Next week, Gervin Price will return to glory at the PDC World Darts Championship, the famous competition he won in 2021.
The former Glasgow Warriors rugby player has had his fair share of controversies and is portrayed as a pantomime villain at any darts event outside of Wales, often booed and booed by the crowd.
He has the chance to face Michael van Gerwen in the championship final (01/09). Van Gerwen also predicted that JaackMaate will face himself and The Iceman in the Happy Hour podcast finale.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Markham man.
Rugby career
Price was a semi-professional rugby player and even signed for Pro14 team Glasgow Warriors in 2013 from Cross Keys.
The Welshman was signed as injury protection by the Scottish club and left the following month. He also had trials with the Dragons and Cardiff Rugby but overall proved to be a hooker for Neath and Cross Keys.
Price is now signed to Dragons RFC and can be seen wearing a t-shirt with the Dragons logo on the back. Price’s logo also appears on the Dragons’ home and away uniforms this season.
Wales legend Mark Ring told WalesOnline that Price was good enough to play for Wales and possibly even the British and Irish Lions if he had signed up sooner himself.
“He was a world-class rugby player and definitely could have played for Wales and the Lions if he had developed a little earlier.
“In my opinion, he could have been honest with Ken Owens, and that’s saying something because I actually rate Ken as the best hooker in the northern hemisphere.”
In 2013, Price scored in the Svalek Cup final, at the Principality Stadium.
Brutal pub attack
Price needed 47 stitches after the attack outside a pub in Bargoed in 2010.
Speaking to ITV documentary Against The Odds, Price revealed details of the grim attack.
“Every time I went out, I somehow attracted problems or attention from those people. I guess I was a terror to Mom and Dad, God bless them, but back then I was young and immature.
“Once in Bargoed there was a fight with two lads outside the pub and one of them grabbed me from the side while I was talking to his mate and I fell and cut my face and I think he grabbed my head. on the side of the road, so I guess I’m lucky.”
Pointing to another scar, Price added: “It was when I was at Blackwood, I was only 17 so I shouldn’t have been drinking.
“I remember I was talking to a guy in a bar and suddenly he shoved a glass of beer in my face for no reason.
“I can’t deal with this problem anymore. I prefer to live in peace. I have children. I had to calm down and you change a little. I have changed for the better.”
Climb to the top and earn money in darts
Price first received his Tour card in 2014 and has since become one of the best players in the sport.
Currently ranked fifth, he has earned £662,250 over the past two years.
Along with fellow Welshman Johnny Clayton, Wales won the 2020 World Cup of Darts. Price has also won three Grand Slam Darts titles (2018, 2019, 2021), one World Grand Prix (2020) and two World Cup finals. World Series of Darts. (2020 and 2022).
Price won the biggest prize in darts in 2021, defeating Gary Anderson to become world champion. However, that victory was achieved in front of an empty arena due to COVID social distancing restrictions, so this time he will want to repeat it in front of a large crowd.
The Welshman previously explained that he wanted to extend his time at the top to secure his family’s future.
“The next day [becoming world champion], I thought “what do I do now?” “I won the world cup, I became the first racket in the world and I didn’t really understand what was left for me to do,” she explained.
“It took me a few days or even a few weeks to think: ‘I want to win more championships, I want to win championships that I haven’t won yet, I want to win the Premier League.’
“I would like to be successful, I would like to win trophies, win majors and become one of the greatest of all time.
“Life is too short to spend too much time on this game. I want to earn as much as possible, as quickly as possible. “It could all end as quickly as it started.”
Hatred from darts fans
As previously stated, Price is undoubtedly the sport’s pantomime villain, something he can overcome.
Speaking at JaackMaate’s Happy Hour in 2022, Price said: “It doesn’t help that I’m Welsh and I play in England with the kind of crowd they have.
Speaking about playing in Wales, Price explained how different it was: “I played in Cardiff and there was a lot of noise, but then I went and played darts miserably.
“I don’t mind (the boos) to a certain extent. When I came out in Cardiff and everyone was there for you, it was really emotional because I don’t get that kind of support. When you’re on stage and everyone is cheering your name, I just didn’t know what to do, it’s something I’m not used to.
“As soon as I get back to Liverpool they will boo me. “They booed me in Belfast, it gets the best of me but I’m not sure I like it.”
The hate even forced Price to wear a huge pair of headphones to prevent him from shouting on New Year’s Eve 2023. The PDC changed the rules to ban the use of headphones during the game.
Section 5.17.4 of the Darts Regulatory Authority Rules states: “Players are not permitted to wear ear muffs or earmuffs when shooting bull before or during a match.”
Source: Wales Online

I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.