Merv the Swerve

There was a time when I could name the Welsh rugby team with ease. Those were the days when Mervyn Davies was at Number 8 (at the very back of the scrum). His death strikes a loud chord then and conjures a host of memories. A recent report says:

The flags around the Millennium Stadium have been lowered in honour of Mervyn Davies, the former British Lion and Wales rugby hero who has died aged 65. Number eight Davies, known as "Merv the Swerve", led Wales to the 1976 Five Nations Grand Slam. First Minister Carwyn Jones called him a "giant in all senses". The Welsh Rugby Union said players will wear black armbands and a minute's silence will be held before Saturday's Wales v France match. A video tribute to Davies' career will also be screened ahead of Wales' Six Nations match in Cardiff in which they chase their third slam in eight years. Standing 6ft 3in tall, Davies, who died on Thursday, has been described as a "giant of the game" who won two Grand Slams with Wales and three Triple Crowns. He went on the Lions tours to New Zealand in 1971 and to South Africa in 1974, playing in eight Tests. Davies was handed the captaincy of Wales in 1975 and skippered the side to the Five Nations Championship in the same year, and the Grand Slam the following season. He died following a long battle against cancer.