Liam Belcher
| Born | Liam Belcher 28 April 1996 Church Village, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 106 kg (16 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Liam Belcher (born 28 April 1996) is a Welsh rugby union player who plays at hooker for the Cardiff Rugby and the Wales national rugby team.
Club career
[edit]Cardiff Blues
[edit]Having come through the Cardiff academy, Belcher made his senior professional debut for the Blue and Blacks in the Anglo-Welsh Cup during the 2014-15 season. He made a total of five appearances (all in the Anglo-Welsh cup) for Cardiff in his first stint, playing most of his rugby in this period for Merthyr RFC and Pontypridd RFC in the Welsh Premier Division.
Dragons
[edit]He was released at the end of the 2016-17 season and signed for rival region the Dragons, making a total of fifteen appearances across all competitions.
Cardiff Rugby
[edit]He was released however by the Dragons at the end of the 2017-18 season only to re-sign for Cardiff, establishing himself as a regular member of the senior squad. Belcher signed an extension in September 2020.[1] Belcher considered walking away from the game in early 2023, but later signed a one-year extension with Cardiff.[2] He was named as club captain for the 2024–25 United Rugby Championship, and signed a further extension in December 2024.[3][4]
International career
[edit]Wales grade age
[edit]In 2014, Belcher played for Wales under-18, having been selected in the squad for March friendlies, the European Championship in April, and a summer tour to South Africa.[5][6][7]
From 2015–16, Belcher featured 15 times for Wales U20. He scored against England U20 in their victory during the 2015 Six Nations Under 20s Championship.[8]
Wales
[edit]Belcher was selected to play in 2025 Wales rugby union tour of Japan.[9] He earned his first cap for Wales as a substitute in the first test. He came off the bench in the second test in the second half.[10]
He was selected for the 2025 end-of-year rugby union internationals.[11] Belcher was named on the bench against Argentina and Japan, coming on in the second half in both matches.[12][13]
Belcher was named in the squad for the 2026 Six Nations by Steve Tandy.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ "Cardiff Blues: Seven players agree new deals". BBC Sport. 19 September 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ James, Ben (5 September 2024). "The new Welsh rugby captain who was looking for electrician jobs 18 months ago". Wales Online. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "Liam Belcher: Hooker takes over Cardiff captaincy". BBC Sport. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "Cardiff skipper Belcher signs contract extension". BBC Sport. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ Griffiths, Rob (13 February 2014). "RGC duo called into Wales U18s squad". North Wales Live. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "Wales Under 18 squad heads to Poland". Welsh Rugby Union | Club & Community. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "Wales Under 18 end South Africa tour with win". Welsh Rugby Union | Club & Community. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "Six Nations 2015: Wales U20 21-15 England U20". BBC Sport. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "Wales tour of Japan: Matt Sherratt names six uncapped players with Dewi Lake captain". BBC Sport. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ Mansfield, Mark (23 September 2025). "Liam Belcher, Welsh cap – a dream fulfilled". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ undefined, undefined. "Wales name squad for 2025 Quilter Nations Series | Autumn Internationals Rugby - Quilter Nations Series". www.sixnationsrugby.com. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ "Wales vs Argentina - Commentary - International Test Match 2025 - 9 Nov, 2025 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- ^ "Wales vs Japan - Commentary - International Test Match 2025 - 15 Nov, 2025 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- ^ "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.