Graham Price
MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
(born 24 November 1951 in
Moascar, Egypt) is a former Welsh
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
player, who was a member of the famous
Pontypool RFC
Pontypool Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in the town of Pontypool, which plays in the WRU Championship (known as the SWALEC Championship for sponsorship purposes). Due to the regionalisation of Welsh rugby in 2003, Pontyp ...
front row known as the "Viet Gwent". He won 41 caps for , and a record 12 for the
British and Irish Lions
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...
as a
prop
A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinc ...
forward.
Early life
Graham Price was born in
Moascar, Egypt, on 24 November 1951. He was brought up in
Pontypool
Pontypool ( cy, Pont-y-pŵl ) is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales. It has a population of 28,970.
Location
It is situated on the Afon Lwyd ri ...
, where he was educated at
West Monmouth School
West Monmouth School (Welsh: ''Ysgol Gorllewin Mynwy''; colloquially: West Mon) is a state-funded and non-selective secondary school in Pontypool, Torfaen, south Wales.
Admissions
Pupils who attend the school generally live in the Torfaen area. ...
. He studied civil engineering at UWIST, part of the
University of Wales
The University of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Prifysgol Cymru'') is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff †...
in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
.
Rugby career
Pontypool
He joined
Pontypool
Pontypool ( cy, Pont-y-pŵl ) is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales. It has a population of 28,970.
Location
It is situated on the Afon Lwyd ri ...
after leaving school, and played at tight-head prop. With
Bobby Windsor and
he became part of the legendary front row, also known as the "Viet Gwent" (a play on
Viet Cong
,
, war = the Vietnam War
, image = FNL Flag.svg
, caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green.
, active ...
) and immortalised in song by
Max Boyce
Maxwell Boyce, (born 27 September 1943) is a Welsh comedian, singer and entertainer. He rose to fame in the mid-1970s with an act that combined musical comedy with his passion for rugby union and his origins in a South Wales mining community. B ...
.
Wales caps
He made his debut for
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team ( cy, Tîm rygbi'r undeb cenedlaethol Cymru) represents Wales in men's international rugby union. Its governing body, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played thei ...
in the
1975 Five Nations Championship against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
at the
Parc des Princes
Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
in Paris. The game featured six players earning their first cap, and the entire Pontypool front line. When the ball was hacked forward some from the French line following a Welsh counter attack, Price caught the ball as it bounced and ran it in for a try. Wales won by 25–10,
[ their biggest victory over the French since 1909,] and the try was subsequently voted the fourth best try ever by a Welsh player. The BBC’s commentator of the match Nigel Starmer-Smith memorably said of Price’s try at the time ‘They will never believe it in Pontypool’. Grand Slams followed for the Wales team in 1976 and 1978.
British Lion
Price played as a prop in a record 12 successive tests for the British and Irish Lions
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...
, touring New Zealand in 1977. The front line in that tour was dominated by the "Viet Gwent" players, including Price.[ During a test match against ]Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, he suffered a broken jaw after a punch by Steve Finanne
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
. Price had to eat liquidised food for six weeks, and wore dentures for the following 40 years until replaced by implants in 2015. He returned for the South Africa in 1980 and made his final international appearances in the New Zealand in 1983 at the age of 31.[ He had played in every match of all three tours.] His record of 12 appearances for a prop for the British and Irish Lions is not expected to be broken.
Outside rugby
In 2012 Price made a cameo appearance as himself in an episode of the UK comedy drama '' Stella''.
Recognition
Price was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(MBE) in the 2007 Birthday Honours for services to rugby union in Wales.[United Kingdom list: ]
References
Further reading
*Graham Price (1984) ''Price of Wales'' (Willow Books)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Graham
1951 births
Living people
British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Rugby union players from Pontypool
Rugby union props
Welsh rugby union players
Wales international rugby union players
Pontypool United RFC players
Pontypool RFC players
Barbarian F.C. players
Alumni of Cardiff University
People educated at West Monmouth School