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Sydney John Dawes (29 June 194016 April 2021) was a 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 it ...
player, playing at
centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...
, and later coach. He captained
London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seaso ...
,
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, the 1971 British Lions and the Barbarians. He is credited with being a major influence in these teams' success, and in the attractive, attacking, free-flowing rugby they played. Dawes also had considerable success as a coach with Wales, and coached the 1977 British Lions. He was appointed an
Officer 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 ...
(OBE) in the 1972 New Year Honours List for services as Lions captain.


Early life and education

Dawes was born in Chapel of Ease, part of
Abercarn Abercarn is a small town and community in Caerphilly county borough, Wales. It is 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Newport on the A467 between Cwmcarn and Newbridge, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. History An estate at ...
, near Newbridge, on 29 June 1940. He was educated at
Lewis School Pengam Lewis School, Pengam is a comprehensive school, founded in 1729 in the parish and village of Gelligaer and, later, moved to the nearby village of Gilfach, in the Rhymney Valley in South Wales. It was founded and funded by a legacy of Sir Edward L ...
, and later at
University College of Wales, Aberystwyth , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...
where he earned a degree in chemistry. He later achieved a PGCE at
Loughborough College Loughborough College is a general further education college located in Leicestershire, England which offers a range of courses including further education, higher education, apprenticeships and professional qualifications. List of princip ...
.


Rugby playing career


Club

Dawes played club rugby for Newbridge in
Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...
. He then joined
London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seaso ...
. Dawes was appointed captain, and effectively also as coach, for the 1965–66 season, leading the club in a period of great success in the late 1960s. He initially significantly increased fitness levels, and then led the club in an open, running, quick-passing, attacking style of rugby, including an overlapping full-back, and relatively skilled forwards. One 1968–69 performance was described by journalist John Reason as "one of the most brilliant exhibitions of club football it has been my privilege to see", and by journalist Terry O'Connor as "the finest display by a club team I can remember", further describing London Welsh "switching attacks with speed and handling skill".The Man Who Changed the World of Rugby – John Dawes and the Legendary 1971 British Lions, Ross Reyburn


International

Dawes won his first cap for Wales against
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
in 1964, and scored an interpassing try at pace. He was selected for Wales' first overseas tour later the same year and played in the Welsh rugby team's first match outside of Europe and its first in the Southern Hemisphere. He played against
East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...
in Nairobi on 12 May 1964, Wales winning 26–8. He went on to make 22 appearances for Wales, captaining the side in six of them, including leading the
Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...
winning side of 1971.


British Lions and Barbarians

In 1971, Dawes was appointed captain of the British and Irish Lions side for the tour to New Zealand. This side, coached by
Carwyn James Carwyn Rees James (2 November 1929 – 10 January 1983) was a Welsh rugby union player and coach. He won two Welsh international caps but is most famous for his coaching achievements with Llanelli, the 1971 British Lions and the Barbarians, with ...
, became the first and so far the only Lions team to win a series in New Zealand. Dawes is one of six captains to lead his side to a test series win on New Zealand soil, along with
Philip J. Nel Philip Jacobus Nel (17 June 1902 – 11 February 1984) was a South African rugby player. The son of Piet Nel and Kitty Maritz, he was educated at Maritzburg College, matriculating as Head Prefect and captain of the rugby First XV in 1921. Nel e ...
( 1937 Springboks), Trevor Allan ( 1949 Australia),
Andrew Slack Andrew Gerard Slack (born 24 September 1955 in Brisbane) is an Australian former state and national representative rugby union player who captained the Wallabies in 19 Test matches in between 1984 and 1987. His 133 appearances for Queensland bet ...
( 1986 Australia),
Philippe Saint-André Philippe Georges Saint-André (; born 19 April 1967) is a former French rugby union footballer and currently the manager of Top 14 side Montpellier. He earned 69 test caps for France between 1990 and 1997. His preferred position was wing but h ...
( 1994 France) and
Johnny Sexton Jonathan Jeremiah Sexton (born 11 July 1985) is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Leinster Rugby and Ireland, and he also captains both teams. He represented the British & Irish Lions in both 2013 and 2017 and has scored o ...
( 2022 Ireland). He was honoured as the
BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year The BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year is a televised sporting competition, broadcast on BBC Two every year; and the most prestigious annual Sport in Wales, sport award in Wales. It was first awarded in 1954, and is currently organise ...
at the end of that year. Dawes was also captain of the
Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be les ...
side that beat New Zealand in Cardiff in 1973.


Rugby coaching career

Dawes acted as a coach, as well as captain, at London Welsh during the late 1960s and early 1970s. After retiring as a player, Dawes became coach of the Welsh national side in 1974, a post he held until 1979. This was one of the most successful periods in the history of Welsh rugby, with the team winning the
Five Nations Championship The Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) is an annual international men's rugby union competition between the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The current champions ar ...
four times in the five seasons between 1975 and 1979, including two Grand Slams. Dawes also coached the 1977 British Lions tour to New Zealand, but was unable to repeat the success of 1971.
Ian McGeechan Sir Ian Robert McGeechan, OBE (born 30 October 1946) is a retired Scottish rugby union player, coach and teacher. Born in Leeds, McGeechan represented Headingley as his only club during a 15-year club career, qualifying for Scotland through h ...
has said of this tour "perhaps John, a natural player and leader in his time, was just not so good at putting things across," but others have pointed out that the 1977 Lions nearly drew the series, and that subsequent Lions tours to New Zealand fared much worse.


Subsequent work and roles

In 1972 Dawes moved from teaching to a management post with the North London Polytechnic and then to a property development company. From 1980 to 1990 he worked in the paid role of coaching organiser for the WRU. Dawes was president of London Welsh RFC and wrote several books on rugby union.


Personal life

Dawes met his wife Janette at university. They had two children and five grandchildren. Both his son Michael and grandson Rhodri played for London Welsh. He resided in Cardiff with his partner, Jill Mathias, during his later years. Dawes died on 16 April 2021. He was 80, and suffered from ill health prior to his death.


References


External links


Wales profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawes, John 1940 births 2021 deaths Alumni of Loughborough University Barbarian F.C. players British & Irish Lions coaches British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales London Welsh RFC players Loughborough Students RUFC players Newbridge RFC players Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Lewis School, Pengam People from Newbridge, Caerphilly Rugby union centres Rugby union players from Abercarn Wales international rugby union players Wales national rugby union team coaches Wales rugby union captains Welsh rugby union coaches Welsh rugby union players