With the final training session over and game plans and analysis all firmly in the minds of his side ahead of the monumental clash with the Springboks, Davies decided on a history lesson at Big Pit to round of an intense week of rugby.
“The mining industry is an important part of our national history and the idea for today was for the players to experience a little of what many of their ancestors went through in their day-to-day lives,” explained Davies.
“The mining communities have supplied Wales with no fewer than 126 Welsh internationals in 127 years of our history and everyone one of them was made from tough stock. It will be difficult for many to imagine what life was like just 50 years ago when many of our ancestors where making their livings in this arduous way.
“Of all the miners we met today, who still work down Big Pit as guides, not one of them said they regretted their time as miners despite the obvious difficult conditions. And there are great parallels there for professional rugby players and that’s exactly the kind of atmosphere we have been trying to generate in our training camp this week.
“They wouldn’t change the past for the world, they worked hard and they worked together and that’s something we want to try to emulate. The mines bred hard people who worked in difficult conditions and then left the pit to play rugby. They looked forward to the rugby and it was probably the highlight of every week for them which is something that we shouldn’t lose sight of in the professional age.
“My own grandfather was a miner in Trimsaran and was actually a victim of the lung damage that so many miners suffered due to the working conditions under ground. I played for the Cynheidre Colliery sevens side when I was a teenager and know all about the camaraderie and team ethic that the job induced in those who did it.”
Wales Captain Gethin Jenkins also says his squad have really benefited from the innovative training week they’ve had in preparation for the Millennium Stadium clash tomorrow.
“We’ve had a great week’s preparation in Saundersfoot which has really brought us together in a short space of time and visiting Big Pit has just topped it off for us,” added Jenkins.
“It was obviously a pretty tough working week for people back then and at the end of it they’d go out onto the rugby pitches and play the game they loved. The visit was really interesting experience but our preparation all week has been ideal. It’s been great to do a few different things and spend time together as a squad which has really added to the team spirit in the group.”
THE LAST MINER
Garin Jenkins won 58 caps, but his proudest claim to fame is that he was the last miner to play for Wales. Having won his first cap against France in 1991, Jenkins finished as Wales’s most capped hooker when he played his last game against South Africa in 2000.
The Swansea hooker was the 126th member of the mining and coal industry in Wales to play international rugby, a tradition that began with Cardiff forward Arthur Jones in 1883. Born in Risca in 1857, Jones was educated at Monmouth School and became one of the founding members of Cardiff rugby club. He played 55 times for the club and won his one and only cap against Scotland at Raeburn Place in January, 1883.
He started his working life as an Admiralty agent before eventually becoming a colliery director. He was secretary of the Cardiff club in 1877, a member of their committee thereafter and he eventually became High Sheriff of Glamorgan and a governor of the University of South Wales and Monmouthshire.
The size and importance of the South Wales coalfield, and the role that coal played in shaping the destiny of the country as a whole, cannot be underestimated. By 1913, 57 million tons of coal were coming up from the mines as South Wales produced one third of the world’s coal exports.
At its peak, the industry employed more than 250,000 men – with more than 40,000 working in the Rhondda Valley alone. No wonder, then, that Dai Jones played for Treherbert and that clubs like Llwynypia, Mountain Ash and Treorchy all produced fine teams and a number of internationals.
There were two miners in the pack that tamed New Zealand in 1905, Dai ‘Tarw’ Jones, from Treherbert, and Jehoida Hodges, of Newport, backed up by coal trimmer George Travers. And when Wales secured their first Grand Slam in Belfast in 1908 they had Travers and three miners, Will Dowell, John Brown and Jim Webb, up front.
Cardiff prop Cliff Davies, a collier from Kenfig Hill, was in the Welsh pack that paved the way for the 1950 Grand Slam and that side also included Billy Cleaver, who went on to become deputy director of the South Wales coalfield.
THE WELSH MINERS
Welsh internationals who worked in the mining industry
Les Anthony (3 caps, 1948 – Neath)
Ambrose Baker (5 caps, 1921-23 – Neath)
Jack Bassett (15 caps, 1929-32 – Penarth)
Jake Blackmore (1 cap, 1909 – Abertillery)
Jere Blake (9 caps, 1899-1901 – Cardiff)
Joe Booth (1 cap, 1898 – Pontymister)
Lonza Bowdler (15 caps, 1927-33 – Cross Keys)
Ken Braddock (3 caps, 1966-67 – Newbridge)
Bobby Brice (18 caps, 1899-1904 – Aberavon/Cardiff)
John Brown (7 caps, 1907-09 – Cardiff)
Anthony Buchanan (5 caps, 1987-88 – Llanelli)
Cyril Challinor (1 cap, 1939 – Neath)
Billy Cleaver (14 caps, 1947-50 – Cardiff)
Fenton Coles (3 caps, 1960 – Pontypool)
Tom Collins (1 cap, 1923 – Mountain Ash)
Cliff Davies (16 caps, 1947-51 – Cardiff)
Dai Davies (17 caps, 1950-54 – Somerset Police)
Evan ‘Ianto’ Davies (1 cap, 1919 – Maesteg)
Lyn Davies (3 caps, 1966 – Bridgend)
Will Davies (4 caps, 1931-32 – Swansea)
George Dobson (1 cap, 1900 – Cardiff)
Tom Dobson (4 caps, 1898-99 – Cardiff)
Will Dowell (7 caps, 1907-08 – Newport)
Dai Edwards (1 cap, 1921 – Glynneath)
Arthur ‘Candy’ Evans (3 caps 1924 – Pontypool)
Bryn Evans (1 cap, 1933 – Swansea)
David Evans (4 caps, 1896-98 – Penygraig)
David ‘DB’ Evans (1 cap, 1926 – Swansea)
Jack Evans (3 cap, 1896-97 – Llanelli)
Jack Elwyn Davies (1 cap, 1924 – Llanelli)
J H (Jack) Evans (3 caps, 1907 – Pontypool)
Jack W Evans (1 cap, 1904 – Blaina)
John ‘JD’ Evans (2 caps, 1958 – Cardiff)
William G Evans (1 cap, 1911 – Brynmawr)
William H Evans (4 caps, 1914 – Llwynypia)
Wynne Evans (1 cap, 1958 – Llanelli)
Albert Fear (4 caps, 1934-35 – Newport)
Ike Fowler (1 cap, 1919 – Llanelli)
Dickie Garrett (8 caps, 1888-92 – Penarth)
Ray Giles (3 caps, 1983-87 – Aberavon)
Des Greenslade (1 cap, 1962 – Newport)
Dan Griffiths (2 caps, 1888-89 – Llanelli)
Dick Hellings (9 caps, 1897-1901 – Llwynypia))
Wilf Hodder (3 caps, 1921 – Pontypool)
Jehoida Hodges (23 caps 1899-1906 – Newport)
Tom Hopkins (4 caps, 1926 – Swansea)
Dick Huxtable (2 caps, 1920 – Swansea)
David James (2 caps, 1931 – Treorchy)
Maldwyn James (5 caps, 1947-48 – Cardiff)
Harry Jarman (4 caps, 1910-11 – Newport)
Albert M Jenkins (2 caps, 1895-96 – Swansea)
David R Jenkins (2 caps, 1927-29 – Swansea)
Garin Jenkins (58 caps, 1991-2000 – Pontypool/Swansea)
John L Jenkins (2 caps, 1923 – Aberavon)
Howell John (8 caps, 1926-27 – Swansea)
Arthur Jones (1 cap, 1883 – Cardiff)
Bert Jones (2 caps, 1934 – Llanelli)
Dai ‘Tarw’ Jones (13 caps, 1902-06 – Treherbert)
Des Jones (1 cap, 1948 – Llanelli)
Edgar Jones (5 caps, 1930-35 – Llanelli)
Harold Jones (2 caps, 1929 – Neath)
Idris Jones (4 caps, 1925 – Llanelli)
Jack ‘Bedwelty’ Jones (4 caps, 1914 – Abertillery)
Jack Jones (14 caps, 1908-20 – Newport/Pontypool))
Percy Jones (8 caps, 1912-14 – Newport/Pontypool)
‘Ponty’ Jones (1 cap, 1907 – Pontypool)
Staff Jones (10 caps, 1983-88 – Pontypool)
Wyndham Jones (1 cap, 1905 – Mountain Ash)
Steve Lawrence (6 caps, 1925-27 – Bridgend)
Howell Lewis (4 caps, 1913-14 – Swansea)
Mark Lewis (1 cap, 1913 – Treorchy)
Tom Lewis (3 caps, 1926-27 – Cardiff)
Bobby Lloyd (7 caps, 1913-14 – Pontypool)
Tom Lloyd (7 caps, 1909-14 – Neath)
Fred Millar (7 caps, 1896-1901 – Mountain Ash)
Ivor Morgan (13 caps, 1908-12 – Swansea)
Tom Morgan (1 cap, 1889 – Llanelli)
Bill Morris (3 caps, 1919-21 – Abertillery)
Dai Morris (34 caps, 1967-74 – Neath)
Steve Morris (19 caps, 1920-25 – Cross Keys)
Con Murphy (3 caps, 1935 – Cross Keys)
Trevor Nicholas (1 cap, 1919 – Cardiff)
George Oliver (4 caps, 1920 – Pontypool)
Will Osborne (6 caps, 1902-03 – Mountain Ash)
Dan Pascoe (2 caps, 1923 – Bridgend)
John Perkins (18 caps, 1983-86 – Pontypool)
Harry Phillips (9 caps, 1927-28 – Newport)
Cecil Pritchard (8 caps, 1928-29 – Pontypool)
Dai Prosser (2 caps, 1934 – Neath)
Glyn Prosser (4 caps, 1934-35 – Neath)
Phil Pugh (1 cap 1989 – Neath)
Sam Ramsay (2 caps, 1896-1904 – Treorchy)
Jack Rhapps (1 cap, 1897 – Penygraig)
Aaron Rees (1 cap, 1919 – Maesteg)
Peter Rees (2 caps, 1947 – Llanelli)
Tommy (TE) Rees (4 caps ,1926-28 – London Welsh)
Tom (TJ) Rees (8 caps 1935-37 – Newport)
Fred Reeves (3 caps, 1920-21 – Cross Keys)
Cliff Richards (5 caps, 1922-24 – Pontypool)
Evan Richards (2 caps, 1885-87 – Swansea)
Gwyn Richards (1 cap, 1927 – Cardiff)
Rees Richards (3 caps, 1913 – Aberavon)
Tom Richards (1 cap, 1923 – Maesteg)
Tom Roberts (9 caps, 1921-23 – Risca/Newport)
Russell Robins (13 caps, 1953-57 – Pontypridd)
Fred Samuel (3 caps, 1922 – Mountain Ash)
Glyn Shaw (12 caps, 1972-77 – Neath)
Archie Skym (20 caps, 1928-35 – Llanelli/Cardiff)
Glyn Stephens (10 caps, 1912-13 – Neath)
Alan ‘Algie’ Thomas (2 caps, 1963-64 – Newport)
Ifor Thomas (1 cap, 1924 – Bryncethin)
Rees Thomas (8 caps, 1909-13 – Pontypool)
W ‘Ocker’ Thomas (1 cap, 1930 – Abertillery)
Joe Thompson (1 cap, 1923 – Cross Keys)
Bill ‘Bunner’ Travers (12 caps, 1937-49 – Newport)
George Travers (25 caps, 1903-11 – Pill Harriers/Newport)
Emlyn Watkins (3 caps, 1926 – Blaina)
David Watts (4 caps, 1914 – Maesteg)
Jim Webb (20 caps, 1907-12 – Abertillery)
Jeff Whitefoot (19 caps, 1984-87 – Cardiff)
Cliff Williams (2 caps, 1924-25 – Llanelli)
Edwin Williams (2 caps, 1924-25 – Neath)
John L (Jack) Williams (7 caps, 1920-21 – Blaina)
Trevor Williams (8 caps, 1935-37 – Cross Keys)
Tudor Williams (1 cap, 1921 – Swansea)
W A (Billy) Williams (4 caps, 1927 – Newport)
Stan Winmill (4 caps 1921 – Cross Keys)
