Gareth Davies

William Gareth Davies (born 29 September 1955) is a Welsh former rugby union player and former chairman of the Welsh Rugby Union. He played international rugby for Wales and the British Lions.

Early and personal life Born in the mining village of Tumble, Carmarthenshire, Davies was educated at nearby Gwendraeth Grammar School in Drefach near Llanelli. Davies was an all-round sportsman, representing Welsh schools at cricket and played for Glamorgan County Cricket Club's second XI. He then studied chemistry at the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (UWIST), later University of Wales, Cardiff, and later studied for his teaching qualifications at St Catherine's College, Oxford. Davies used this experience as an alumnus ambassador for the Seren Network.

Married to Fiona, Davies has two adult daughters. The Carnegie faculty provides courses in sport, education, languages and Events, tourism and hospitality, and in 2009 was named the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence, which will help coaches to develop the sporting stars of the future with the aim of making the UK become the leading coaching nation in the world by 2016. Davies is no longer Dean at Leeds Metropolitan University. In July 2014, Davies was nominated by Peter Thomas (owner of Cardiff RFC/Cardiff Blues) to succeed Gerald Davies on the board of the Welsh Rugby Union. Davies was elected Chairman of the WRU on 21 October 2014 and served in the position until October 2020, leaving the post after failing to gain re-election to the WRU National Council in September 2020.

Davies was awarded Honorary Doctorates from Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2015 and The University of South Wales in 2018 and is an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff University