- Mervyn Davies
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This article is about the rugby player. For the former banker and UK government minister, see Mervyn Davies, Baron Davies of Abersoch.
Mervyn Davies Full name Thomas Mervyn Davies Date of birth December 9, 1946 Place of birth Swansea, Wales Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Weight 108 kg (17 st 0 lb) Nickname Merv the Swerve School Penlan County School Rugby union career Playing career Position Number eight Amateur clubs Years Club / team 1968-1972
1972-1976London Welsh RFC
Swansea RFC
Barbarian F.C.
SurreyNational team(s) Years Club / team Caps (points) 1969–1976
1971–1974Wales
British Lions38
8(7)
(0)Thomas Mervyn "Merv the Swerve" Davies (born 9 December 1946 in Swansea),[1] is a former Welsh rugby union player who won 38 caps for Wales as a No. 8.
Davies was born in Swansea, where he attended Penlan County School.
Davies joined London Welsh in 1968, later moving to Swansea. He won his first cap for Wales in 1969 against Scotland, going on to play 38 consecutive matches for Wales and scoring two tries. During this period Wales won two Grand Slams and three Triple Crowns. He went on the British and Irish Lions tours to New Zealand in 1971 and to South Africa in 1974, playing in eight tests. In a total of 46 international appearances for Wales and the Lions he only ended on the losing side nine times.
Tall and slight of frame, he grew a Mexican moustache to make himself appear more aggressive on the rugby field. He was nicknamed "Merv the Swerve" and is considered by some[by whom?] to be the greatest Number 8 that Wales has ever produced and one of its greatest at any position.
His career was ended by an intra-cranial haemorrhage suffered when captaining Swansea against Pontypool in 1976. He had collapsed during a game on another occasion, four years earlier, and had been wrongly diagnosed with meningitis.[2] Following the second incident he was a patient in the University Hospital of Wales for several months, and received goodwill messages from all over the world.
In a poll of Welsh Rugby fans in 2002, Davies was voted both Greatest Ever Welsh Captain and Greatest Ever Welsh Number 8. In 2001 he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.
Sources
- Mervyn Davies & David Roach - In Strength and Shadow (Mainstream, 2005)
- The Mervyn Davies Story (BBC2, September 2007)
References
British and Irish Lions – 1971 New Zealand tour Forwards Backs Coach British and Irish Lions – 1974 South Africa tour Forwards Backs Coach Barbarian team captains - International Fixtures To 1999 Apr 1915: Edgar Mobbs(vs.Wal) • Jan 1948: Haydn Tanner(vs.Aus) • Jan 1952: Jimmy Nelson(vs.SA) • Feb 1954: Rex Willis(vs.NZ) • Feb 1958: Cliff Morgan(vs.Aus) • May 1958: Jim Greenwood(vs.East Africa) • Feb 1961: Ronnie Dawson(vs.SA) • Nov 1962: Ron Jacobs(vs.Can) • Feb 1964: Ronnie Dawson(vs.NZ) • Jan 1967: Noel Murphy(vs.Aus) • Dec 1967: Stewart Wilson(vs.NZ) • May 1969: John O'Shea(vs.Rhodesia) • Jan 1970: Gareth Edwards(vs.SA) • May 1970: John Spencer(vs.Sco XV) • Oct 1970: Frank Laidlaw(vs.Fiji) • Jan 1973: John Dawes(vs.NZ) • Nov 1974: Willie John McBride(vs.NZ) • Jan 1976: Mervyn Davies(vs.Aus) • Jun 1976: Phil Bennett(vs.Can) • Sep 1977: Gerald Davies(vs.Lions) • Dec 1978: Derek Quinnell(vs.NZ) • Jan 1982: Bill Beaumont(vs.Aus)cancelled • Mar 1983: Fergus Slattery(vs.Sco XV) • Dec 1984: Gareth Davies(vs.Aus) • May 1985: Colin Deans(vs.Ita) • Nov 1988: Philip Matthews(vs.Aus) • Nov 1989: David Sole(vs.NZ) • Sep 1990: Nick Farr-Jones(vs.Eng) • Oct 1990: Nick Farr-Jones(vs.Wales) • Nov 1990: [[]](vs.Arg) • Sep 1991: [[]](vs.Sco) • Jun 1992: [[]](vs.Rus) • Nov 1992: [[]](vs.Aus) • Dec 1993: Scott Hastings(vs.NZ) • Jun 1994: [[]](vs.Zim) • Dec 1994: Robert Jones(vs.SA) • 1996: [[]](vs.Ire) • Aug 1996: [[]](vs.Sco) • Aug 1996: Arran Pene(vs.Wal) • Dec 1996: [[]](vs.Aus) •
From 2000 May 2000: Ian Jones(vs.Ire) • May 2000: Zinzan Brooke(vs.Sco) • Aug 2000: [[]](vs.Ger) • Dec 2000: Lawrence Dallaglio(vs.SA) • May 2001: [[]](vs.Wal) • May 2001: Tim Horan(vs.Sco) • May 2001: Gary Teichmann(vs.Eng) • Nov 2001: Rob Howley(vs.Aus) • May 2002: Todd Blackadder(vs.Eng) • May 2002: Pat Lam(vs.Wal) • Jun 2002: Ian Jones(vs.Sco) • May 2003: Taine Randell (vs.Eng) • May 2003: Mick Galwey (vs.Sco) • May 2003: Mark Connors (vs.Wal) • May 2004: Taine Randell (vs.Sco) • May 2004: Matt Burke (vs.Wal) • May 2004: Anton Oliver (vs.Eng) • Jun 2004: Rob Baxter (vs.Por) • Dec 2004: Justin Marshall (vs.NZ) • May 2005: David Humphreys (vs.Sco) • May 2005: Corné Krige (vs.Eng) • May 2006: Raphaël Ibañez (vs.Eng) • May 2006: Will Greenwood (vs.Sco) • Jun 2006: Bobby Skinstad (vs.Geo) • May 2007: Hugh Vyvyan (vs.Tun) • Jun 2007: Hugh Vyvyan (vs.Esp) • Dec 2007: Mark Regan (vs.SA) • May 2008: [[]] (vs.Bel) • May 2008: Morgan Turinui (vs.Ire) • Jun 2008: Mark Regan (vs.Eng) • Dec 2008: John Smit (vs.Aus) • May 2009: Martin Corry (vs.Eng) • Jun 2009: Phil Waugh (vs.Aus) • Dec 2009: Victor Matfield (vs.NZ) • May 2010: Xavier Rush (vs.Eng) • Jun 2010: Xavier Rush (vs.Ire) • Dec 2010: Matt Giteau (vs.SA) • May 2011: Sergio Parisse (vs. Eng) • Jun 2011: Sergio Parisse (vs. Wal)
Categories:- International Rugby Hall of Fame inductees
- 1946 births
- Living people
- People from Swansea
- Welsh rugby union players
- Wales international rugby union players
- Rugby union number eights
- British and Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales
- Wales rugby union captains
- Swansea RFC players
- London Welsh RFC players
- Barbarian F.C. players
- BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year
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