Ben Gollings
 | |||
| Gollings in Fiji | |||
| Date of birth | 13 May 1980 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Launceston, Cornwall | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Weight | 80 kg (12 st 8 lb) | ||
| University | Brunel University | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Current status | |||
| Current team | Rugby Lions | ||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Flyhalf | ||
| Professional / senior clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 1999–2003 2003–2004 2004 2004–2006 2006–2007 2007–2008 2008–2011 2011–2012 |
Harlequins Newcastle Worcester Sunnybank Tasman Toyota Shokki Gold Coast Breakers Rugby Lions |
25 |
(112) |
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2000–2011 |  England |
70 | (2,652) |
Ben Gollings (born 13 May 1980, Launceston, Cornwall, England) is a rugby union footballer[1] who is currently unattached, having formerly played for England Sevens, and most recently Rugby Lions.
Playing career
Gollings was educated at Castle Court School and Canford School and in 1997 led Canford to success at The National Schools 7's. In 2000, he was selected for England in the Students' Rugby World Cup, whilst at Brunel University.
Gollings has previously played for Bournemouth, Gloucester, Bath Development U19 side, Harlequins, Newcastle Falcons, Worcester, Doncaster Knights and Sunnybank. Whilst at Newcastle he was a replacement as they won the 2004 Anglo-Welsh Cup final.[2] Three years earlier in 2001 he was on the losing side in the same competition when Newcastle beat his old club Harlequins.[3] In 2006, he signed to play in the New Zealand National Provincial Championship for Tasman. From June 2007 Gollings joined Toyota Shokki Rugby and continued to remain a regular part of the England Sevens set-up.
On 21 June 2011, it was announced that Gollings' contract with the RFU would not be renewed, ending his international sevens career after 70 tournaments.[4] His accomplishments include several records in the IRB Sevens World Series. Gollings became the first rugby sevens player to score over 2000 points in his career during 2009. Gollings finished his career with over 2,300 points.[5]
Coach
Gollings joined semi-professional club Rugby Lions as a player and backs coach. Gollings won every game with the Lions in his first season, amassing over 100 points for the club himself. He was quoted in the Rugby Advertiser as saying "It's been a special season and I don't think it has fully sunk in with people how phenomenal it is to win every league game. Most of us won't experience that again."
However, due to the financial crisis that hit the club in the summer of 2012, Gollings left the Lions in July, taking up a Sevens coaching role in Sri Lanka. He has since relocated to Seattle to take up a major role with Serevi Rugby, a rugby training and development programme founded by Fiji player, Waisale Serevi.[6]
References
- ↑ "Ben Gollings (c)". RFU. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ↑ "Newcastle 37–33 Sale". BBC. 17 April 2004. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ↑ "Newcastle snatch Cup glory". BBC. 24 February 2001. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ↑ "BBC Sport - Rugby Union - Ben Gollings to leave England Sevens". News.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ↑ "Sevens legend for sale! England star Ben Gollings eyeing up a move back home". Mail Online. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ↑ "Biographies: Ben Gollings". Serevi Rugby. Retrieved 12 February 2014.