Darren Crompton

Darren Crompton

Date of birth	12 September 1972 (1972-09-12) (age 39)
Place of birth	Exeter, England
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	18 st 2 lb (115 kg)
Nickname	DC
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Tighthead Prop
Professional / senior clubs
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1993-1997 1997-1998 2003-2004 1999-2003, 2004-	Bath Rugby Richmond Cardiff Blues Bristol Rugby	156	(40)
correct as of 10 Sept 2007.
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1998, 2007	England	1	(0)
correct as of 10 Sept 2007.

Darren Crompton (born 12 September 1972) is a professional rugby union player for Bristol Rugby. He has played for Richmond, Bath, Cardiff Blues and represented England at many levels. He also has a judo black belt, winning a national gold medal at 13.

Professional career

Darren began his professional career at Bath in 1993, moving to Bristol in 1999 after a spell at Richmond. He played for Bristol for four years, making up his first stint at the club, before moving to the Cardiff Blues for the 2003-2004 season. He returned for his second spell at Bristol on a two year contract along with another former Bristol and Bath player, Dave Hilton, helping to win the National Division One title in 2005. Newly promoted to the top flight of English club rugby, they were joined in the front row at the start of the 2005 Guinness Premiership season by yet another former Bristol and Bath man, Mark Regan. With Hilton playing loosehead, Regan at hooker, and Crompton at tighthead, their combined age was over 100. Because of this, no one expected the old but experieced front row team to have as much impact as they did, and have become known as 'Dad's Army'.. . Having helped keep Bristol in the Premiership in their first season, and after playing every game during the 2006-2007 campaign, which saw the team finish a surprising 3rd, he renewed his contract to Bristol Rugby in spring 2006.^[1]

International career

He has played for England U16s, captained the U18s and the U21s, leading the U18 team in all five of their matches in 1991. He was selected for the England A tour of Australia and Fiji in 1995 debuting against South Australia. In 1998 he went on his first full England tour to the Southern Hemisphere, but returned home uncapped. He made no further appearance for England until 2007 when he was selected for the mid-year test series in South Africa. Many spaces were made available on this tour as no Leicester, Wasps or Bath players were selected by Brian Ashton due to Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup finals commitments.^[2] This meant that Crompton was selected for the tour at the age of 34, nine years after his first senior England tour, as a result of his form in the Premiership.^[3] Thus he was able to win his full England cap, when he took to the field during the first test against the Springboks in Bloemfontein as a replacement for Stuart Turner.

References

1. ^ "Crompton extends Bristol contract". bbc.co.uk. 3 February 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/english/4677432.stm. Retrieved 10 September 2007. 
2. ^ "England rule out Euro final stars". bbc.co.uk. 26 April 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/english/6597067.stm. Retrieved 10 September 2007. 
3. ^ "Robinson to captain England squad". bbc.co.uk. 1 May 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/6609135.stm. Retrieved 10 September 2007. 

External links

• England profile
• Profile at Bristol Rugby

Persondata
Name	Crompton, Darren
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	12 September 1972
Place of birth	Exeter, England
Date of death
Place of death