His debut came on the left wing in a 3-0 home defeat to Pontypool on 17 January 1948 and he was in the Ebbw teams who beat Newport 15-3 at Rodney Parade on 12 December 1953 and went down 6-0 to Cardiff on the club’s first official visit to the Arms Park. Seeing his opportunities blocked by Jones at Rodney Parade, Bernard opted to switch to Ebbw Vale RFC at the beginning of 1948. Quick he most certainly was, but perhaps not as quick as the newly capped Ken Jones, who a year later won an Olympic sprint relay silver medal. He played alongside Malcolm Thomas at centre and also on the wing. On the rugby front, his early senior games were with Tredegar before he took the plunge and joined Newport in the summer of 1947. ![]() He served in the Royal Signals, based at the Catterick Camp, during his period of National Service. On leaving school he studied Mechanical Engineering at University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire (now Cardiff University) in Cathays Park, graduating in 1944. He went on to compete in the senior Welsh AAA Championships all the way through to 1947. He won the school’s Victor Ludorum three years running and competed in the Welsh Junior athletics Championships in 19 in the sprint and long jump. He excelled at all sports and was captain of the rugby, cricket and athletics teams. Rugby gave him a lot at the time and has filled his life with wonderful memories.”īorn on 14 August 1923 at 1 Ashvale Terrace, Tredegar, Joseph Bernard Williams learned his rugby at Tredegar County Grammar School between19. “He had some great battles with Ken Jones both on the pitch and on the track and even played as outside half to the great Haydn Tanner when he serving in the Royal Signals. The 1953 All Blacks side that played in front of 18,000 in 1953 ![]() ![]() Meredith was in the last Welsh side to beat the All Blacks way back in 1953, and Williams also played against that New Zealand touring team when he featured on the wing for the combined Abertillery & Ebbw Vale XV that faced them at Abertillery Park on 23 December 1953. The great Llanelli full back and rugby league legend Lewis Jones was 92 in April and former Cardiff stalwart Alun Priday and outside half Bryan Richards are both 90. He died at the age of 95 in 1973, while the former 1955 British & Irish Lions prop Courtenay Meredith is still very much alive and kicking and will be 97 on 23 September.įormer London Welsh back row man Glyn ‘Shorty’ Davies will be 96 in November and Lynn ‘Cowboy’ Davies, the former Llanelli and Cardiff centre, will be 94 at the end of December.įormer Wales centre Harry Perrott Morgan was 93 in June and triple Lions hooker Bryn Meredith will be 93 on 21 October. The great Willie Llewellyn always used to be regarded as Welsh rugby’s longest surviving international player.
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