‘My fondest memories of Phil Bennett’ – Sir Gareth Edwards
Gareth Edwards and Phil Bennett forged a legendary half-back pairing for Wales and the Lions and remained close friends after their playing careers ended. Here, Sir Gareth tells Simon Thomas of his fondest memories of the much-loved “Benny”, who died on S
IT’S a question Sir Gareth Edwards has been asked many, many times over the years. “People always used to say ‘What’s the difference between playing with Barry and playing with Phil, then?’,” he explains.
“Well, Barry always just wanted the ball stood still and then he would decide what he wanted to do. Phil didn’t know what the hell he was going to do, so how did you expect me to know what he was going to do!”
That’s just one of the countless fond memories which flood back for Sir Gareth when I catch up with him to hear his thoughts on the great Phil Bennett, who sadly passed away this week.
It was Bennett – or Benny, as he was known throughout the game – who was faced with the onerous task of replacing Barry John as Edwards’ half-back partner when Barry retired in 1972. But he rose to the challenge magnificently, as another legendary combination was forged for Wales and the Lions. As Sir Gareth reveals, they duo went back a long way.
“My wife, Maureen, worked in Llanelli for years as a young person. She ran a bakery shop there. I would go down sometimes and we would go to the cinema,” he says.
“I remember going to sit down this one time and, lo and behold, who was sat in the row we were going into but Phil and Pat, at the time when they were courting as well. Little did we know then that our futures would be so tied. It’s fascinating when you look back and think what came afterwards.”
Edwards and Bennett first started together at half-back for Wales in April 1970, in an 11-6 victory over France in Cardiff, after Barry John withdrew from the game. But it was during the 1972-73 season, following John’s retirement at just 27, that the partnership really took off.
“A lot of people forget that Phil got capped as reserve to start with, then he was chosen on the wing, then he was chosen in the centre.
“He had about four or five caps before he came in at outside-half when Barry packed up. It was a big ask but I knew he would be up to it having watched him play over the years,” recalls Edwards.
Bennett really announced himself by helping Llanelli beat the All
Blacks 9-3 on a never-to-be forgotten day at Stradey Park in October 1972 and then three months later he was on the winning side against them once more – alongside Edwards – with the Barbarians.
“When you think of Barry’s performance with the Lions in New Zealand and how well he played out there, they must have thought ‘Great, we have seen the end of that boy’. And then this bloke came up and opened it all up again in a completely different way,” says Sir Gareth.
Bennett was still a relative rookie at international level, having started just three time for Wales at fly-half, when he wore No 10 against the All Blacks for the Barbarians at Cardiff Arms Park in January 1973. But, within minutes of the game kicking off, the 24-year-old was to write his name in rugby folklore as he launched what is generally considered the greatest try of all-time, a mesmerising move
When you think of Barry’s performance with the Lions in New Zealand and how well he played out there, they must have thought ‘Great, we have seen the end of that boy’. And then this bloke came up and opened it all up again in a completely different way
Sir Gareth Edwards
rounded off by “that fellow Edwards” to quote Cliff Morgan’s immortal commentary. Looking back on the buildup to the match, Sir Gareth says: “New Zealand were out for revenge after losing at home to the Lions in ‘71. “These guys had been together for three and a half months and had been preparing throughout the tour for this match.
“From our point of view, there was the fear factor. We were conscious of the public being able to see the Lions reunited and performing for the first time in front of their eyes.
“It was difficult with us having very little preparation. Then to lose Gerald and then Merv on the day of the game, we were all a little bit nervous. The All Blacks were up and ready for it and we were wondering how it was going to work.”
Edwards continues: “The game was a bit messy to start with. If you remember, Sid Going hoofed it, JPR hoofed it, Bryan Williams hoofed it and, dare I say it, not very well any of them! It was all over the place. One minute I was running this way, next minute I was running that way.
“What you have got that early in the match is you need that second wind, a little bit of respite before you get into the game. So when I saw that ball kicked down field by Bryan Williams and Phil scurrying back to pick it up just in front of our try line, I went ‘Oh great, I know what Phil will do because he is a good reader of the game’.
“He will know that we really need to control this and start again. In the football parlance, he will put his foot on the ball and put it into touch and we will start again because it was so messy. He will kick it in and when I get there I will have a bit of a rest.”
Think again. Instead, Bennett produced three outrageous side-steps to launch an audacious counter-attack from deep. Recalling his thoughts at the time, Edwards chuckles and says: “I can hear myself saying it now: ‘What the hell is he doing?’. He did the complete opposite of what I expected. I was cursing him!
“I think Phil had a bit of a surprise that the All Blacks flanker Alistair Scown was so close to him, but that’s how Benny loved it, players in close proximity, boom, boom, sidestep, thank you, off you go. I had to get out of the way then because they were all coming at me and I hadn’t expected it.”
Bennett linked with JPR Williams and the rest is history, with the ball going through seven pairs of hands and Edwards providing the dramatic diving finish.
“I went from cursing him to saying thank you – well, maybe on the way back from scoring, anyway! It wasn’t the case that he thought about it or he worked it out he was going to do this. Nah, Benny was doing what was natural to him.
“Carwyn James was coaching us that day and I remember asking Benny afterwards: ‘What did Carwyn say to you’? He said Carwyn just pulled him to one side and said ‘Do what you normally do down at Stradey’. And that’s what he did.
“I think the biggest shock he had was that Scown was there so quickly, so therefore he reacted to that in the best way he could, which is why he was such an outstanding player. That was the lovely thing of playing with Phil – you didn’t know what he was going to do and neither did he. It was fantastic.
“It was one of those moments you can’t explain; you couldn’t prepare for it – which we didn’t, that’s for sure – but thanks to people like Phil, the game is richer for it.
“There are plenty of other moments where he did things just as subtly, with a slight movement here or there that just opened up defences. We saw that in abundance in South Africa the following year.”
Edwards and Bennett were the halfbacks for the Lions in 1974 during a Test series victory over the Springboks on what was to be an undefeated tour.
“I knew the hard grounds would suit him out there but, my word, he was just devastating. He was quite sensational and really showed what he was capable of. He was a huge contributory factor in our success.
“He was virtually unplayable on that tour, with the way he was beating people and setting up great tries. It was such a natural movement with him that guys couldn’t read him, they couldn’t do anything with him.
“He could make anybody look a chimp. He wasn’t trying to make a monkey out of you, but it was just his skill factor. Even though people knew by and large he was capable of doing it, they couldn’t do anything about the damn thing!
“We were fortunate to have some great success and it was just a privilege to play with him. I have got such fond memories of our time together.”
It wasn’t just Bennett’s class on the field that stood out, but also the way he conducted himself off it, with Edwards echoing the thoughts of many on that subject.
“He had his accolades and deservedly so because he was a fantastic player, but he was also a fantastic person. If we were on tour, I would spend quiet a bit of time with him. The Test team would share bedrooms, so I would see him on a regular basis, not only just in training.
“He had a wicked sense of humour. He was lovely. He was so generous in many ways, with his time and what he said. I loved being in his company. He was a great player, a great man and such a good friend.”