Very sad news

Absolutely brilliant player! will be greatly missed by the whole of welsh rugby and the sporting world as a whole. RIP Barry.

I'm not old enough to really remember Barry John as a player, having started watching rugby towards the end of his career. My father used to talk about him, but also talked about Cliff Morgan in similar terms. I'm not sure he ever had an opinion on the greatest fly half of all time because the game changes over time. My favourite was, and probably still is, Phil Bennett. But I'm not sure he'd have been as successful as Biggar was if Bennett played in the modern era. Different game, different times...

wattsville_boy wrote: February 4th, 2024, 9:44 pm I'm not old enough to really remember Barry John as a player, having started watching rugby towards the end of his career. My father used to talk about him, but also talked about Cliff Morgan in similar terms. I'm not sure he ever had an opinion on the greatest fly half of all time because the game changes over time. My favourite was, and probably still is, Phil Bennett. But I'm not sure he'd have been as successful as Biggar was if Bennett played in the modern era. Different game, different times...

That's interesting. My own view is that you can only beat the opposition you play. I think that the greats of yesteryear, if playing to, would still be great because they would have modern day, nutrition, fitness and tactics.

I also think that the present Newport County side would beat in their prime the England team that won the World Cup in 1966. Charlton, Ball, Peters, Moore would be potentially far better players than the present County squad but I think the levels of fitness and modern day tactics would prevail.

On topic I do remember Barry John. It is very sad but the idols of my childhood are now reaching the end of their days. May Barry John and all our passing sporting heroes from a simpler age rest in peace.

From about age 11 to 16 I was a regular at Newport rugby rather than County. Barry John was certainly on another level. I briefly saw Dai Watkins then of course Phil Bennett. Nowadays, rugby bears more resemblance to American Football and, with that, the featherweight players have gone from the game.

I think we have to accept the Rugby of our youth is dead and indeed it will resemble another form of American football in the future. Professionalism brought in bigger, stronger, faster guys and so the incidence of brain injuries have increased. Padding and helmets will be compulsory within 5-10 years...

Too young to remember but he was in the true sense a 'legend'.

wattsville_boy wrote: February 5th, 2024, 12:14 am I think we have to accept the Rugby of our youth is dead and indeed it will resemble another form of American football in the future. Professionalism brought in bigger, stronger, faster guys and so the incidence of brain injuries have increased. Padding and helmets will be compulsory within 5-10 years...

oh I hope not - my feeling is payers will get slightly smaller (still giants of course) and a more running style will be the hallmark for this coming era...Wales have notionally smaller players as do Italy and Scotland indeed New Zealand are not the biggest team either (although somewhat sadly but at the same time amazingly the brutish Springboks won the world cup)...anyhow off topic and more of an egger discussion which I'd happily have on the alternate 'everything else'.