Hundreds gather to pay their respects to Eddie

A MEMORIAL service for the former Wales captain and broadcaster Eddie Butler took place on Thursday.

The commentator died in his sleep in September 2022, aged 65, while taking part in a charity trek in Peru.

The memorial at Abergavenny Market, Monmouthshire, was attended by about 700 people and live streamed at a local pub in the town and hosted by broadcaster Clare Balding.

Among the guests were former players, sports broadcasters, friends and family.

Broadcaster Sonja McLaughlan said Butler, right, was “one of the greatest men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing”.

“I am devastated that he is no longer with us,” she said. “He was supremely talented, passionate about family, friends and Wales, his beloved Wales and Rugby Union.”

She added she would never forget “that voice”, adding: “I miss him terribly and it is a huge loss to his family, friends and Wales.”

Former England star and Rugby Paper columnist Jeremy Guscott said Butler was “a good guy to work with, very mild...he looked after us”.

“He was a guy you could go to to talk about things you couldn’t with other people,” he said.

“And also his voice. He had an unique way of describing the game.” Butler rose to prominence with club side Pontypool, and played for Wales 16 times between 1980 and 1984. He was called up to the British & Irish Lions squad that toured New Zealand in 1983.

President of Pontypool RFC Graham Price said he remembered Butler as a 19-year-old.

“He came from Monmouth School and he was very raw and very posh and that’s how we remember him,” he said.

“He was a complete anomaly for Pontypool at the time because we were all rough and nasty but he soon buckled down to it and under the tutelage of our great coach Ray Prosser he became the great player that he was.”

After retirement, Butler became a respected rugby broadcaster.

BBC Sport’s head of content Philip Bernie said Butler was a “wonderful man and outstanding broadcaster, an unbelievable wordsmith and sensational writer”.