Barry John facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Barry John

Barry John in 2011
Date of birth	(1945-01-06)6 January 1945
Place of birth	Cefneithin, Carmarthenshire, Wales
Date of death	4 February 2024(2024-02-04) (aged 79)
Place of death	Cardiff, Wales
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	11 st 11 lb (165 lb; 75 kg)
School	Gwendraeth Grammar School
University	Trinity College, Carmarthen
Notable relative(s)	Derek Quinnell (brother-in-law) Scott, Craig and Gavin Quinnell (nephews)
Spouse	Janet
Children	4
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fly-half Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1962–1964 1964–1967 1967–1972 1966–1970 Cefneithin RFC Llanelli RFC Cardiff RFC Barbarian F.C. () National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1966–1972 1968–1971 Wales British Lions 25 5 (90) (30)

Barry John (born January 6, 1945 – died February 4, 2024) was a famous Welsh rugby union player. He played as a fly-half in the 1960s and early 1970s. This was a time when rugby was still an amateur sport.

Barry John started playing rugby as a schoolboy. He played for his local team, Cefneithin RFC. In 1964, he joined the bigger team, Llanelli RFC. While playing for Llanelli, he was chosen to play for the Wales national team. His first big game was against a touring Australian team.

In 1967, Barry John moved to Cardiff RFC. There, he teamed up with Gareth Edwards. They became one of the most famous half-back pairs in rugby history. John and Edwards played together for Cardiff, Wales, the Barbarians, and the British Lions.

The year 1971 was special for Welsh rugby. The Wales team, full of experienced players, won the 1971 Five Nations Championship. This was their first Grand Slam since 1952. Barry John then became even more famous. He played a key role in the British Lions' winning tour against New Zealand in 1971. He played in all four Test matches and was the Lions' top scorer.

Barry John played 25 games for the Wales national team. He also played 5 games for the British Lions. He was known for his excellent running and accurate kicking. He was one of the best players of his time. He retired from rugby at just 27 years old. He said the pressure of fame was too much for him.

Barry John: Rugby Legend

Early Days in Rugby

Barry John was born in Cefneithin, Wales, on January 6, 1945. He went to Gwendraeth Grammar School. At his primary school, Cefneithin Primary, he had great rugby teachers. The headmaster, William John Jones, and teacher Ray Williams, were both former Wales international players.

Even though he was very talented, he never played for Wales as a schoolboy. He played for his school and his village team, Cefneithin RFC. When he was still a teenager, he played his first big game for Llanelli. This was on January 4, 1964, against Moseley. He scored a try and converted it in that game.

He continued to play for Llanelli while studying at Trinity College, Carmarthen. He became known for his strong kicking and for scoring many dropped goals. In the 1964-65 season, he started to make a big impression in Welsh club rugby.

The next season, John gained even more attention. After a win over Swansea, a newspaper called it due to the "genius of one player, Barry John." He was chosen to try out for the Wales national team in 1965-66. He didn't get picked then, but he was a reserve player.

In 1966, Barry John earned his first international cap for Wales. He took the place of David Watkins against the touring Australian team. Wales lost that game 11–4. It was the first time Wales had lost to Australia. Despite the loss, the selectors kept John in the team for the next match.

Joining Forces with Gareth Edwards

In the 1967-68 season, John left Llanelli and joined Cardiff RFC. This is where he started playing with Gareth Edwards. They would become one of the most famous rugby partnerships. Their first international game together was against New Zealand in November 1967.

Gareth Edwards, John's partner at half-back for Cardiff, Wales, the Barbarians and the British Lions (taken in 2009)

Wales lost to New Zealand 13–6 in a very muddy game. John scored his first international points with a dropped goal. Even though their first game together wasn't great, they would soon become a powerful duo.

Just over a month later, John played against New Zealand again. This time, he was part of an East Wales team. The New Zealand "All Blacks" found it hard to play against John's deep kicks. The game ended in a 3–3 draw, which was a good result for East Wales.

Three days later, John and Edwards played the All Blacks again. This time, they played for the Barbarians team. John made a perfect kick that led to a try for the Barbarians. The Barbarians played well but lost to two late tries.

John and Edwards played in all four matches of the 1968 Five Nations Championship. In the first match against England, Wales came back from 11–3 down to draw 11–11. Both John and Edwards scored points in that game. John scored one of his famous dropped goals.

The Famous 1971 British Lions Tour

Barry John was chosen for the British Lions tour to South Africa in 1968. However, he got injured in the first Test match and had to go home. He broke his collarbone after being tackled.

In 1969, John played in all matches of the 1969 Five Nations Championship. Wales won the Championship and the Triple Crown. This meant they beat all three other Home Nations teams. John scored his first international try in the game against Scotland.

The 1971 Five Nations Championship was a new beginning for Welsh rugby. The new National Stadium was ready. The team was in its "Second Golden Era" and had many talented players. John and Edwards played in all four games.

Wales won easily against England, 22–6. John scored six points from two dropped goals. The game against Scotland was very close, but Wales won 19–18. Barry John scored eight points in that match.

Wales then beat Ireland 23–9, winning the Triple Crown. This set up a Grand Slam decider against France. The 9–5 win over France was a high-quality match. Edwards and John scored all the points. This was Wales' first Grand Slam since 1952. The 1971 squad is seen as one of the best Welsh teams ever.

In 1971, John was again selected for the British Lions. This time, they toured New Zealand. John wanted to do well after the tough 1969 Wales tour. He played a huge role in the Lions' success. He played in 17 of the 26 tour matches.

In the first Test, John used his clever tactical kicking to trouble New Zealand's fullback. The Lions won the Test 9–3. John scored six of those points. The New Zealand press gave him the nickname "The King" during this tour. He had been called "King John" by a newspaper earlier in his career.

The Lions won the series against New Zealand. John scored points in every match he played. He scored 30 of the Lions' 48 points in the four Test matches. He also scored a record 191 points across the whole tour. This made him one of the greatest players in rugby history.

Retiring as "The King"

John's last season with Wales was in 1972. The 1972 Five Nations Championship was cut short. Scotland and Wales refused to travel to Ireland because of violence there. Despite this, John had a good Championship. He scored 35 points in three games.

His final international game was against France. He scored four penalty goals in a 20–6 win for Wales. By doing so, he broke the Wales international points scoring record. This record had stood for almost 60 years.

In 1972, Barry John retired from rugby at only 27 years old. He had played 25 games for Wales and 5 for the British Lions. He said he retired because of the media attention and the pressure from his country. He felt like he was "living in a goldfish bowl."

One famous story says he retired after a young girl curtsied to him. However, John later said it was actually a bank cashier who curtsied. He felt the fame was too much.

For Wales, he scored 90 points in 25 games. This included 5 tries, 9 conversions, 13 penalties, and 8 dropped goals. For the British Lions, he added 30 points in 5 games. He played 93 matches for Cardiff, scoring 24 tries and 30 dropped goals.

Barry John's Life Off the Field

Barry John was born at Low-land, a small farm in Cefneithin. He was the second of six children. His three brothers also played rugby. His brother Alan even toured Argentina with Wales.

He left grammar school at 18. He went to Trinity College, Carmarthen, hoping to become a teacher. He studied physical education and other subjects. In 1967, he became a physical education teacher at Monkton House School in Cardiff.

John quit teaching when he went on the 1968 tour to South Africa. He never taught again. After returning, he was unemployed for a short time. He even thought about playing professional rugby league.

Later, he got a job at Forward Trust, a finance company. When he stopped playing rugby in 1972, he also left his finance job. He signed a contract to write a weekly column for the Daily Express. He also worked on sports programs for ITV Wales.

In September 1969, Barry John married Janet Talfan Davies. They had four children: Kathryn, Lucy, Anna, and David. As of 2016, they had eleven grandchildren. Barry John and his wife later separated.

In 2001, John ran a Chinese restaurant near Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. In 2009, he decided to sell his rugby items, like his Wales caps. He said he didn't feel sentimental about them. He felt the honor of playing for Wales was what truly mattered.

Barry John passed away in Cardiff on February 4, 2024, at the age of 79. His family said he died peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones.

Barry John's International Matches

This table shows all the international games Barry John played for Wales and the British Lions. It includes the date, who he played for, the opposing team, the final score, the tournament, his scrum-half partner, and the points he scored (tries, conversions, penalties, and drop goals).

Date	Representing	Opposition	Result	Tournament	Scrum-half	Tries	Conversions	Penalties	Drop goals
3 December 1966	Wales	Australia	11–14	1966 Australia tour	Allan Lewis	0	0	0	0
4 February 1967	Wales	Scotland	5–11	1967 Five Nations Championship	Billy Hullin	0	0	0	0
11 November 1967	Wales	New Zealand	6–13	1967 New Zealand tour	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	1
20 January 1968	Wales	England	11–11	1968 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	1
3 February 1968	Wales	Scotland	5–0	1968 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	0
9 March 1968	Wales	Ireland	6–9	1968 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	0
23 March 1968	Wales	France	9–14	1968 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	0
8 June 1968	British Lions	South Africa	20–25	1968 British Lions tour	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	0
1 February 1969	Wales	Scotland	17–3	1969 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	1	0	0	0
8 March 1969	Wales	Ireland	24–11	1969 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	1
22 March 1969	Wales	France	8–8	1969 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	0
12 April 1969	Wales	England	30–9	1969 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	1	0	0	1
31 May 1969	Wales	New Zealand	0–19	1969 Wales rugby union tour	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	0
14 June 1969	Wales	New Zealand	12–33	1969 Wales rugby union tour	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	0
21 June 1969	Wales	Australia	19–16	1969 Wales rugby union tour	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	0
24 January 1970	Wales	South Africa	6–6	1969–70 South Africa rugby union tour	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	0
7 February 1970	Wales	Scotland	18–9	1970 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	0
28 February 1970	Wales	England	17–13	1970 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	1	0	0	1
14 March 1970	Wales	Ireland	0–14	1970 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	0
16 January 1971	Wales	England	22–6	1971 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	0	0	0	2
6 February 1971	Wales	Scotland	19–18	1971 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	1	1	1	0
13 March 1971	Wales	Ireland	23–9	1971 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	0	1	2	1
27 March 1971	Wales	France	9–5	1971 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	1	0	1	0
26 June 1971	British Lions	New Zealand	9-3	1971 British Lions tour	Gareth Edwards	0	0	2	0
10 July 1971	British Lions	New Zealand	12–22	1971 British Lions tour	Gareth Edwards	0	0	1	1
31 July 1971	British Lions	New Zealand	13–3	1971 British Lions tour	Gareth Edwards	1	2	0	1
14 August 1971	British Lions	New Zealand	14–14	1971 British Lions tour	Gareth Edwards	0	1	2	0
15 January 1972	Wales	England	12–3	1972 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	0	1	2	0
5 February 1972	Wales	Scotland	35–12	1972 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	0	3	3	0
25 March 1972	Wales	France	20–6	1972 Five Nations Championship	Gareth Edwards	0	0	4	0

See also

In Spanish: Barry John para niños