Nigel Melville

Nigel Melville

Full name	Nigel David Melville
Date of birth	6 January 1961 (1961-01-06) (age 50)
Place of birth	Leeds, Yorkshire
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	76 kg (12 st 0 lb)
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Scrum-half
Professional / senior clubs
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1981–1988	Otley R.U.F.C. Wakefield RFC Wasps FC
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1984–1988	England	13	(0)
Coaching career
Years	Club / team
2002–2005	Otley R.U.F.C. London Wasps Gloucester Rugby
Rugby union career

Nigel David Melville (born 6 January 1961) is a former England national rugby union team scrum half and captain.

He became the youngest player to captain England on his début when he led them against Australia in November 1984. He went onto make another twelve appearances over the next four years.

He attended Aireborough Grammar School and North East London polytechnic. He played club rugby for Otley R.U.F.C., Wakefield RFC and Wasps FC.

He was captain of the England Schools 19 age group on their tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1979, England B – the youngest captain at the time, England Under 23 on their tour of Romania in 1983. He captained the full England side seven times, winning four games.

He was a replacement for the injured Terry Holmes on the British Lions tour to New Zealand in 1983 but picked up a spinal injury in his second game and took no further part on the tour.

He also toured with England to Argentina in 1981, North America in 1982 and New Zealand in 1985.

His career was blighted by a number of serious injuries including a serious neck injury, shoulder damage, five knee operations and a chipped ankle. These partly restricted the number of matches he played for England.

On retirement, he entered coaching and as Director of Rugby at Wasps R.F.C., Melville coached the team to their first professional Premiership title in 1996, followed by three National Cup Final appearances, winning two. In 2002 he moved to Gloucester Rugby, winning the Zurich Championship Final, Powergen Cup and topped the Zurich Premiership table by a record 15 clear points. He left in 2005^[1]

During his playing career, Melville was the Head of UK Promotions for Nike working alongside elite athletes from a wide range of sports. He was appointed CEO and President of Rugby Operations for USA Rugby on 11 October 2006.

References

1. ^ Gloucester and Melville part company

• Scotland v England official match programme 15/2/1986
• "Nigel Melville—Biography". sporting-heroes.net. http://www.sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=4269. 
• "Nigel Melville—Statistics". sporting-heroes.net. http://www.sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=4270. 
• Wasps Profile

Sporting positions
Preceded by John Scott Paul Dodge Mike Harrison	English National Rugby Union Captain Nov 1984 1986 Mar 1988	Succeeded by Paul Dodge Richard Hill John Orwin

Persondata
Name	Melville, Nigel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	6 January 1961
Place of birth	Leeds, Yorkshire
Date of death
Place of death