Having scored in his Wales Students debut against England in the inaugural Student World Cup in Biarritz, Southern France in 1988 he would go on to earn selection for the Wales under-21 team both for a warm up game in Aldershot and internationally against Scotland. He had made his reputation after some bustling performances for North Wales representative sides including against New Zealand under-21. He was twenty one years old when he first lined up against the All Blacks in 1989.

He had made his first appearance for Swansea RFC on 15 October 1988 against Leicester Tigers and made 184 appearances for the club over the next 10 years. He scored the quickest recorded try by a substitute in the Heineken Cup in a game with Wasps Football Club in September 1997. His final game, also that season, would help the Club win their third Welsh Premier Division Title of the 1990s. Including time spent at London Welsh he played over 200 competitive, national level league and cup games in England and Wales, usually starting. He turned down offers to play in both France and in Italy.

Ian Buckett had toured several times with the senior side. He had made his first try scoring appearance for a Wales XV in Swakopmund in Namibia in 1990, his second at altitude in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in 1993 and his last appearance against Ontario in 1997.

In 1992 he skippered Wales Students to a junior World Cup competition in Italy where they were knocked out of the tournament by New Zealand Universities losing 12-13 in Sicily. By the time he was twenty five years old, and as a yet uncapped senior player, Ian Buckett had spent 6 months touring Southern and South Africa successfully within a number of international level teams, playing in one loss.

He studied English Literature and Ancient History and Civilisation at Swansea University graduating in 1992 and played three years for the University. He was a student when selected for the Barbarian Football Club during their Centenary Season. He took up a Stanley’s Scholarship to Oxford University in 1992 and matriculated in University College, Oxford.

Although rarely used at senior international level he was first capped for Wales against Tonga in Nukuʻalofa in 1994 which was the third of a four test tour and the second and decisive test on the Islands. Included that day were Paul John of Pontypridd and Steve Williams of Neath, all three were members in the unbeaten Wales A team of 1994 including victory over a France XV who had defeated England A that season, in Cardiff.

All three were selected on their return to play against the touring Springbok in 1994, which was lost 25-12 at Rodney Parade, Newport and made the preliminary 41 man RWC squad for 1995.

In January 1995, whilst a member of the 1995 RWC squad (41 man) he suffered a complete bilateral tear of his left hamstring in a Premier Division game between Cardiff and Swansea in the Arms Park.

On 2 January 2000 in an English Cup fixture with Exeter he became the only full Welsh rugby international to represent London Welsh Rugby Football Club either side of the Millennium during the 1999/2000 season.

Ian was called to the Bar of England and Wales at Gray’s Inn in 2000. After failing to attain a full pupillage award in London he qualified as a solicitor at BPP College of Law, London. He practised law there and was admitted to the City of London Solicitors’ Company, and later Leeds. He was chairman of Flint Rugby Football Club in north Wales, where he first began playing rugby union, from 2009 to 2013 after initially joining the management committee in December 2008 as a consultant.