The great man in action

By Mike Pearce - @MPsportsdragon
August 16 2015

To wet your appetite for the upcoming interview, Mike Pearce has written an article on the man himself.   Really good read, please enjoy.

TERRY'S ALL GOLD

When Gareth Edwards retired from international rugby in 1978 my world caved in

Gareth was my hero, obviously I was not alone in the worshipping of the man from Gwaun cae Gurwen, but I never thought my affections for a Wales scrum half could ever be matched, such was the esteem in which I held Gareth 

Little did I think , seven years later I would feel these heart wrenching emotions once again, when a certain Terry Holmes limped from the field at Cardiff Arms Park as Wales played Fiji on a damp November day.

It was Terry's last game in rugby union before signing for Rugby league side Bradford Northern

When Gareth retired it was assumed that Brynmor Williams would step seamlessly into the number 9 shirt for Wales, and stay their for many years to come, so when Wales took Brynmor and a young twenty one year old Cardiff scrum half Terry Holmes onto their summer tour to Australia , it was very much taken as read that Williams had nailed down the jersey for both of the tests

Brynmor played in the 1st test but Terry got the nod in the 2nd test where such was Wales' injury list that JPR Williams was selected as flanker for the match.

Wales lost two brutal tests , but this was the tour that launched a globally unknown Terry Holmes on to the world rugby stage 

This also proved to be a new era for scrum halves, physically.

These were the days when "an exit strategy " was called a clearance kick, and the only way you could tell that a prop was running was by the expression on his face.

Prior to 1978 the number 9 shirt was worn, generally by small stocky men around 5ft 9ins' Terry broke the mould and set a pattern that continues to this very day, at 6ft 1 and with his undoubted strength he became an extra back row forward, and his charges for the try line from five meters out were virtually impossible to defend

As captain of Wales he led from the front and at a time when Wales were not particularly successful, he often seemed to be carrying the fight single handedly

I am not detailing Terry's career in detail here, that would take too late long, and statistics do not tell the tale of how he was adored in his beloved Cardiff, and indeed the whole of Wales, but there were some great moments for Wales

Particularly when Holmes (and Moriarty) featured in Wales famous victory over Australia,  at The Arms Park in 1983, by 18 points to 13, and he should also have had a famous win against the All Blacks on his CV ,which was cruelty taken away , when Andy Haden dived out of a line out in 1978, which gave New Zealand a penalty shot to win the match 13-12.

Terence David Holmes played twenty five times for Wales and score nine tries.

He went on two British Lions tours to New Zealand in 1983 and South Africa in 1980, returning early from both tours due to injury.

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Mike will be writing further articles over coming months, which I will be sharing on these sites, please look out of them and enjoy.