The will to win that still drives one of Wales’ greatest ever rugby legends
HE IS often considered the greatest rugby union player of all-time – but Sir Gareth Edwards has his feet firmly grounded on Welsh soil and feels huge passion and loyalty towards the Welsh people and communities.
This is perhaps one reason why the former Wales and Lions scrum-half, who celebrated his 70th birthday this year, is still so cherished in his own country, decades after his greatest triumphs on the rugby field.
The documentary Syr Gareth Edwards yn 70 on S4C follows the great man over a number of months and takes him to some of the places that have been important in his life and career.
In the documentary, we also follow the national hero in his daily life when he’s busy working for the media and raising money for charity, spending time with his family, particularly his grandchildren, and pursuing his passion for fishing and golf.
Gareth said: “When people tell me I work too hard… I say, ‘Hey, it was my dad who worked hard, getting up at 4.30, working three back-to-back shifts to earn a little extra, working in the pits – that is what you call hard work. No, what I do is not hard work. It takes time, yes, but one day these people won’t want me, they will say, ‘Who’s he? When did he play?’”
Sir Gareth, who was capped 53 times for his country and went on three British & Irish Lions tours, was among the first generation of Welsh rugby players who became international celebrities.
The programme takes him back to the Stade de Colombes, Paris, where he made his first appearance for Wales against France on April 1, 1967 at the tender age of 19. There he meets another rugby icon, former All Blacks fly-half Dan Carter, who is among an array of famous names contributing to the programme.
“He had all the skills, the kicking, the passing, the running skills, he was a household name that everyone knew back home in New Zealand,” said Carter.
The programme takes us back to Sir Gareth’s childhood. The miner’s son, brought up in Gwaun-cae-Gurwen, Amman Valley, developed into such a talented athlete at Pontardawe Technical School for Boys that he won a sport scholarship to the celebrated independent school Millfield.
He takes his two sons, Rhys and Owen, to the famous Somerset school where he could easily have left at the age of 18 to become a top track athlete.
Luckily for rugby followers, he became one of the main players in the nation’s success in the 1960s and 1970s, winning three Grand Slams, five Triple Crowns and five Five Nations titles.
During this head-turning period of success for Cardiff, Wales, the Lions and of course, the Barbarians (who could ever forget the often-dubbed “greatest try of all time”?), his wife Maureen was his greatest supporter.
Maureen features prominently in this documentary, as we discover why, at the age of 70, Gareth continues to work tirelessly to raise money for a wide raft of charities.
But Maureen warns anyone who’d like to tee up against him for a round of golf, that he is not so charitable on the course.
She said: “He can’t relax like other people. He can’t go out and play golf and relax – he has to win!”
This will to win fuelled his celebrated career and perhaps explains why he is so determined to give his best in so many walks of life today.
Syr Gareth Edwards yn 70 is on S4C on Saturday, November 25 at 7.30pm (English subtitles).