I might never have played for Wales.
“So you can’t look at it like, ‘He should never have played for England or blah, blah, blah’. That’s not the case – you just have to be the best you can.”
5. His father Paul and uncle Richard both played rugby for Wales.
6. He was named in the 2017 British & Irish Lions squad to New Zealand but struggled with a back injury during the tour and didn’t play in the Tests.
7. Moriarty hasn’t always played in the back-row and he told Rugby World: “I went to Hartpury College as a full-back and I was playing second- and third-team rugby, so I decided to try the back row. My dad said it would be difficult.”
8. He was a goalkeeper for Swansea City until he was 11, when he switched to focus on rugby.
9. He and partner Jordanna Williams announced they were having a baby together in February 2022.
He wrote on Instagram about the news: “Unbelievably excited to announce my beautiful fiancé is pregnant with our first child.”
10. Moriarty owns two companies. Trak, a clothing business, and Swansea Vale 4×4 Ltd, a car company.
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