Barry John
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| Player information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Barry John | |
| birthday | January 6, 1945 | |
| place of birth | Cefneithin , Wales | |
| Nickname | The King | |
| society | ||
| society | Career ended | |
| position | Connection half | |
| Clubs as active | ||
| Years | society | Games (points) |
| |
Llanelli RFC Cardiff RFC |
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| National team | ||
| Years | National team | Games (points) |
| 1966–1972 1968, 1971 |
Wales British and Irish Lions |
25 (90) 5 |
|
Status: March 25, 1972 |
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Barry John (born January 6, 1945 in Cefneithin ) is a former Welsh rugby union player. He is considered to be one of the finest connector players in the history of sport and was nicknamed "The King". John played for the clubs Llanelli RFC and Cardiff RFC and was active for the Welsh national team and the British and Irish Lions . He was known for his dexterity, his wit and his pronounced kick game and together with Gareth Edwards formed a strong duet for Wales.
John started his career in Llanelli, but soon moved to Cardiff, where he also played at the club with Edwards. In 1966 he made his debut for Wales against Australia . At that time, the Welsh national team lost many of their games. Despite this relative failure, John was nominated for the 1968 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa . However, he was seriously injured early on, so that he was out for the rest of the targeted games.
In 1969, a new era in Welsh rugby dawned in which the team managed to take on a dominant role in world rugby. The first step was to win the Five Nations tournament . Successful tours to the southern hemisphere followed, to the outcome of which Barry John played a significant role in the early 1970s. In 1971 he was nominated again for the Lions and made for the only victorious tour of a British selection in New Zealand to date . During this time he was also nicknamed "The King"; he had now risen to a television star and was considered the greatest talent in rugby.
Just a year later, however, Barry John surprisingly announced the end of his career at the age of 27, shocking the Welsh public. The reason for the abrupt end of his career was the hype around him, which he could not withstand. Ultimately, decisive for his resignation was the moment when a young girl curtseyed to him and bowed, alluding to his nickname. At a press conference, he said:
- “Everyone thought it was wonderful. But if I needed something to show me it had all gone way over the top, that was it. "
- ( "Everyone thought it was all wonderful. But when I needed something to show myself that it was all going too far, this was it.")
At the end of his career he withdrew completely from the public.
He was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 1997 .
swell
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | John, Barry |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | welsh rugby union player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 6, 1945 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cefneithin , Wales |