Ex-England rugby player Derek Morgan popped into the Dorallt pub today before heading to Cardiff for the big match against Wales.
He met his good mate and fellow dentist John Evans from Henllys. The pair studied and played together at Durham University. Derek was born and bred in Wales but qualified for England and won nine caps before going on to be President of the Rugby Football Union.
Yesterday he went to his old school Lewis School Pengam and presented them with one of his England jerseys.
Listen to this audioboo recorded this morning. It stops on five minutes.
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Derek said: “I think Wales will win. I think they have one or two personnel that on the day will be a bit better, bit faster and get the loose ball more.”
The pair ‘squared up for a photo outside a lorry emblazoned with Grand Slam Winners 2005, 2008 and 2012 from Cwmbran-base haulage firm Bridgetime Transport
When he was in sixth form he coached the school’s under 15 side which featured two players that later went to play for Wales and the British Lions, John Dawes and John O Shea.
John said: “This is the relationship that I have with Derek. This is how good I am and this how bad he is. Wales beat Ireland, illegally apparently, when they threw the wrong ball in and Mike Phillips scored a try. I rang Derek with the goodness of my Tredegar heart to wish him all the best for England against France and he said ‘as long we can cheat as well as Wales we will win.’ I said for a man who in my opinion was in the top ever in the word of number eights you don’t know the rules.’
“I told him. These are the rules. The ref blows a whistle and the game starts. The ref blows a whistle and the game finishes. You count the number of points inbetween and whose got the most wins. Simple. And he said ‘I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Derek replied: “Whatever the dispute John’s answer always is ‘read the Western Mail on Monday morning and see what it prints as the scoreline.”