David Watkins was no giant, but he made it big in both codes of rugby and continues to be bracketed among the greats of union and league. He captained his country at 15 and 13-a-side, he skippered the British Lions and coached the British Rugby League team.
He was a bundle of energy, a twinkle-toed genius who could make something out of nothing, yet despite being only 5ft 8in tall he could also handle himself in the heavy traffic. Born in Blaina, he played outside half for Wales Youth and then joined Newport.
He was at outside half when the Black & Ambers beat the All Blacks in 1963 and played more than 200 times for the club. He also went on to play 21 times for Wales before joining Salford for £16,000 in 1967.
If Wales lost one of its most talented players of the sixties, rugby league gained one of the greats of the seventies. In 460 first-class games he scored more than 3,000 points, turned Salford into one of the top clubs in the game and went to Wembley for the Challenge Cup final.
David Watkins (Rugby Player): Born in Blaina on 5 March, 1942
