John Dawes facts for kids
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| Birth name | Sydney John Dawes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 29 June 1940 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Abercarn, Monmouthshire, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 16 April 2021 (aged 80) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Lewis School Pengam | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University College of Wales, Aberystwyth Loughborough College |
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| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sydney John Dawes (born June 29, 1940 – died April 16, 2021) was a famous Welsh rugby union player and coach. He played as a centre, which is a key attacking position. John Dawes was known for leading his teams to great success. He captained London Welsh, the Welsh national team, and the 1971 British Lions. He also led the Barbarians team.
Dawes helped his teams play an exciting, fast-paced style of rugby. After his playing career, he became a very successful coach for Wales. He also coached the 1977 British Lions. For his amazing leadership as the Lions captain, he was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1972.
Contents
Early Life and Education
John Dawes was born on June 29, 1940, in Chapel of Ease, a small area near Newbridge, Wales. His father worked as a blacksmith in a coal mine.
John went to Lewis School Pengam. Later, he studied chemistry at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. He also earned a teaching qualification from Loughborough College. While studying, he continued to play rugby for the Newbridge team. In 1964, he moved to London and worked as a chemistry teacher.
Rugby Playing Career
John Dawes had a brilliant career as a rugby player, known for his leadership and exciting style of play.
Club Rugby Success
Dawes started his club rugby career playing for Newbridge in Wales. He then joined London Welsh. In the 1965–66 season, he became the team's captain and also helped coach them.
Under his leadership, London Welsh became very successful in the late 1960s. John Dawes made sure the players were very fit. He then taught them to play an open, fast, and attacking style of rugby. This included the full-back joining the attack and even the forwards showing good skills. Journalists described their games as "brilliant" and "the finest display by a club team."
International Rugby for Wales
John Dawes played his first game for Wales against Ireland in 1964. He scored an exciting try in that match. Later that year, he went on Wales' first overseas tour. He played in the Welsh team's first match outside Europe, in Nairobi, where Wales won 26–8.
Overall, he played 22 times for Wales. He was captain in six of these games. In 1971, he led Wales to win the Grand Slam, which means they beat all other teams in the Five Nations Championship.
Leading the British Lions
In 1971, John Dawes was chosen to be the captain of the British and Irish Lions team. This team toured New Zealand. The 1971 Lions, coached by Carwyn James, made history. They became the first, and so far only, Lions team to win a series against New Zealand on their home ground.
Colin Meads, the captain of New Zealand, said that Dawes was so important to his team that he should be in any world team. John Dawes is one of only six captains to lead a team to a test series win in New Zealand. At the end of 1971, he was honored as the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year.
Captaining the Barbarians
John Dawes also captained the famous Barbarians team. In 1973, he led them to a memorable victory over New Zealand in Cardiff.
Rugby Coaching Career
After his successful playing career, John Dawes became a full-time rugby coach.
Coaching Wales
From 1974 to 1979, Dawes coached the Welsh national team. This was one of the best times in Welsh rugby history. The team won the Five Nations Championship four times between 1975 and 1979. This included two Grand Slams, showing their complete dominance.
Coaching the British Lions Again
In 1977, John Dawes also coached the 1977 British Lions tour to New Zealand. Although they didn't win the series like in 1971, they came very close. Some people said that Dawes was better at playing and leading on the field than at coaching. However, others pointed out that the 1977 Lions did much better than many Lions teams that toured New Zealand later on.
Later Life
After coaching, John Dawes worked in management roles. He was also the president of London Welsh RFC. He wrote several books about rugby union, sharing his knowledge and experiences.
John Dawes passed away on April 16, 2021, at the age of 80. He died from pneumonia.
