Jiffy breaks down in beautiful tribute on the radio
FORMER Wales fly-half Jonathan Davies broke down on radio as he paid a beautiful tribute to Eddie Butler.
Ex-wales captain and long-time BBC commentator Butler died in his sleep on a charity trek in Peru at the age of 65 on Thursday.
Davies, who worked alongside Butler for a number of years, was speaking on a moving half-hour show on BBC Radio Wales honouring the work of a man who not only excelled within the world of rugby, but also in a myriad of other fields.
However, while Butler was just as adept at providing the voice-over for an Olympic montage or a commentary on a royal jubilee, rugby was where his art for finding the right words was served best.
As such, the radio show focused on his contribution to the sport in which he won 16 caps for Wales, with the likes of fellow broadcasters Gabby Logan, Andrew Cotter, former Guardian journalist Paul Rees and ex-wales centre Mark Ring all recalling their memories of Butler.
But it was Davies’s tribute to Butler
that proved the most heartwrenching, with ‘Jiffy’ breaking down as he talked about his late friend. Holding back tears as he talked about Butler’s love for his family, Davies said: “I just miss him.”
Davies, originally from Trimsaran, also opened up on where he was when he heard the news, with the former fly-half currently in America on a charity bike ride for Velindre Hospital in Cardiff.
“Absolutely devastating news,”
Davies told BBC Radio Wales. “On my charity bike ride, they pulled me over to tell me the bad news.
“Everyone is devastated, the whole gang as Eddie did a lot of work for different charities, especially Velindre. Everyone adored him.
“It was a very sombre day. We had a minute’s silence and a toast to him last night. It’s very upsetting.
“I’ve worked with Eddie for 25 years. Eddie was a presenter, a pundit, a genius broadcaster. He could turn his hand to everything. He was such a brilliant guy.
“He always had time for everybody. I just enjoyed working with him.
“It’s very difficult to put into words how good he was and how devastated everyone is. I can’t get my head around it.
“It was a joy to go into work. He was so eloquent. He had his own unique style. No one told him what to do or how to do it.
“He just had that Midas touch. He was a gentle, charming man. Very well educated, beautifully spoken.
“I just sat there sometimes, listening to him and forgetting I was the co-commentator as I was enjoying his words so much.”