interviewwithjohn

dawes

feb 2010

Exclusive Interview

DAWESJohn Dawes, former Walesand Lions player and coach, istaking centre stage as usual .Flanked on either side by BarryJohn and Mervyn Davies, Johnis talking tactics.Except this is not a colourful,riotous scene at the Arms Parkon international day. Nor is thisbeing played out on somehostile New Zealand pitch faraway from home. Instead, thisteam talk is taking place amidthe gentle banter of theButcher’s Arms in Llandaff.The three rugby legends aresat enjoying a pint on an icyJanuary afternoon. The talkhas turned to Wales’s chancesin the Six Nations this year.Mervyn Davies eventually getsto his feet and towers over us.“I’m popping outside gents”he announces, pulling on hissheepskin coat and stepping

outside. Barry John flicksthrough a past copy ofWhitchurch and Llandaff Livingthat is lying on the table in frontof him, and he asks after hisold pal and team-mate,Howard Norris.John eventually takes us to aquiet table so he can unfurl hisprestigious career in his ownwords.“Soccer was always my firstsport as a child. In fact, itwasn’t until I went got toPengam Boys School that Iwas first introduced to rugby. Istarted off as a hooker and itwasn’t until I left school andstarted playing for Newbridgethat I actually played atcentre.”Born in Chapel of Ease inAbercarn, John Dawes willalways best remembered forhis exquisite onfield skills as

well as being a mastertactician of the game.“I went to university atLoughborough and eventuallymoved to London where Ibecame a chemistry teacher.London Welsh in those dayswas a flourishing side, withmany of the greats playing forus - Mervyn, Gerald, JPR andthe like. There were no officialleagues as such back then, butLondon Welsh was consideredat the top echelon of rugbysides. The crowds that werepacked to the rafters weretestament to the type ofexciting rugby we played.My first cap for Wales came in1964, we were in Dublin andthere were no replacementsallowed back then. DK Jonesformer Llanelli and Cardiffplayer dropped out and I wasbrought in. I was fortunate

Exclusive Interviewenough to score on my debut.The commentator said that Iwas ‘revelling in anoutstanding game’ but I’m notsure which game he waswatching as I only touched theball twice throughout the wholematch.”Dawes went on to captainWales to a Grand Slam in1971.“Winning a Triple Crown in

the Five Nations was such anachievement. It was practicallyunheard of but we had such agreat team full of fantasticplayers.”1971 was also the year thatDawes was appointed captainof the British and Irish LionsTour of New Zealand. The tourwas a success, and to this day,is still the only Lions team tobeat the All Blacks on a tour.Dawes’ skills as a playmakerproved a pivotal role in theirsuccess.“The tours of 1971 and thesubsequent one of NewZealand for which I was coachin 1977 could not have been

any more different from eachother. As a player under coachCarwyn James, we enjoyedglorious sunshine. We nevergot wet. In 1977, we neverstayed dry. The weather wasawful. The two New Zealandteams were also grosslydifferent to each other. For thatreason, we had to adapt ourskills and strengths. As it were,we went down 3-1 in the seriesin ‘77 but we did run them veryclose!”Dawes announced hisretirement from internationalrugby but did lead the 1973Barbarians to their famous winover the touring All Blacks.Dawes played a starring role in‘that try’, widely regarded asthe best-ever try to have everbeen scored on a rugby field.Dawes went on to becomethe Welsh national coach from1974 to 1979. The team hasgone down in rugby folklore forits collection of Five Nationssilverware.“I went on to become theWRU coach organiser

throughout the nineties. Rugbyhas been my entire life. It’sbeen good to me and I hopethat I have been good to it.”John Dawes will go down inhistory as one of the all timerugby greats. He will also godown as one of rugby’s truegentlemen - and modest onetoo.“I had a lot of help from thegreat players around me. Thelegends that came out of thatera are still remembered andspoken about fondly today. ButI also learnt a lot from theplayers I played against. I gotto play against the best playersand teams in the world. You’dbe foolish not to learn fromanother team.”

Dawes scores on the LionsTour of New ZealandPictures courtesy of Media Wales