Rob Howley
A scrum-half with electric pace who became the tactical architect of Wales's most successful rugby era as a coach.
Born 1970 (age 56)·Former Welsh rugby union player/current coach·Birthday: October 13·Generation X
Biography
Rob Howley's story in Welsh rugby is one of brilliance, heartbreak, and enduring influence. As a player, he was a mercurial scrum-half whose searing breaks and game intelligence earned him 59 caps, often as captain, during the 1990s. His playing career was cruelly cut short by a wrist injury, but that exit paved the way for a second act. Transitioning to coaching, he became Warren Gatland's right-hand man for over a decade, serving as attack coach and caretaker head coach. Howley was instrumental in designing the pragmatic, powerful game that delivered three Six Nations Grand Slams and two World Cup semi-finals, embedding himself as a central figure in Welsh rugby's modern golden age.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Rob was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Rob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won 59 caps for Wales as a scrum-half, captaining the side 22 times.
- Served as the attack coach for Wales during three Six Nations Grand Slam victories (2008, 2012, 2019).
- Acted as the Lions' attack coach for the successful 2013 tour to Australia.
Did You Know?
He scored a famous, length-of-the-field try for Wales against Scotland in 1996.
Howley's final playing appearance was in the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
He won the Heineken Cup with London Wasps in 2004 as a player.
“You play for the jersey on your back and the people who fill the stands.”
