Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Donald James Wilson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Cwmbran, Wales | 4 November 1955|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Fly-half | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Stand-off | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Donald James "Danny" Wilson (born 4 November 1955) is a Welsh former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. A Wales international stand-off, he played his club rugby for Widnes, [3] Barrow, Swinton, [4] Runcorn Highfield and Springfield Borough. [2] [5]
Born in Wales to a Sierra Leone Creole father [6] [7] and a Welsh mother, Wilson played rugby union for Cardiff RFC as a fly-half. He had trials with several rugby league clubs, including Widnes and Barrow, before eventually moving north to play as a professional with Swinton. [8]
Wilson once scored five drop goals in a match for Swinton in 1983, [9] which is a joint record in British rugby league history. [10]
Wilson won five caps for Wales while at Swinton between 1981 and 1984. [2]
Wilson is the father of former footballer and Wales manager Ryan Giggs, [7] who was christened Ryan Joseph Wilson but as a teenager changed his surname to that of his mother. [7] Giggs is said to have inherited his balance and athleticism from his father. [7] [11]