RIP Barry John

[Rugbygramps]

The king has passed away at 79 peacefully. Arguably the greatest of all welsh 10s.
So sad after they celebrated the life of JPR in Cardiff yesterday

To quote Max Boyce - They broke the mould of solid gold that once made Barry John

[wardy]

Legend! Retired far too early.

[trendylfj]

The king has passed away at 79 peacefully. Arguably the greatest of all welsh 10s.
So sad after they celebrated the life of JPR in Cardiff yesterday

To quote Max Boyce - They broke the mould of solid gold that once made Barry John

Fortunate enough to see him in Cardiff - not quick - just glided over the grass leaving opponents behind - sadly missed by all us who are old enough to have seen him play

[LE18]

Another Welsh Legend gone, they dont make them as good as this these days, so sad to hear this.

[CJ]

Another wonderful player. Very sad news.

[kk20gb30]

An absolute great ..and part of great Welsh sides .
RIP

[Smudge]

I was surprised to learn he was 79 as that is also my age. It seems but a short time ago that he retired.
What a joy to see him play, even against England. There was a song in the hit parade in the sixties called "Poetry in Motion" and I think that perfectly sums up his play. As a man, he hated the adulation, especially being called "King". The thing that made him stop playing, when he had another six or seven years in him, was when someone touched the hem of his coat like a holy relic.
I would be interested to know how many games he played at Welford Road. The old tours down to Swansea/Llanelly/Neath at Easter were great fun and seem a lifetime ago. Probably due to the amount of beer we drank. Happy days.
Pray for the repose of the soul of a great player, a fine, family man but don't make him a Saint or King, he was an ordinary man and took pride in being so. RIP Barry.

[KiwiTig]

A legend in the Valleys
“chwedl rygbi cymru a dyn y bydd ei enw yn byw ymlaen am byth yn y cymoedd”
Sleep well

[Rugbygramps]

I wasn’t aware of the touching of the hem story Smudge. To think that if he hadn’t retired early the Welsh 10 selection would be between him and Phil Bennett. And this was in the days way before tactical replacements

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

Before my time & not that much footage from then, but the bits there are & the NZ opinion of him say it all.

Piece in the Guardian makes mention of a Bank Clerk curtseyed him...

[Rugbygramps]

Before my time & not that much footage from then, but the bits there are & the NZ opinion of him say it all.

Piece in the Guardian makes mention of a Bank Clerk curtseyed him...

A little before my time too, so am not in a position to compare him and Bennett, imo the GOAT, properly

[Old Hob]

The thing that made him stop playing, when he had another six or seven years in him, was when someone touched the hem of his coat like a holy relic.

The story quoted in the Times and elsewhere is that a woman curtsied to him, "Only a little one, but it was enough..."

It is interesting to compare and contrast with Dan Biggar's experience who said he was relieved to give up the 10 shirt because of the pressure/criticism/comparison with previous 10s. He was blamed, he said, (a little tongue in cheek, I suppose) when the lineouts went awry.

[Smudge]

Rugbygramps wrote

I wasn’t aware of the touching of the hem story Smudge.

It was during a TV interview or chat show. It affected him profoundly. "I didn't want it" he said.
Sad, because it deprived us all, Welsh and Non Welsh alike, of seeing some wonderful skill.

[Old Hob]

Nice story about him and Gareth Edwards when they were first picked together. They met up somewhere about half way between their houses, Gareth in a smart tracksuit and Barry in a scruffy T shirt and shorts. They fossicked about a bit but nothing productive seemed to come. Eventually, Barry John indicated he was going home and said, "Tell, you what; you throw it and I'll catch it".

And they did.