Between them, they notched up an impressive 462 appearances for the Ospreys. But due to the pandemic and the restrictions in place, neither James Hook, James King or Scott Otten were given the farewell they deserve in front of Ospreys supporters after hanging up their boots.
Ahead of this weekend’s Welsh derby against Cardiff Rugby, we’ll be welcoming the three back onto the field for a shirt presentation and give Ospreys supporters a chance to show their appreciation to the boys. Make sure you’re in your seats from 7:15pm on Saturday evening, get your tickets for the game here.
After the match, head on over to the Riverside Bar where they’ll be joining the Ospreys Supporters Club for an exclusive Q&A.
But first, let’s look back at their illustrious careers.
James Hook
After a prestigious career that spanned 16 years, the Ospreys legend hung up his boots back at the end of May 2020 after racking up an impressive 149 appearances.
Hook began playing rugby as a junior at Aberavon Quins, before moving onto play for Aberavon Youth and Tata Steel. His senior debut came with Aberavon Wizards against Maesteg back in February 2004. His Ospreys debut came seven months later, off the bench against Cardiff Blues in a 39-3 win, aged 19 years old.
He sits in second place on the all-time Ospreys point scorer list with 841 points. All told, he's dotted the ball over the whitewash 19 times and slotted the ball through the sticks 290 times in an Osprey jersey. During his time with Wales, Hook made 81 appearances, scored 352 points and crossed the try line 13 times for his country, making him the fifth highest scorer ever for the national team. Hook was named in the 2009 British and Irish Lions side to travel to South Africa. He scored 35 points on the tour, playing in 6 tour matches.
James King
The 11-times Welsh capped international made his Ospreys debut in 2009 and is sixth on the all-time appearance list for the regional franchise.
King was born in Wodonga, Australia and played for Wales U18s and U20s and played for Aberavon before graduating to the Ospreys first team squad. He made his Ospreys debut against Glasgow in 2009 and made his Wales debut against Japan in 2013.
King played all his rugby at the Ospreys and made 203 appearances scoring seven tries during his career. A versatile forward who could play across the back five of the pack, King was a firm favourite of the Ospreys faithful. A highly respected figure in Welsh rugby saw King become chairman of the Welsh Rugby Players Association.
Scott Otten
A product of the Ospreys development pathway, Otten featured regularly for Swansea RFC in the Premiership, playing 36 times for the All Whites.
Otten was a Wales U20s international and before playing for the Ospreys, he played for Aberavon, Neath, Swansea and Waunarlwydd RFC.
It was in March 2014 that he made his Ospreys debut at the age of 19 as a replacement in a 34-9 win over Cardiff Blues at the Liberty Stadium. His 50th appearance came in September 2017, away to the Cheetahs. The hooker made his 100th appearance for the regional rugby franchise against Cardiff Blues at the Liberty Stadium back in December 2019.
Known for his signature chip and chase, Otten became a crowd favourite with Osprey supporters. During his time in an Ospreys jersey, he has crossed the whitewash 10 times and finishes on 110 appearances.
During the 19/20 season, he was named in the Conference A GuinnessPRO14 Team of the season and was the only Welsh player named in a star-studded XV after an impressive personal campaign.