page revision date :
Brian’s a ‘Blue’ through and through
Brian Stephens’ commitment to Haverfordwest Rugby Football Club can be demonstrated by the fact that since he was elected as president in 1996 he has only missed FOUR games, home or away, because he loves to follow the Blues.
He was unable to attend at Swansea Uplands a few years ago because it was his former club, Llanelli Wanderers’, 50th anniversary and he had been invited to speak there missed a Morriston match because he was going to cheer on Llanelli in the Welsh Cup Final and a third match at Skewen when he wasn’t well. The fourth came this season when Haverfordwest played Cardigan and although he wasn’t well readily admits it was agony sitting at home, waiting to find out the result!
Public Enemy No 1
Brian moved to Haverfordwest in 1979 with his work for the Water Authority as Chief Financial Officer charged with the responsibility of introducing water rates (and felt he was Public Enemy No 1!), and became treasurer of the rugby club in 1990, holding the purse strings for a decade and doubling up as president after being honoured with that role in 1996. He remains as president today and is the longest-serving in the club’s post-war years and is ready to carry on until the members decide it is time for a change. Not content with that involvement, he is also the club’s unofficial press officer, supplying local and national press with details of the club’s results throughout that time.
During his time at the helm the club has twice been promoted in the National League set-up and are currently the longest-serving club in what is always a very competitive section. It is big business now and Brian would say that the club are lucky to have excellent officers in Gareth Griffiths (Chairman) and Delyth Summons (Treasurer), supported by a strong committee and with a number of talented young players coming through.
Dab hand at full back
These youngsters might not know it but Brian was a dab hand himself when he was their age, having played for Llanelli Schoolboys as a 12 year old and a few years later being chosen for Welsh Schools’ trials as a full back. He also played senior rugby with Llanelli Wanderers as a teenager but he damaged the AC joint in his shoulder whilst playing at Cardiff University and when it kept popping back out decided he had to call it a day with regard to playing.
So he decided to take up refereeing and officiated with the Cardiff Junior Union when he was in college and the Llanelli Junior Union when he was on holiday – and in 1958 was added to the WRU list at the age of 23 and he started to ref games involving the likes of Maesteg and Cardiff, where he saw at close hand the superb skills of Barry John, local derbies like Neath versus Aberavon, Swansea versus Bridgend and Pontypool versus Neath.
Magic Moments
He went on exchange visits to referee games at Lansdowne Road in Ireland and Newcastle up north – and his biggest honour came in 1969 when he asked to be touch judge for the Welsh versus England match at the Arms Park. Irish official Paddy D’Arcy was in charge and Brian knew that should there be an injury to Paddy he would be required to take over but that didn’t happen and he enjoyed a wonderful day which started when he had to use the same changing room as the Welsh players because there were alterations being made at the ground. Welsh coach Clive Rowlands introduced him to the Welsh team, which included the likes of JPR Williams, Gareth Edwards, Barry John, Mervyn Davies, Keith Jarrett, Dai Morris, John Taylor and Delme Thomas, to name a few of them. He was part of the official team photograph for the day and Maurice Richards grabbed four tries in a 30-9 victory for Wales, and the post-match dinner was also memorable to complete a perfect day for Brian. He still has the photograph of his big day and it also appears in ‘A History of Welsh Rugby Players’ by Wayne Thomas.
Crash tackle and a journey back in time
Another photograph which invokes a chuckle is of a match between West Wales and Fiji where Brian was touch judge and the image captures Bernard Thomas and a Fijian player crashing Brian to the ground in front of a huge crowd of school children!
Matches weren’t always so dramatic but were usually enjoyable because they involved a great deal of travel since there were few cars about. For example, a visit to Pembroke would have Brian catching the 9.30am train from Llanelli often changing trains at Carmarthen and/or Whitland, which arrived in Pembroke at noon.
He would be met by the club secretary and taken home for a light lunch and then they would walk up to Crickmarren for the match- and afterwards it would be back to the Eastgate Hotel for a couple of pints and a scurry back up the road to the station for the 6.50pm mail train, changing at Carmarthen and arrival back in Llanelli at 9pm. What a different world from the hustle and bustle of today!
He refereed until he was 44 and says he wouldn’t have missed a moment of his 21 years as an official, with the same sentiment expressed with regard to his involvement with Haverfordwest RFC. At 74 years young he is just happy to carry on being involved in any way he can for Haverfordwest RFC and they will certainly be glad to use his expertise and commitment for some time yet because Brian Stephens is now a Blue through and through!!
| 
