St Helen’s ArchivePreserving the past for the future
Nine (End)
Transcript:
This is part nine and the final part of the audio trail following the career of Mervyn Davies, perhaps the most famous Welsh number 8. These last three parts in this trail have briefly explored the international appearances of Mervyn through the jerseys he exchanged with other players. In the final of these three, we also explore Mervyn’s last international before his near-fatal brain haemorrhage in 1976. Both the game against Pontypool with Swansea RFC and this final appearance were both held in March, with Wales v. France just a few weeks before the Pontypool game. This specific French jersey originates from the 1975 game a year earlier in Paris, but represents an emotional final page in an incredible career that ended too soon.
To describe this object itself, the jersey is white, with a blue badge showing the rooster motif. The rooster is multi-coloured, red, gold, with black and grey feathers. At the bottom of the badge are the letters FFR, standing for the French Rugby Federation in their home language. The rear of the jersey also reveals the number 8. For this game in question, played on 18th January 1975, Wales beat France 25 to 10 at Parc des Princes, Paris, which would be the last Welsh win in France for twenty-four years. This specific jersey was worn by Mervyn’s opposite in the game, Jean-Pierre Bastiat. This 1975 game was the first Welsh international captained by Mervyn Davies, a role which he continued in until his final international the following year, skippering Wales nine times in total.
The next time the two sides would meet, in Cardiff, Wales would win again 19 to 13. As with Mervyn Davies’ first international appearance, this too was a part of a Five Nations Championship, with each other game, England, Scotland and Ireland, being strong wins for Wales with Mervyn within the side. Fittingly, Mervyn won the second of his Grand Slams and third Triple crown in these, his final games for Wales.
This marks the end of the audio trail following the rugby career of Mervyn Davies. The earliest parts of this trail followed a chronological retelling of his career, before exploring the remaining jerseys donated by Mervyn himself for a display at St Helens. This display and trail truly captures the imagination, given its range of jerseys across the rugby football experience. Today, Mervyn Davies is still instantly recognisable with his trademark white head bandaging and moustache, but he’s remembered most not for his distinct look but for his incredible play, impressive results and his generosity, for allowing us here at the archive to share this with you. Thank you for listening.