Mike Watkins
Encyclopedia
Michael "Spikey" John Watkins (born 9 January 1952 in Abercarn
) is a former Welsh
rugby union
player who won four caps for as a hooker. He played club rugby for Cardiff
and Newport and county rugby for Monmouthshire
.
area, including Cwmcarn Youth, Gwent Schools and South Monmouthshire Schools. After spending two seasons with Crumlin
, Watkins moved to first class team Cardiff. Two years after joining Cardiff, Watkins gained his first Welsh trial in 1977. In 1979, Watkins was selected for the Welsh tour of Australia, though he was not chosen for either of the two tests. Watkins was selected for the Wales B team several times during the 1970s, but did not gain his first full cap until 1984 when he had switched club to Newport.
Watkins gained his first international cap in a match against Ireland as part of the 1984 Five Nations Championship
. Watkins did not only represent his country he was also given the captaincy, making him only the fourth Welsh player to be given the captain's role on his debut. The Welsh and Watkins were victorious, beating the Irish 18-9 at Lansdowne Road
. Watkins played a further three games for Wales, all as captain. His final game was against the touring Australian team in 1984 at the Cardiff Arms Park
. Watkins resigned from international rugby in 1984, along with past Welsh captains, Eddie Butler
and Gareth Davies.
Abercarn
Abercarn is a small town community in Caerphilly county borough, Wales, 10 miles north-west of Newport on the A467 between Cwmcarn and Newbridge, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire.-History:...
) is a former Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who won four caps for as a hooker. He played club rugby for Cardiff
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
and Newport and county rugby for Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire County RFC
Monmouthshire County RFC is a Welsh rugby union club that manages an invitational team, known as Monmouthshire that originally played rugby at county level...
.
Rugby career
Watkins played rugby from a young age, and represented several youth and school teams from the NewportNewport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
area, including Cwmcarn Youth, Gwent Schools and South Monmouthshire Schools. After spending two seasons with Crumlin
Crumlin RFC
Crumlin Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the village of Crumlin near Caerphilly in Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons....
, Watkins moved to first class team Cardiff. Two years after joining Cardiff, Watkins gained his first Welsh trial in 1977. In 1979, Watkins was selected for the Welsh tour of Australia, though he was not chosen for either of the two tests. Watkins was selected for the Wales B team several times during the 1970s, but did not gain his first full cap until 1984 when he had switched club to Newport.
Watkins gained his first international cap in a match against Ireland as part of the 1984 Five Nations Championship
1984 Five Nations Championship
The 1984 Five Nations Championship was the fifty-fifth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the ninetieth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
. Watkins did not only represent his country he was also given the captaincy, making him only the fourth Welsh player to be given the captain's role on his debut. The Welsh and Watkins were victorious, beating the Irish 18-9 at Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
. Watkins played a further three games for Wales, all as captain. His final game was against the touring Australian team in 1984 at the Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
. Watkins resigned from international rugby in 1984, along with past Welsh captains, Eddie Butler
Eddie Butler
Eddie Butler is an Israeli singer. He was born in Dimona and is one of 11 brothers and sisters. His parents came to Israel from Chicago after long wanderings. They belong to the Black Hebrew Israelite community....
and Gareth Davies.