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Robert Johns – an All Black through and through
At 56 years of age there is no-one who typifies the spirit of Neyland RFC more than Robert Johns because he is not only vice-chairman of the All Blacks but also looks after the second team and does the first aid.
Robert was still playing prop at 53 and admits now that if they were short of a front row man he would still step in because he is an All Black through and through.
County chairman
As if that is not enough work with regard to the oval ball game, Robert is also in his second term as chairman of the Pembroke County Club which has recently started out again with matches early in September to celebrate 125 years of Llangwm RFC and the official opening of their new stand and changing rooms complex, plus a match against Haverfordwest RFC.
In that last game at Fishguard he played in the front row and although they were a man short throughout the match, they still won to send Robert out on a winning note.
Long time ago
Looking back now it all seems a long time since he set out in the 1970/71 season, playing for the youth team and the second XV (because you didn’t need to be 18 then). He found from the start that he could prop on both sides but preferred being loose head, and was soon playing for the first team alongside real characters of the calibre of Peter Roberts, Gerald Charles, Les Rossiter and John Greggain. Lee Jones and Jonathan Harries were outstanding prospects who went off ‘up the line’ and Rob eventually settled into a compact, mobile and deceptively strong front row that had Tony Huddleston as hooker and Robert Griffiths as the other prop for a number of seasons.
Long first team stint
Robert enjoyed almost 25 years of first team rugby and he always had good battles with the likes of Graham Evans (Haverfordwest), Gavin Lloyd (Pembroke Dock Quins) and Richard ‘Badger’ Johns (Pembroke). Another great opponent was the late Derek Coles of Haverfordwest and with all these props Robert would enjoy a pint and a chat – and even before games there might be a few words against Haverfordwest when Graham Evans and P J Thomas would ask him on which side of the scrum he would be playing – although he would make them hang on until the first scrum to find out!
Local rugby best
Perhaps that is why Robert would be strongly in favour of a return for most local clubs to a Pembrokeshire League.
“Travel has increased so much and it is hard for people who work on Saturday mornings to be ready in time,” says Rob, “and teams come to us, have food and a quick pint so we never have chance to meet, and bar takings suffer.”
“Our local derbies now are brilliant and show how it used to be, so perhaps one day we might get back to matches against all our local opposition.”
Ask him about characters within his own club and he would say that there are too many to mention but when pushed said,
“John Laugharne has put in loads of work as secretary and Dennis Stolliday has been a willing worker, whilst on the rugby front Steve Evans is a good coach, Mathew Williams led by example as captain last season and Peter ‘Jack’ Davies has done so much work with the junior set-up.”
Other interests
Robert enjoys watching other sports and cycles twice a week to make sure that he maintains his fitness. He receives superb support from his wife Shirley, who is interested in the farming community and was the first-ever lady president of the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Show, with Mr Johns as her consort, looking resplendent in suit, tie and bowler hat!
But it is rugby that remains as his main interest outside his family and Robert would tell you,
“I may not have a heap of trophies but so many memories of colleagues, opponents and matches. I’ve loved being involved at Neyland and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
What he doesn’t say is all the positives he has brought to the club – and there is no doubt that Neyland RFC is in very good hands with people of the calibre of Robert Johns.
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