THE LION KING
The pride of Wales, Barry John retired at just 27 but was arguably the greatest rugby player of all time
‘He was so famous he couldn’t book a restaurant in his own name. A young girl in Rhyl once curtseyed in front of him’
BARRY JOHN, the man they christened ‘The King’ in New Zealand after he guided the 1971 British and Irish Lions to their only series victory over the All Blacks has died at the age of 79. Globally recognised as one of the greatest
players of alltime, he won two Triple Crowns and a Grand Slam with Wales in an internacareer tional that began in 1966 and came to a controversial end in 1972 when he stunned the rugby world by walking away from the game.
“To be crowned ‘The King’ in New Zealand when every back-row forward in both the North and South Islands is trying to take your head off is quite some accolade,” said Terry Cobner, the former Wales and Lions backrow man who is now President of the WRU.
“For me, he has got to be right up there among the greatest outside halves who have ever played the game – probably the greatest.”
Born in Cefneithin, Carmarthenshire he came from a rugby playing family and played with and against his back-row brothers Alun and Clive. Another brother,
Delville, also played, while his sister, Madora, married fellow Wales and Lions great Derek Quinnell.
John launched his career at Llanelli before moving to Cardiff, where he forged his partnership with Gareth Edwards. When they first trained together ahead of their Wales debut against New Zealand in 1967, John told his scrum-half , “You just throw it and I’ll catch it.”
They played together a then-record 23 times for
Wales and a further five times on two Lions tours, establishing themselves as arguably the greatest half-back pairing of all time.
John’s performances for the Lions in New
Zealand (below), where he scored 180 points in 16 games, including 30 of the 48 points in the four Tests, thrust him into the spotlight and turned him into one of the UK’S biggest sporting celebrities.
When England played Wales at Twickenham the following year, the man who had worn the Welsh No.10 shirt that day was ambushed after the game by Eamonn Andrews, who rushed him to the TV studios for an edition of ‘This is Your Life’.
John (with George Best in 1972, left) couldn’t book a table in a restaurant under his own name and he once caused a traffic jam on Queen Street in Cardiff.
“I was waiting at the lights to cross the road, and somebody left their car idling to come and shake hands. Others joined in, and before long there was a massive tailback,” he recalled.
In the end, the overwhelming demands of such fame caused him to find a way out of the game at the age of just 27. For his silky skills as well as his early retirement, he was often labelled ‘the George Best of rugby’.
Things came to a head when a young girl in Rhyl curtseyed before him.
His retirement story in the Sunday Mirror earned him a reputed £7,000 back in 1972 and he went on to write a book about his life. He then became a columnist at the Daily Express for more than two decades.