Gethin leads the tributes to stalwart

WRU president Dennis Gethin has paid tribute to former Board member Mal Beynon who passed away on Saturday night.

Beynon, a former Brynmawr scrum-half, served as a Board member from 1997 to 2015 and made a huge contribution to Welsh rugby and to the game in the Monmouthshire area in particular.

He was an active member of Brynmawr for more than 60 years, first as a player and then a committee member, serving terms as treasurer, vice chairman and chairman.

As a District A rep at the Union he was also chairman of the Regulatory Committee for a number of years along with sitting on the Millennium Stadium Board and the Appointments and Renumeration Panel.

Gethin said: “Mal will be sorely missed by his club Brynmawr and Welsh rugby as a whole. He was a great servant of Welsh rugby for club, district and country.

“He was of great help to me when I was secretary of the Welsh Rugby Union, and I will also remember him as the heart and soul of after-match functions.”

Mal was awarded life membership of the Division One East club for his services and after retiring as a scaffolder, he managed his own finance business.

“I joined Brynmawr at the age of 15 and Mal was playing in the first team with my late father at scrum-half,” said club secretary Robert Kershaw.

“He was held in the highest esteem at this club as a life member.

“After his playing days he went on to the committee, eventually taking over as club chairman. The WRU and Brynmawr rugby was his life.

“He was a real gentleman who would go out of his way to help you if he could. After he went off to the WRU we didn’t see him as much as we did because of his work with the Union but Brynmawr rugby was at the foremost of his thoughts.

“He fought our corner and the last time I saw him was a while back at a funeral of another former player.

“He was on sticks and didn’t look well at all but whenever you asked Mal how he was, he’d say he was OK. It’s a sad day for Brynmawr and rugby.”