Mervyn Davies (rugby union)

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Mervyn Davies
OBE
Birth nameThomas Mervyn Davies
Date of birth(1946-12-09)9 December 1946
Place of birthSwansea, Wales
Date of death15 March 2012(2012-03-15) (aged 65)
Height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) [1][2][3][4]
Weight93 kg (14 st 9 lb)[3][4]
SchoolPenlan County School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Number eight
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1968-1972
1972-1976		 London Welsh RFC
Swansea RFC
Barbarian F.C.
Surrey		 ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1969–1976
1971–1974		 Wales
British Lions		 38
8		 7
(0)

Thomas Mervyn Davies OBE (9 December 1946 – 15 March 2012),[5][6] often known as "Merv the Swerve", was a Welsh rugby union player who won 38 caps for Wales as a No. 8.

Early life[edit]

Davies was born in Swansea, where he attended Penlan County School. His father had played club rugby.

Rugby playing career[edit]

Tall and slight of frame, he grew a Mexican moustache to make himself appear more aggressive on the rugby field. He was nicknamed "Merv the Swerve".

Club rugby[edit]

Davies joined London Welsh in 1968, later moving to Swansea.

Wales and Lions international rugby[edit]

Davies won his first cap for Wales in 1969 against Scotland, going on to play 38 consecutive matches for Wales and scoring two tries. During this period Wales won two Grand Slams and three Triple Crowns.

He went on the British and Irish Lions tours to New Zealand in 1971 and to South Africa in 1974, playing in all eight tests. Colin Meads said Davies was "the one player who probably had the biggest impact on that 1971 Lions Test series," particularly as he prevented NZ winning line out ball via Brian Lochore.[7] Willie John McBride and Ian McLauchlan both said Davies was even better on the 1974 tour.[8][9] Davies captained the Welsh side in 1975, when they won the five nations championship, and in 1976, achieving the 'Grand Slam'. Many expected Davies to captain the 1977 Lions but they were led instead by Phil Bennett and Davies did not make the touring party to New Zealand after his haemorrhage in 1976.[10]

In a total of 46 international appearances for Wales and the Lions he only ended on the losing side nine times.

Appraisal[edit]

Davies key attributes were lineout play, ball handling skill (including offloading in tight situations), commitment, mental strength, and anticipation.[11][12]

In 2001 Davies was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame. In a poll of Welsh rugby fans in 2002, he was voted both Greatest Ever Welsh Captain and Greatest Ever Welsh Number 8. [13] Davies continues to be rated as one of the best No. 8s ever to have played the game.[14][2]

Retirement[edit]

His career was ended by a subarachnoid hemorrhage suffered when captaining Swansea against Pontypool in 1976. He had collapsed during a game on another occasion, four years earlier, and had been wrongly diagnosed with meningitis.[15] Following the second incident he was a patient in the University Hospital of Wales for several months, and received goodwill messages from all over the world.

He was a smoker and was diagnosed with lung cancer (adenocarcinoma) in November 2011. He died 4 months later.

Davies had a son and daughter by his first wife Shirley; the marriage ended in divorce. He is survived by his second wife Jeni and his three stepchildren, and by his two children from his first marriage.[6]

Sources[edit]

  • Mervyn Davies & David Roach - In Strength and Shadow (Mainstream, 2005)
  • The Mervyn Davies Story (BBC2, September 2007)

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Mervyn Davies". The Daily Telegraph. 16 March 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Mervyn Davies obituary". The Guardian. 16 March 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Mervyn Davies obituary: The great No 8 with the grace of a gazelle". WalesOnline. 17 March 2012.
  4. ^ a b Taylor, John. "A fitting tribute". ESPN scrum.
  5. ^ Mervyn Davies international rugby profile Scrum.com
  6. ^ a b "Telegraph obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  7. ^ "Mervyn Davies: Rugby union player considered by many as one of the greatest from Wales". The Independent. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  8. ^ Foreword, In Strength And Shadow: The Mervyn Davies Story, Roach, Davies
  9. ^ Ian McLauchlan; "Mervyn was immense on both tours, but again took a step up in South Africa, where he was just superb. He... never got the credit he deserved. But there is no praise high enough for that man." Chapter 21, Undefeated, Rhodri Davies
  10. ^ Orders, Mark (3 October 2018). "The inside story behind the picture of a rugby legend being carried off". WalesOnline.
  11. ^ Willie John McBride in Foreword, In Strength And Shadow: The Mervyn Davies Story, Roach, Davies
  12. ^ "He was simply brilliant at reading the game.", Barry John, quoted in Chapter 1, Nobody Beats Us, David Tossell
  13. ^ "Wales legend Mervyn Davies dies after losing fight against cancer". BBC. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  14. ^ Barnes, Stephen Jones, Stuart (22 October 2023). "Iron-hard 'Buck', Merv the Swerve and Kieran Read's rare skillset: the greatest No 8s ranked". The Times.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Independent Sports[dead link]
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