I saw Bleddwyn Williams play rugby quite a few times: when he played regularly for Cardiff and on those occasions when he played for Wales. In the Welsh team with Haydn Tanner and Jack Matthews there was a combination of real talent.
He had a spectacular side step. It was spectacular for two reasons: it was a large sideways stride from off his right foot while he was running at full speed, and the opposition never saw it coming. This was odd because the whole of the Arms Park spectators saw it coming "a mile off". You'd hear someone close by say "he's going to side step" and he would yet the player he passed never predicted it.
Now he has died at 85. A few weeks ago his team-mate in the Welsh team, Haydn Tanner, died. Williams said of him that he had the best pass in the game. Williams too had a great pass. But more than just the side-step and the pass was his whole game, intelligent and strong. Matthews was always noted for his bullet-like tackling but Williams too could tackle well: he seemed to embrace the opposite number in a huge bear-like hug, thus taking care of both man and ball.
There used to be a joke going round about two mythical Welsh men, Twm and Dai. They had travelled together from the valleys to see England v. Wales at The Arms Park in Cardiff; a couple of hours before the start of the game Twm found he had left the tickets at home. Dai, having a car, said he'd go back for them. Which he did, only to find Twm's wife in bed with the milkman. Dai returned to Cardiff, met Twm and said "Twm, I've got some bad news for you. When I went back for the tickets I found your wife in bed with the milkman." "I've got some bad news for you too Dai," said Twm. "Bleddwyn Williams has got the 'flu and can't play."
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