Former Blues captain Gerald Davies knighted in the New Year’s Honours list

The former Cambridge University rugby club captain Gerald Davies has been knighted in the New Year’s Honours list for services to rugby union and voluntary and charitable service in Wales.

He becomes only the third Welsh rugby international to be honoured in this way following in the footsteps of former Oxford Blue Sir David William Evans in 1925 and his former Cardiff, Wales and British & Irish Lions teammate Sir Gareth Edwards in 2015.

Sir Gerald, one of the stars of the great Welsh sides of the Seventies, admitted he was left “dumbstruck” after hearing of his award. The 79-year-old former legendary wing served as the president fo the Welsh Rugby Union from 2019-2023, having won 49 caps for his country as a player 1966-1978.

“It is an amazing honour,” Sir Gerald told the PA news agency. “I’m humbled by it and moved by the thought that somebody, somewhere, has thought it worthy of giving me that honour.

“With that in mind, you are always aware in getting an honour like this of the enormous support you get from your family – my wife Cilla and children Emily and Ben.
“They are constantly at my side in giving me support over the years. It is not something that you achieve entirely on your own.
“I thank those who have encouraged me over the years, the generosity and kindness of friends, colleagues and countless others. I feel very emotional about it, I’m surprised by it, and words are really quite inadequate to describe it.
“It came out of the blue and I was dumbstruck in many ways – but you don’t achieve these things on your own.”

Sir Gerald received a CBE for his commitment to youth work in Wales in 2003. His achievements for Wales and the Lions on the field earned him a place on the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame ‘Roll of Honour’ in 1992 and in the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2015.

There were few honours that eluded him during his time s a player. He was capped at Wales Schools U19 level while captain of the 1st XV at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Carmarthen, before heading to Loughborough University thanks to the local Coal Miners Scholarship scheme.

While a student at Loughborough he helped his side win the prestigious Middlesex Sevens at Twickenham in 1964 and 1966 before going on to star at the same tournament later on in his career with London Welsh.

From Loughborough he went to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he won three Blues and captained the side at Twickenham in the 1970 Varsity Match. He also led the Light Blues to a win over Fiji in 1970.

He helped London Welsh become one of the best teams in the UK before returning to Wales to play for Cardiff. He captained Cardiff for three seasons, including in their Centenary Season in 1976-77, and led them to victory over Australia in 1975.

He played for the Barbarians 10 times, including four against touring teams and as captain in the 1977 fixture to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee at Twickenham against the British & Irish Lions, and was captain of Wales against Australia in his 46th and final game for his country. His first cap had been against the Wallabies in Cardiff 12 years earlier.

He toured South Africa with the 1968 Lions, playing in one Test before getting injured, and was then an ever-present in the four Test series in New Zealand in 1971 when the Lions won 2-1 with the final game drawn.

That remains arguably the greatest Lions team of all-time, while the Wales sides he played in during the Seventies, when he won a record-equaling three Grand Slams in 1971, 1976 and 1978, remains one of the best in the history of the game.

He served as a national representative on the board of directors of the WRU from 2005-14 and was elected President of the WRU in October 2019.
He was the tour manager for the Lions on their 2009 tour to South Africa and then chairman of the Lions board between 2010-2014. He became chairman of the PRO12, the professional rugby tournament for Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Italian and South African sides, and remains a trustee of the Barbarians Charitable Trust.

He initially worked as a schoolteacher, but after retiring as a player in 1978, he became a journalist with the BBC and The Times newspaper. He sat on the Sir Tasker Watkins committee that examined ways to reform Welsh rugby and became chairman of the Wales Youth Agency.
He was an Executive Officer with Sport Wales and a non-executive Director and Chairman of HTV. He is a member of the Eisteddfod Gorsedd of Bards and is a past Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Gwent.

He has been awarded Honorary Fellowships from the Universities of Lampeter, Aberystwyth, Swansea and Cardiff.

In scoring and then record equalling 20 tries for Wales in his 46 Tests he ranked among the greatest stars of the Golden Era of the Seventies, when three Grand Slams and five Triple Crowns were secured.

“I have supported charities in the communities, and I have done so throughout my life. I think that is important,” he added.
“I have always believed that I should participate in the game. Once the game, playing-wise, was over I always wanted to do something in addition to that, not just as a player, but as an administrator for Wales, the Lions, the Barbarians.
“I’m not involved now in the earnest way that I have been right throughout my life. It is nice and calm, and I like it that way, to look at it from a distance, but rugby will be part of my life forever.”