Gareth Edwards facts for kids
Edwards in 2009
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| Birth name | Gareth Owen Edwards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 12 July 1947 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Swansea, Wales. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Millfield | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Cardiff College of Education | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sir Gareth Owen Edwards (born 12 July 1947) is a famous former Welsh rugby union player. He played as a scrum-half, which is a key position in rugby. Many people, including the BBC, say he is "arguably the greatest player ever to wear a Welsh jersey."
In 2003, a survey of international rugby players by Rugby World magazine named Edwards the greatest player of all time. Even former England captain Will Carling called him the best ever. Carling said Edwards was a "supreme athlete" who was great at running, passing, kicking, and understanding the game. He believed Edwards would still be the best player even today.
Edwards was a very important part of the Welsh team that was very successful in the 1960s and 1970s. He is one of only a few Welsh players to have won three Grand Slams. A Grand Slam means winning every game in the Five Nations Championship (now Six Nations).
For his amazing contributions to rugby, Edwards received several special honours. He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1975. Later, he became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2007. In 2015, he was made a knight, which means he can be called "Sir Gareth Edwards."
Contents
Early Life and Other Sports
Gareth Edwards was born in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Wales. His father was a miner. Gareth went to Pontardawe Technical School for Boys, where his sports teacher, Bill Samuels, really helped him.
He earned a scholarship to a special school called Millfield in Somerset, England. Besides rugby, Gareth was good at many other sports. He played football for the West Wales Youth team and even signed with Swansea Town football club when he was just 16. He was also skilled in gymnastics and athletics.
Rugby Playing Career
Playing for Wales
Edwards played his first international game for Wales on 1 April 1967. He was only 19 years old. Wales lost that game to France in Paris. Between 1967 and 1978, Edwards played 53 games for Wales without missing any. This shows how consistently good he was and how rarely he got injured. He also scored 20 tries in these international matches.
Edwards became Wales's youngest ever captain in February 1968, when he was 20. Wales won that game against Scotland. Edwards was lucky to play with two of the best "outside halves" (another rugby position) ever: Barry John and Phil Bennett. In his early career, Edwards and Barry John, who were also teammates at their club, seemed to know exactly what the other was going to do. During his time, the Welsh team was very strong, winning the Five Nations Championship seven times, including three Grand Slams. In 1969, he was named Player of the Year in Wales.
In 1974, Edwards was named BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year. He was also featured on the TV show This Is Your Life in 1976.
Edwards's long and successful international career ended on 18 March 1978, in a game against France. This was the same team he played against in his first game. But this time, Wales won 16–7 in front of their home crowd at Cardiff Arms Park. Wales also won the Grand Slam and their third Triple Crown in a row that day, which was a record!
Playing for the British and Irish Lions
Edwards also played 10 times for the British & Irish Lions in important test matches. He was part of the 1971 Lions team that was the only one to ever win a series in New Zealand. He also played for the undefeated 1974 Lions team in South Africa. He played in many other non-test matches for the Lions too, scoring 16 tries.
Playing for Cardiff RFC
He started playing for Cardiff RFC on 17 September 1966. He played for Cardiff for 12 seasons, scoring 69 tries in 195 games.
Other Teams and Matches
Edwards played for many other teams during his career. These included Cardiff College, Wales Secondary Schools, East Wales, the Barbarians, and even a World XV team in South Africa in 1977. He also played for a combined England and Wales team and the first Wales Sevens team.
That Try
One of Edwards's most famous moments was a try he scored for the Barbarians against the All Blacks in 1973. This try, often called simply "that try," is thought to be the greatest try ever scored.
The play started when the New Zealand winger kicked the ball deep. Phil Bennett caught it near his own goal line. Bennett then dodged three tackles and passed the ball to JPR Williams. The ball then went through four more players' hands (John Pullin, John Dawes, Tommy David, and Derek Quinnell) before Edwards seemed to intercept the last pass. He then dived to score the try in the corner.
In a 2002 poll in the UK, British rugby fans voted Edwards's famous try as the 20th greatest sporting moment ever.
After His Playing Career
After he stopped playing, Gareth Edwards wrote his autobiography. For a short time, this meant he was not allowed to coach or be involved with rugby union, because he was seen as a "professional" player when the sport was still mostly amateur.
From 1978 to 1982, Edwards was a team captain on the popular TV quiz show A Question of Sport.
In 1997, Edwards was one of the first 15 players to be included in the International Rugby Hall of Fame. His former teammates Barry John and JPR Williams were also included. There is also a special plaque for him in the Rugby Pathway of Fame in Rugby, Warwickshire, which is known as the home of the game.
In 2001, Edwards was voted the "Greatest Welsh Player of all time" at a rugby dinner. This was decided by public votes and a team of experts. In 2003, Rugby World magazine again named him the greatest player of all time.
Edwards now works as a commentator for the BBC and S4C, where he commentates in Welsh, his first language. He is also a director at the Cardiff Blues rugby region and president of Cardiff Institute for the Blind. A sculpture of Gareth Edwards stands in the St David's Centre in Cardiff.
Edwards also enjoys fishing and shooting. In 1990, he set a British record for catching a pike weighing over 45 pounds.
In 2019, he appeared with his wife, Maureen, in the BBC series Gareth Edwards’s Great Welsh Adventure, which returned for a second series in 2021.
See also
- Welsh Rugby Union
Images for kids
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Edwards in 2009
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A painting of Edwards on a wall at Cardiff Arms Park, 2007
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The sculpture of Gareth Edwards in St David's Centre
