DAVID WATKINS (March 5, 1942 – September 3, 2023)
AS the Rugby Football League has pointed out, former dual-code international and Salford skipper David Watkins will be remembered as “one of the best cross-code converts from Wales”.
The versatile back, who has died aged 81, represented both his country (21 times in union, then 16 in League, all as captain and including all eight of Wales’ ties in the 1975 World Cup) and the Lions (six in each code).
And for Salford, he was a shining star in the title-winning teams of 1973-74 and 1975-76, both under coach and former player Les Bettinson.
Those came during an exciting period for the club when, led by ambitious Chairman Brian Snape, they were trailblazers both on and off the field, and Watkins, known as ‘Dai’, also helped the Red Devils bring the Lancashire Cup (in 1972-73) and the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy (1974-75) to The Willows.
He featured in five other finals – of the Challenge Cup in 1968-69, the John Player Trophy in 1972-73, the Lancashire Cup in 1973-74 and 1975-76, and the Premiership in 1975-76.
In all, the ‘Welsh Wizard’ from the small Valleys town on Blaina made 407 appearances for Salford between October 1967, when he was signed for £13,000 from Newport, and April 1979, breaking multiple points-scoring records.
Watkins’ tally of 493 points in 1972-73 (in the era when a try was worth three rather than four points) remains the most by a Salford player in a single campaign.
And his 1,241 goals (16 of them field-goals) and 2,907 points (including 147 tries) across his a twelve-season stint still stand as Salford records.
Watkins, a fly-half in union before becoming a centre, then fullback in League, and who was a skilful sevens player in both codes, also represented Swinton and Cardiff City Blue Dragons, where he was coach and also managing director, having taken charge of Great Britain for the 1977 World Cup, when they reached the final but lost 13-12 to Australia, who were joint hosts with New Zealand.
He also coached Wales in two spells, in 1976-77 and from 1982 to 1985.
Watkins, who in his prime was 5ft 6in and ten-and-a-half stone, developed his rugby union skills while at school and played for Wales at Under-18s level.
He joined the powerful Newport club, where he was to become skipper, helping them win the Welsh Championship in his first season, 1961-62, and playing in their notable 3-0 victory against New Zealand at Rodney Parade in 1963-64. It was the All Blacks’ only defeat of their 36-match tour.
Watkins made the first of three appearances for the Barbarians in March 1962, and was handed his Wales debut in their 1963 Five Nations Championship opener, the 13-6 defeat by England at Cardiff Arms Park.
He featured in five games in the Five Nations in all, with Wales sharing the title with Scotland in 1964 and winning it outright in 1965 and 1966, when he toured with the British Lions and played in the two Test wins over Australia and four defeats by New Zealand.
Rugby League clubs had long been tracking Watkins and, having resisted interest from St Helens as a teenager, he joined Salford at 25, making a try-scoring debut (he also landed two field-goals) in the 12-6 home win over Oldham.
Initially, his transfer fee seemed to weigh heavily, but his undoubted ability and leadership qualities started to shine through, and he walked out at Wembley in May 1969 as captain, with Castleford lifting the Challenge Cup via an 11-6 victory.
It was also becoming clear that he might be even more effective in the centres, and it was in that position that he collected his first winners’ medal with Salford, scoring a try and kicking five goals as Swinton were seen off 25-11 in the Lancashire Cup final at Wilderspool, Warrington in October 1972.
Salford were league champions by a point from St Helens in 1974 and via the same margin from Featherstone Rovers two years later, and in the season in between, after missing the 0-0 draw with Warrington at The Willows in the first attempt to settle the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, Watkins was in the team for the final replay at Wilderspool, landing two goals in the 10-5 triumph.
Between April 1971 and April 1974, he played in 140 consecutive games for Salford, and would have extended that record had he not been injured in June 1974 while playing for Great Britain in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane, when Australia won 12-6.
His Great Britain bow had come in the 24-2 win over France at Knowsley Road, St Helens in March 1971, while his Wales debut was in the 24-17 win over England at The Willows in November 1968.
Having said he would hang up his boost after his final outing for Salford in the 8-5 win at Rochdale Hornets in April 1979 (he had shared a benefit with team-mate Chris Hesketh the season before), Watkins was persuaded to play for Swinton in 1979-80, turning out 20 times.
And he was involved in the formation ahead of the 1981-82 season of Cardiff City, where he was managing director, coach between December 1981 and July 1984, when the club became Bridgend Blue Dragons, and played four times in 1982-83.
Watkins, who later covered matches as a television and radio pundit, was awarded an MBE in the 1986 New Year Honours list and inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and the RFL Hall of Fame during the build-up to last year’s World Cup.
He became Newport Rugby Union Club’s team manager in 1992 and went on to serve as both chairman and president, a title he also held with regional team Dragons after they were formed in 2003.
Looking back on his switch to League, Watkins once recalled: “Joining Salford was the best rugby experience of my life, but the pressure was on to deliver the goods after the club spent such a huge amount of money.
“They made me very welcome but I was particularly indebted to my new halfback partner Jackie Brennan for helping me settle in a new environment.
“My only experience of Rugby League had been watching Richard Harris in the film ‘This Sporting Life’, but we played a brilliant brand at Salford and became known as the ‘Quality Street Gang’.
“It was the place to be on match nights when the ground buzzed and even soccer stars from Manchester United and City came to watch.”
A statement from Salford read: “Salford Red Devils are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of club icon, David Watkins, one of the very greatest to represent our club, and to ever play our game.”
And Wales Rugby League, who admitted Watkins to their Hall of Fame in 2018, commented: “Everyone here was sad to hear about the passing of David Watkins MBE, one of our greatest-ever players.
“Dai, as he was affectionately known as, is recognised as one of the greatest Welshmen to have pulled on a rugby shirt.”
Wales Rugby Union president Gerald Davies, who played alongside Watkins for the country, said: “He was a player people wanted to go to see.
“He represented the potential and possibilities for all delicate and subtle rugby players.
“David could run at speed, sidestep and avoid those much bigger players.
“He was very light on his feet and had marvellous footwork. We don’t see many players like him in the modern game, someone who can provide the delicate touches that get people off their feet.
“Nobody was quite sure if David had the right frame to play Rugby League because there was always more bodily contact.
“But he coped superbly with everything thrown at him. He was much cleverer on the field than most people thought. He always had the touches, speed, footwork and imagination to play the game he wanted.”
Watkins, who had been suffering from dementia, is survived by his wife Jane and by a daughter and son.
