THERE are few people in Welsh sport who have enjoyed such a successful career than Dyfri Owen.

However, there are many people who do not recognise the name of the Llanymynech-raised former Llanfyllin High School student whose physiotherapy skills have helped some of the country's top football, rugby and cricket players.

Dyfri qualified from Liverpool John Moores University in 1995 with a Degree in Sports Science.

He went on to study Physiotherapy in the University of Wales College of Medicine from where he qualified in 1999.

He worked as a rotational physio in Llandough Hospital for twoyears before taking a new job, sharing the jobs of Head of Physiotherapy for Bridgend RFC, then a professional club.

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Dyfri grew up in Llanymynech and joined the national team set-up when John Toshack’s reign began in 2004 having also been physio to the Cardiff rugby team since 2000.

Dyfri said: “I was always sports mad, I did a sports science degree in Liverpool and then decided I wanted to work in sport. Physiotherapy offered me that. Being a big football fan, the ultimate goal for me was always to look after the Welsh national football team."

Dyfri’s time with the Welsh team took him to Austria, Poland, Cyprus, San Marino, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Czech Republic but ultimately Wales failed to break its major tournament jinx during Toshack's tenure.

Dyfri served under Brian Flynn, Gary Speed and Robert Page during a six year spell with the senior Welsh squad, looking after players such as Ryan Giggs, Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Craig Bellamy.

In 2019 he was the interim physiotherapist at Glamorgan County Cricket Club with head coach Matthew Maynard and looked after Australian Test Cricketer Marnus Laburshagne.

He has also worked for the Cardiff Blues under Phil Davies and Wales and Great Britain Student Rugby League.

Dyfri said: “Rugby is a completely different environment. You can enter the field of play at any point as a physio, without waiting for permission from the referee, because you have to be careful about serious injuries.

“Rugby players also tend to get different types of injuries. Footballers tend to get lower limb injuries, legs, feet, ankles, while rugby players’ injuries tend to be more varied, shoulders, upper body injuries.

"Rugby players also tend to get superficial injuries, cuts and lacerations that need to be dealt with.

“In a game of football you might not need to go on the pitch at all. In rugby you are on every couple of minutes. I have had to assess and take people off with severe spinal injuries. And I have dealt with lots of nasty dislocations and fractures. Some serious injuries."

When he’s not working with Welsh sporting superstars, Dyfri runs his own private physiotherapy practice.

“I have got a private practice in Penarth, that was started in 2006 and was opened by John Toshack," he said.