Alix Popham
Alix Jon Popham (born 17 October 1979) is a Welsh former rugby union player who played as a number eight or flanker. Born in Newport, he began his career with Newport RFC in 1998, before moving to Leeds Tykes in 2002. He spent three years in England before returning to Wales with the Llanelli Scarlets in 2005. In 2008, he moved to France to play for Brive and was made captain ahead of the 2009–10 season. He retired due to injury at the end of the 2010–11 season, having made over 250 appearances in 13 years as a  professional. He also played internationally for the Wales national team, earning 33 caps. Career. Before moving up to the full Welsh squad, Popham captained the Wales Under-21 team and played for Wales 'A'. He moved from Leeds Tykes to the Scarlets in the summer of 2005. During his time at Leeds he helped them win the 2004–05 Powergen Cup, the final of which he started. He made his international debut for Wales in June 2003 against Australia. He was also capped another three times before being included in Wales' 2003 Rugby World Cup squad. He played two matches during the  tournament. The following season he played in the 2004 Six Nations Championship, as well as being capped against South Africa in June, and against Japan in November. He played two internationals in 2005, and was capped five times in 2006, in the Six Nations, and against Romania in June. He is well known for his block-busting tackles, including a tackle on Joe Maddock in an Anglo-Welsh Cup semi-final against Bath in the 2005–06 season. The centre broke through the Llanelli line, and Popham hit him from side-on, knocking the ball out of Maddock's hands in  the process. In Popham's next appearance, Wasps flanker Johnny O'Connor was knocked out after he ran into Popham's chest. Honours. Club. Leeds Life after rugby. Following his retirement from rugby, Popham went into business, specialising in social media and business networking. In April 2020, he was diagnosed with early onset dementia; doctors estimated his brain had suffered up to 100,000 sub-concussions over the course of his 14-year professional career. Together with Steve Thompson and Michael Lipman, Popham filed legal claims against the Rugby Football Union, the Welsh Rugby Union and World Rugby for the injuries they  sustained during the game.