Humphreys was earlier this week unveiled with Stephen Jones as part of Wayne Pivac’s new Welsh coaching team that will take over from Warren Gatland after next year’s World Cup. Two former Welsh captains and two former stalwarts of the club and regional game in Wales.
Born in North Cornelly, Humphreys will celebrate his 50th birthday in February before returning to Wales next summer after a six year sojourn in Scotland. Having learned his rugby at Cynffig Comprehensive and his local rugby club, he spent 13 seasons at the Arms Park playing for Cardiff as he followed in the illustrious playing footsteps of Phillips.
While Phillips ended up with 481 appearances for the Blue & Blacks, and won 18 Welsh caps and went on the 1980 British & Irish Lions tour, Humphreys played 240 games over 13 seasons for Cardiff between 30 December, 1989 and 10 May, 2002. He won 35 Welsh caps, playing in the 1995 and 1999 World Cups, captained his country on no fewer than 19 times and also captained both Cardiff and Bath.
He won the WRU Challenge Cup with Cardiff in 1994 and 1997 and the Heineken League in 1995 and the Welsh Scottish League in 2000. He played in the inaugural Heineken Cup final in 1996, when Toulouse came to the Arms Park and won in extra-time, and was in the Cardiff side that reached the semi-finals the following season.
His Wales debut came at the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa against New Zealand. His first game as captain was against South Africa in Johannesburg later that same year. He was recalled in 2003, while playing at Bath, to lead Wales against England and Ireland in the Six Nations.
He also studied and played at Uwic, featured in the 1992 Students World Cup in Italy and won his first Wales A cap against France in 1995. He also played once for the Barbarians.
He stepped into coaching at the Ospreys and spent three years as their forwards coach between 2006-13. He then took up a post as forwards coach to the Scotland national team working under Vern Cotter for four years and, since 2017, he has been the forwards coach at Glasgow Warriors.
So how does he feel?
“I am very proud, it’s fantastic and I’ve now got the opportunity to do something which not many people ever get the chance to do. It’s something I never thought would happen to me. After I came back from Bath and went to the Ospreys I never thought I’d get the chance to coach my country. It’s a massive moment for me and my family.
“It is different from Scotland because here in Wales rugby is the national sport. I’ve loved my time in Scotland and I can walk around and go and pick the kids up and no one knows what job I do. Rugby in Wales is a hotbed. Everyone wants an opinion and everyone has got an opinion. You have to be able to put up with criticism as well as praise and it all comes into a melting pot. I’m prepared for that.
How did the opportunity come about?
“I certainly wasn’t expecting an approach, but when Wayne (Pivac) phoned me I got excited about what he wanted to do. He asked to have a conversation with me in September and I immediately told Dave Rennie, my coach at Glasgow. He was very supportive and I kept Glasgow in the loop all the way along because there was no guaranteed outcome. I didn’t want them to be finding out any other way.
“Dave has been amazing and he’s been massive for Glasgow Warriors. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with him and all the other coaches up there. They are a very tight-knit group and it was tough to leave that but, at the same time, I have to do this job. It’s a no brainer.
What is it like working under Kiwi coaches?
“Vern Cotter is different, not in a bad way, but he’s very intense and could identify what he wanted from a team. He knew what it took to win and he was driven. Vern and Dave are completely opposite people, but I’ve learned so much from both in terms of going about things and what to work on.
“With Vern it was a case of ‘identify what works and spend all your time on it, don’t bother with this.’ I’ve been really fortunate to work with both of them. Now it will be great to work with Wayne.
What are the Welsh forwards like?
“I’ve always thought there is so much talent in Wales. It really excites me to get to work and have some influence with the younger guys – the 18 and 20-year-olds especially, because they’re the next pick for us.
“The Welsh forwards have been very competitive, so I will be keen to know how Robin McBryde has found the players, how’s he’s gone about stuff and to pick his brains as much as I can. I think Robin has done a great job.
As a regional coach, I always wanted the national coach to come in and give me an opinion. So, I’m looking forward to doing that when I return. The regions have got young coaches that I coached from a young age in Ian Evans, Tom Smith and Duncan Jones. I’m looking forward to going in and if they need my help, providing it.
Looking to finish on a high at Glasgow?
The best-case scenario would be to play the Scarlets in the final of the Guinness PRO14 at Celtic Park. That would be great. But I know I have still got a massive job to do before the end of the season.
What was it like facing Wales in Cardiff?
It was always strange coming back. When you are in Scotland you are away from it all but to come back into the middle of it, the atmosphere and the singing was strange. The first time wasn’t great. Stuart Hogg got sent off and we got beaten by 50 points
I’ve always been impressed by how tough Wales are to beat in Cardiff. They’re a really tough team to play against. We couldn’t really identify any area of weakness we could attack.
