Adam Beard
 Beard representing Wales during the Six Nations Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Adam James Beard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 7 January 1996 Swansea, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 126 kg (278 lb; 19 st 12 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Neath Port Talbot College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Adam James Beard (born 7 January 1996) is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for Montpellier and the Wales national team.
Club career
[edit]Beard made his debut for the Ospreys in 2012 having previously played for their academy team, Aberavon RFC and Birchgrove RFC.
On 2 July 2025, after 11 years playing for Ospreys, Beard would leave the Welsh region to sign for French team Montpellier on a three-year deal in the Top 14 from the 2025-26 season.[1] As part of Montpellier, Beard won the 2025-26 EPCR Challenge Cup.
International career
[edit]Wales
[edit]In May 2017 Beard was named in the Wales senior squad for the tests against Tonga and Samoa in June 2017[2] He made his debut for Wales against Samoa in Apia on the 2017 summer tour, coming on as a replacement, and then made his first start in the home victory over Georgia five months later. His 6 Nations debut came in the win over France in Paris in 2019 – his ninth straight win in a Wales shirt. He went on to start in four of the Grand Slam matches in the 2019 championships, and came on as a replacement in the other, as he extended his unbeaten run in a Welsh shirt to 11 matches up to 1 August 2019.[citation needed]
Beard was named in the squad for the 2026 Six Nations by Steve Tandy.[3]
British and Irish Lions
[edit]Beard was called into the British & Irish Lions squad for the 2021 tour to South Africa. This followed the temporary withdrawal of tour captain Alun Wyn Jones following a shoulder injury.[4] On 7 July Beard made his Lions debut in the Provincial game against the Sharks.[5] Beard would go on to make his Lions test debut in the third test against the Springboks.[citation needed]
Personal life
[edit]Beard is married to Chelsea Beard, the Wales netball international.[6][7]
Honours
[edit]Montpellier
[edit]- EPCR Challenge Cup: 2026
Wales
[edit]- Six Nations Championship: 2019, 2021
- Grand Slam: 2019
- Triple Crown: 2019, 2021
- Doddie Weir Cup: 2019, 2021, 2022
References
[edit]- ↑ "Top 14 move is finally confirmed for Lion Adam Beard". Rugby Pass. 2 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ↑ Wales squad June 2017
- ↑ "Six Nations 2026: Wales prop Tomas Francis back as uncapped Louie Hennessey and Gabriel Hamer-Webb included". BBC Sport. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- ↑ "Beard & Navidi called into Lions squad and Murray replaces Jones as Tour captain".
- ↑ "Beard makes Lions debut | Ospreys".
- ↑ "Wales lock Adam Beard's World Cup: A lucky escape, surgery and overeating". www.bbc.co.uk. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ↑ "Welsh netball international Chelsea Lewis has announced her pregnancy with rugby player boyfriend Adam Beard". www.newschain.uk. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.[dead link]
External links
[edit]- Adam Beard at European Professional Club Rugby
- Adam Beard at Welsh Rugby Union
- Adam Beard at ESPNscrum (archived)
- Adam Beard at ItsRugby.fr (in French)
- Adam Beard at All.Rugby
- Adam Beard at RugbyDatabase.co.nz
- Adam Beard at Welsh Rugby Union
- Ospreys Player Profile
- Rugby union players from Swansea
- Welsh rugby union players
- Wales international rugby union players
- Ospreys (rugby union) players
- 21st-century Welsh sportsmen
- Living people
- 1996 births
- British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales
- Rugby union locks
- People educated at Neath Port Talbot College
- 2019 Rugby World Cup players
- 2023 Rugby World Cup players
