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Former Wales captain and cult legend Mike 'Spikey' Watkins dies as tributes paid

Former Wales captain Mike 'Spikey' Watkins has died at the age of 73. The former Cardiff and Newport hooker won four caps for his country in 1984, having had to wait until the age of 32 to make his Test debut against Ireland. All four of his long-awaited caps were, remarkably, as captain. Watkins passed away in Bangkok, where he had been living for around two decades. It's understood he had recently suffered a bad fall that had required surgery. Confirming the news, the Dragons paid tribute, posting on social media: "Everyone at Dragons RFC is deeply saddened by the passing of Mike 'Spike' Watkins. A true Man of Gwent, who played for Newport RFC, Crumlin & Monmouthshire, and captained Wales on his debut. "Uncompromising & a leader on the field, hugely popular character off it." Watkins had played rugby from a young age in the Newport area, playing for the likes of Cwmcarn Youth, Gwent Schools and South Monmouthshire Schools. After two years with Crumlin, Watkins joined Cardiff. He would go on to play 118 games for the club between 1976 and 1981. It was during his time at the Arms Park that he earned his first Wales trial in 1977. The following year, he was selected for the Welsh tour of Australia - although he was not chosen in either Test. He would sit on the bench behind Bobby Windsor for 17 Wales Tests without getting on, while he was also selected for Wales B several times during the 1970s. However, he would have to wait until 1984 for his first full cap. By that point, he was playing for Newport - making 229 appearances for the club from 1981 to 1987. Watkins became just the fourth Welshman at that point to be handed the captaincy on his debut, as Wales ran out 18-9 victors over Ireland at Lansdowne Road. “I got selected with the help of the press and supporters and, in particular, Charlie Faulkner, who was my coach at Newport at the time,” he told WalesOnline in 2020 . “Charlie wouldn’t let me give up hope. He used to say ‘Look, you are a lot younger than when I had my first cap’. “He lobbied and lobbied and lobbied. He was a great ally. It had been a long wait. I was 32. I can say that now. I wouldn’t say it at the time. “I would tell them I was about 29. I used to be a bit vague. Charlie always told me to lie about my age. He would say ‘Don’t ever be over 29 mind, because the b*******s won’t pick you. They will write you off’. “He was very protective like that.” Watkins also led the national side to victory over England at Twickenham the following month, while there were further outings as skipper against France and Australia, as well as an uncapped game versus a WRU Presidents XV, before the curtain came down on his international career. Watkins played twice for the Barbarians in 1984, while he narrowly missed out on a place on the 1980 British and Irish Lions tour. “In all seriousness, the one real regret would be not going on the Lions tour to South Africa in 1980," he told WalesOnline previously. “I was first choice in Cardiff and yet Alan Phillips got picked to go. That was down to RH Williams. When we were out in France for a Wales B game, the boys were messing about with bottles and I told them to stop and took the bottles, but one of them fell. RH looked over and thought I was to blame. “Before he died, he told me he was the one that had blocked my path to go on the Lions trip. He said he was sorry and that he knew me better by then and I was a good guy.” After he finished playing, he had spells coaching Pontypridd , Rumney and Newbridge - before moving to Thailand later in life after meeting his wife, Maew. Former Newport full-back and BBC Scrum V commentator Phil Steele paid tribute on social media, saying: "So very sad to hear of the death in Thailand of former Wales hooker Mike “Spike” Watkins. "A lionhearted player and great character - the best captain I ever played under. "The type of bloke I thought would live forever. RIP." Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here for all the breaking news. You can also follow us on social media on our X account , Facebook , Instagram and TikTok. For more exclusive stories and in-depth analysis, you can sign up for the Inside Welsh Rugby substack newsletter here.

Ben James •
Former Wales captain and cult legend Mike 'Spikey' Watkins dies as tributes paid

Former Wales captain Mike 'Spikey' Watkins has died at the age of 73. The former Cardiff and Newport hooker won four caps for his country in 1984, having had to wait until the age of 32 to make his Test debut against Ireland. All four of his long-awaited caps were, remarkably, as captain. Watkins passed away in Bangkok, where he had been living for around two decades. It's understood he had recently suffered a bad fall that had required surgery. Confirming the news, the Dragons paid tribute, posting on social media: "Everyone at Dragons RFC is deeply saddened by the passing of Mike 'Spike' Watkins. A true Man of Gwent, who played for Newport RFC, Crumlin & Monmouthshire, and captained Wales on his debut. "Uncompromising & a leader on the field, hugely popular character off it." Watkins had played rugby from a young age in the Newport area, playing for the likes of Cwmcarn Youth, Gwent Schools and South Monmouthshire Schools. After two years with Crumlin, Watkins joined Cardiff. He would go on to play 118 games for the club between 1976 and 1981. It was during his time at the Arms Park that he earned his first Wales trial in 1977. The following year, he was selected for the Welsh tour of Australia - although he was not chosen in either Test. He would sit on the bench behind Bobby Windsor for 17 Wales Tests without getting on, while he was also selected for Wales B several times during the 1970s. However, he would have to wait until 1984 for his first full cap. By that point, he was playing for Newport - making 229 appearances for the club from 1981 to 1987. Watkins became just the fourth Welshman at that point to be handed the captaincy on his debut, as Wales ran out 18-9 victors over Ireland at Lansdowne Road. “I got selected with the help of the press and supporters and, in particular, Charlie Faulkner, who was my coach at Newport at the time,” he told WalesOnline in 2020 . “Charlie wouldn’t let me give up hope. He used to say ‘Look, you are a lot younger than when I had my first cap’. “He lobbied and lobbied and lobbied. He was a great ally. It had been a long wait. I was 32. I can say that now. I wouldn’t say it at the time. “I would tell them I was about 29. I used to be a bit vague. Charlie always told me to lie about my age. He would say ‘Don’t ever be over 29 mind, because the b*******s won’t pick you. They will write you off’. “He was very protective like that.” Watkins also led the national side to victory over England at Twickenham the following month, while there were further outings as skipper against France and Australia, as well as an uncapped game versus a WRU Presidents XV, before the curtain came down on his international career. Watkins played twice for the Barbarians in 1984, while he narrowly missed out on a place on the 1980 British and Irish Lions tour. “In all seriousness, the one real regret would be not going on the Lions tour to South Africa in 1980," he told WalesOnline previously. “I was first choice in Cardiff and yet Alan Phillips got picked to go. That was down to RH Williams. When we were out in France for a Wales B game, the boys were messing about with bottles and I told them to stop and took the bottles, but one of them fell. RH looked over and thought I was to blame. “Before he died, he told me he was the one that had blocked my path to go on the Lions trip. He said he was sorry and that he knew me better by then and I was a good guy.” After he finished playing, he had spells coaching Pontypridd , Rumney and Newbridge - before moving to Thailand later in life after meeting his wife, Maew. Former Newport full-back and BBC Scrum V commentator Phil Steele paid tribute on social media, saying: "So very sad to hear of the death in Thailand of former Wales hooker Mike “Spike” Watkins. "A lionhearted player and great character - the best captain I ever played under. "The type of bloke I thought would live forever. RIP." Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here for all the breaking news. You can also follow us on social media on our X account , Facebook , Instagram and TikTok. For more exclusive stories and in-depth analysis, you can sign up for the Inside Welsh Rugby substack newsletter here.

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