Mark Taylor

Profile Biog

DOB 27th Feb 1973

Birthplace Blaenavon

Height 1.85 m (6' 1“)

Weight 95.45 kg (15st 0lbs)

Honours Wales (52 caps)

Mark Taylor joined the Ospreys ahead of the 2007–2008 season on a two year contract from Guinness Premiership Club Sale Sharks.

Taylor made his debut for Pontypool in 1992 before joining Swansea and was the Welsh Player of the Year in 2000. In the 2003–2004 season, Taylor was a member of the Llanelli Scarlets team that won the newly-formatted Celtic League under Gareth Jenkins.

Taylor left the Scarlets at the end of the 2004-2005 season to join Sale. Professionally, he has a BSc and an ACA and has worked as a chartered accountant.

Taylor made his Wales debut against South Africa in 1994 and went on to make fifty-three appearances for his country. Five years after his debut, South Africa provided another significant contribution to Taylor's Wales career as he scored the first ever try at the Millennium Stadium in the venue's opening game against the then reigning Rugby World Champions on 26th June 1999. The try was significant also for assisting Wales to a 29-19 victory, an historic first Welsh win over the Springboks.

Taylor became the one hundred and fourteenth player to Captain Wales and led his country on four separate occasions and a two match stretch as Captain against Samoa and USA in 2000 saw him celebrate with a try in each game. Four years later, Taylor was picked as Captain again for the two matches against USA and Canada in 2005 and celebrated his fiftieth cap leading Wales out against the Americans; appropriately, Taylor used to play American Football in College.

Taylor went to two Rugby World Cups, scoring against New Zealand in the Pool D decider of the 2003 campaign. As a late call up, Taylor featured in the starting line up against Ireland in the 2005 RBS Six Nations Championship; and celebrated Wales's success by describing it as the "sweetest moment" of his career. Taylor was a British & Irish Lion in 2001 and scored two tries in five appearances for the Lions on their tour of Australia.

Rugby is a family game for Mark Taylor, father Ivor played over four hundred games for Newport and Pontypool, and his brother Paul also played for Pontypool.