Andy Powell – A rebel-rouser if ever there was one!

 

When Andy Powell came as a guest speaker in a ‘Sports Evening’ at the Neyland Athletic Club venue,  now known as the Neyland Community Hub I was asked to be the MC, a job I have come to enjoy doing, but to be honest I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
 
Of course, like a lot of other people, I had already formed an opinion of this Welsh rugby international flanker, based on the 2010 incident that occurred when Andy celebrated Wales’ narrow win over Scotland by taking a golf buggy from the Welsh RFC facility in the early hours of the next morning and driving up the M4 Motorway near the nearby junction 34. –
 
After eventually being stopped by the police he was heavily fined and banned from driving, and perhaps worst of all, he was removed from the Welsh squad!
 

Very reassuring about his material for the evening

 
So, when I met him backstage before the event started, I was relieved to find Mr Powell as a friendly and eager-to-please individual who exuded a raw power from a mighty frame, and who gave the impression from the outset that he wanted paying customers to enjoy a special evening with him.
 
As usual in this role, I asked him if there were any issues he wished to avoid and his answer was immediate, that people in the audience had paid good money to be there and he was happy to speak on any issue.
 
I had been asked by several couples there if he used any ‘blue’ language so I asked  him about that and he assured me that he didn’t use bad language, unless it was in context - and I was super-reassured, although I couldn’t help wondering they had come if that was a worry because some former internationals, and referees, regularly throw in the ‘F’ word!
 

A rapturous welcome and interesting details about his earlier rugby days

 
He was given a rapturous welcome by a friendly Neyland crowd and he started off by telling them about his background, from the time he attended Llandovery College, and played for the town’s first team before joining Newport, where he played 50 matches.
 
Then there were times with the Wales under 21 squad, and then with Cardiff, where he played 63 games, and then Wales senior team from 2008 to 2012, starting off with a debut against South Africa, where he was chosen as man of the match.
 
He was also selected for the British Lions on the 2009 tour of South Africa and played five matches but missed out on selection for the three tests.
 

Incredibly ‘rude’ answer to an innocuous question

 
Then he had a breather before we started our question-and-answer session and an early question was about his most interesting moments and he told a story about his time with The Lions in South Africa that was comfortably the ‘Bluest’ saga I have ever heard!
 
Even some of the tough old die-hards from the All-Blacks old-timers looked stunned and one lady, who was there with her disabled son, asked me afterwards to explain what he was talking about and I managed to provide an answer that was the tallest story I have ever told so that she went away saying it had been a lovely night!
 

And finally . . .

 
Andy went on to suffer shoulder injuries but not before he also played for Wasps (21), Sale Sharks (38) and the Dragons (10), as well as being one of only three British players in a Barbarians’ team that played the legendary All Blacks.
 
He also played rugby league in the twilight of his rugby career and made a handful of appearances for Wigan Warriors at a time when they were still one of the best teams in the game - but sadly he will always be remembered best for his buggy trip up yet M4!
 
And me? I thought he was a good-natured character whom I enjoyed meeting - and it was certainly an interesting evening I will never forget!