Ruddock, Price lead tributes to Donovan
FORMER Wales coach Mike Ruddock and prop legend Graham Price have led heartfelt tributes to Richie Donovan.
Ex-prop Donovan, who made a postwar record 412 appearances for Cross Keys before the advent of the regional era, died aged 64 at Velindre Hospital following a brave battle with cancer.
A dinner was held for him last January with Lions and Wales stars attending to pay tribute to a man hailed as a “Gwent rugby legend”.
Ruddock faced ‘The Don’ while a flanker with Swansea and later coached him at Cross Keys.
He said: “You always knew you were in a for a tough battle from the Cross Keys forwards when Richie was packing down at tighthead because of his strong scrummaging.
“When I coached Keys, he was the guy we built the pack around.
“The standing of Richie was shown by the huge respect he had from Pontypool scrummaging greats like Graham Price and Staff Jones.
“Richie was a great player to coach, an extremely hard worker but he was also a smashing guy, a real gent and a top clubman.
“I honestly believe, if Richie had played for Cardiff or Newport, he might have been capped by Wales because he was that good a scrummager.
“Richie had such a presence and was a hugely popular figure.
“He had a real maturity about him and took the young guys, who respected him enormously, under his wing.”
Lions and Wales legend Price said: “A measure of how much we thought of him at Pontypool was we punched him a minimum of five times a game.
“Richie was a stalwart of Cross Keys who rarely missed a match, and we were playing twice a week in his early days.
“He was a highly motivated and knowledgeable player who will be missed by the rugby community, in which he remained active.”
Former Wales lock and ex-Pontypool and Newport captain Kevin Moseley said: “I played against him on many occasions and over the past couple of years I had the pleasure of getting to know him off the field.
“Richie was always a tough competitor on it but I was very lucky to find a true gentleman off it.
“It’s another very sad day as another legend of Gwent rugby is taken from us.
“My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and all his many friends.”
Donovan’s daughter Carly Kavanagh said: “Dad fought his last and greatest battle in life with strength, courage, dignity and his great humour never failed, and he passed away with us at his side.
“He was a true diamond, our Peter Pan who never wanted to grow up,
“He was a great father and husband to our mum and all round-family man. We are all absolutely heartbroken at losing him way too soon in life.”