David ‘Dai’ Young enjoyed an outstanding playing and coaching career with Cardiff. He made his club debut against Neath in October 1988 and went on to make 139 appearances, 114 of them as a starter, scoring seven tries.
A Wales international from the inaugural 1987 World Cup, Young won 51 caps between 1987 and 2002 and remains the only player to have toured with the British Lions across three different decades – 1989, 1997 and 2001. He won three Lions Test caps against Australia.
Young initially left Cardiff for rugby league, joining Leeds for a then-record fee before moving to Salford. Following the professionalisation of rugby union in 1995, he returned to Cardiff in 1996 and made a further 106 appearances before retiring.
His connection with Cardiff continued into coaching, with spells leading Cardiff Blues and Wasps, followed by a second stint with Cardiff between 2021 and 2023.
