A Cwmavon product, he followed his father, David, as a player at the club before taking up the whistle and going on to control 22 full international matches – one short of the then Welsh record of 23 held by Gwynne Walters.
His rise through the ranks saw him join the WRU International Panel in the 1964-65 season. His first international was the game between Scotland and Australia at Murrayfield on 17 December 1966.
The Scots won in a swirling wind 11-5 and he also went on to control the Wallabies game against Ireland in Dublin later in their tour, a game which ended in a 15-8 home win. He also refereed the Wallabies win over a combined Ebbw Vale and Abertillery side on that tour.
He began refereeing when Gowerton’s Walters was in his pomp and also had Gwilym Treharne, from Port Talbot, close by. The big games began in 1963, when he was given the game between Swansea and the touring Al Blacks at St Helen’s.
That ended in a 16-9 win for the New Zealanders, who he also handled on their 1967 and 1972/73 tours. By then he was an established international official, hugely regarded and respected around throughout the UK and beyond.
He handled the 1967 tour games between the All Blacks and Scottish Districts, as well as the prestigious end of tour fixture with the Barbarians at Twickenham. In 1972, he was in charge of their win over Leinster and their 10-10 draw with Ireland.
Such was his reputation Joseph became in demand around the world for his help and experience. He refereed in Romania, held coaching clinics in Japan, Zambia and Namibia, and was in charge of a game in Amsterdam between a Netherdands XV and a Scottish XV in 1975.
He also had the honour of being picked to referee a number of high-profile celebration matches. When the Scottish Rugby Union celebrated their centenary, they invited the leading Welsh official to control their game between a Scottish XV and the SRU President’s XV in 1973, as well as the game against England at Murrayfield to mark the centenary of the first international match ever played.
That was in 1971 and the game was played in front of the Prince of Wales and Prime Minister Ted Heath, the Scots won 26-6. A year earlier he had been in charge and the National Ground, Cardiff Arms Park, when a Wales XV beat an RFU President’s XV in a special fixture to mark the opening of the new North Stand.
In 1972, he was the man in the middle when Llanelli marked their centenary with a win over the Barbarians at Stradey Park and he further etched his name into Welsh rugby history when he controlled the first WRU Challenge Cup final between Neath and Llanelli on 6 May, 1972.
In 1968 his plane landed a mere two hours ahead of the game in Bucharest between Romania and France. The French Grand Slammers, with eight of the side that had completed their first Slam in Cardiff earlier in the year, were beaten 15-14.
Joseph brought his illustrious career to an abrupt end at the start of the 1978-79 season, citing the increasing violence in the game as one of his reasons for hanging up his whistle.
The WRU passes on sincere condolences to the family and friends of Joseh and thanks him for his immense contribution to the game.
Merion Joseph remains the fifth most capped Welsh referee behind Nigel Owens (100), Derek Bevan (43), Clive Norling (25) and Gwynne Walters (23). His full list of international matches is as follows:
1966 S v A; 1967 I v A; 1968 E v I, I v S, R v F; 1969 S v I, S v SA; 1970 S v E; 1971 I v E, S v E; 1972 S v F, S v E; 1973 I v NZ, S v PXV, F v J; 1974 E v I; 1975 F v Arg; 1976 E v A, F v A; 1977 E v S, S v I, F v S
Tour Matches
1963 All Blacks
Swansea 9 – 16 NZ
1964 Fijians
Western Counties 6 – 12 Fiji
1966 Wallabies
Ebbw Vale / Abertillery 6 – 25 Australia
Scotland 11 – 5 Australia
Ireland 15 – 8 Australia
1967 All Blacks
Scottish Districts 14 – 35 NZ
Barbarians 6 – 11 NZ
1969 Springboks
London Counties 6 – 22 South Africa
Scotland 6 – 3 South Africa
1972 All Blacks
Leinster 9 – 17 NZ
Ireland 10 – 10 NZ
1973 Japan
East Glamorgan 23 – 11 Japan
1974 Tongans
England U23 40 – 4 Tonga
1976 Wallabies
London Counties 11 – 26 Australia
England 23 – 6 Australia
