President’s Caps awarded at Millennium Stadium

Last year the WRU awarded its first ‘President’s Caps’ to 25 players who had represented Wales in matches that were not recognised to be full Internationals at the time.
 
The new beneficiaries are players who featured against Canada and USA on tour in 1980 and against Canada at home in 1971 – and there are other matches still to be looked at.
 
The matches were all played against opposition who were awarded caps by their respective Unions at the time, but, for one reason or another, the WRU withheld the honour from their players.
 
President’s Cap records are held separately so as not to cause a knock on effect in the history books and alter cap numbers of players who have since represented Wales, or individuals who played in these games but also went on to be awarded full honours.
 
After the publication of the first list of players it became apparent that there may be other players whose record merited the award of a President’s cap.
 
To investigate those other cases the Board of the WRU appointed a small group who recommended three new matches for consideration and is to continue looking into other matches.
 
Norman Rees, Martin Davies, Barrie Davies (Neath), Alan Tovey (Ebbw Vale) and Robin Williams (Cardiff and Pontypool) are the five players nominated from the 1971 clash with the Cannucks – which Wales won 56-10 at the Cardiff Arms Park on 2nd October.
 
Chris Webber, David Thomas (Cardiff), Mike Dowling (Newbridge) and Steve Ellis (now Penry-Ellis, Bridgend) all featured in a Wales’ 18 – 24 defeat of the USA on tour on 10th May 1980
 
Geraint Bowen (Llanelli), Steven Jones and Gareth Jones (Pontypool) are the three players from the 7 – 24 victory over Canada on 24th May, which was part of the same overseas tour.
 
“It is with great pleasure that we have awarded President’s caps to these individuals who represented Wales in matches against Canada and the USA,” said WRU president Dennis Gethin.
 
“It is a great honour to represent your country and I hope the players and their families will take great pride in the recognition they have now received for the service they have provided to our national game.
 
“I am delighted that the contribution of these players to Welsh international rugby is now recorded in this way,”
 
The players and their families were presented with their caps before kick-off and received the full hospitality of the Millennium Stadium there-after.  Those players no longer with us – Martin Davies and Barrie Davies from the 1971 game and Steve Jones who featured in the 1980 match against Canada – were represented by their families.
 
The players and their families were also be able to view a specially commissioned honours board which has been hung alongside the international players and referees’  boards in the Millennium Stadium.
 
Also awarded was Rheinallt Hugh Lloyd Davies’s President’s Cap from the Wales v France match of 1945, accepted by his nephew Charles Raw-Rees.  Davies was nominated for his cap alongside six others in the first raft of awards, but his family could not be reached at the time.