Mervyn Davies

This article is about the rugby player. For the former banker and UK government minister, see Mervyn Davies, Baron Davies of Abersoch.

Mervyn Davies

Full name	Thomas Mervyn Davies
Date of birth	December 9, 1946 (1946-12-09)
Place of birth	Swansea, Wales
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	108 kg (17 st 0 lb)
School	Penlan County School
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Number eight
Amateur clubs
Years	Club / team
1968-1972 1972-1976	London Welsh RFC Swansea RFC Barbarian F.C. Surrey
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1969–1976 1971–1974	Wales British Lions	38 8	(7) (0)

Thomas Mervyn "Merv the Swerve" Davies (born 9 December 1946 in Swansea), is a former Welsh rugby union player who won 38 caps for Wales as a No. 8.

Davies was born in Swansea, where he attended Penlan County School.

Davies joined London Welsh in 1968, later moving to Swansea. He won his first cap for Wales in 1969 against Scotland, going on to play 38 consecutive matches for Wales and scoring two tries. During this period Wales won two Grand Slams and three Triple Crowns. He went on the British and Irish Lions tours to New Zealand in 1971 and to South Africa in 1974, playing in eight tests. In a total of 46 international appearances for Wales and the Lions he only ended on the losing side nine times.

Tall and slight of frame, he grew a Mexican moustache to make himself appear more aggressive on the rugby field. He was nicknamed "Merv the Swerve" and is considered by some to be the greatest Number 8 that Wales has ever produced and one of its greatest at any position.

His career was ended by an intra-cranial haemorrhage suffered when captaining Swansea against Pontypool in 1976. He had collapsed during a game on another occasion, four years earlier, and had been wrongly diagnosed with meningitis. Following the second incident he was a patient in the University Hospital of Wales for several months, and received goodwill messages from all over the world.

In a poll of Welsh Rugby fans in 2002, Davies was voted both Greatest Ever Welsh Captain and Greatest Ever Welsh Number 8. In 2001 he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.

Sources

• Mervyn Davies & David Roach - In Strength and Shadow (Mainstream, 2005)
• The Mervyn Davies Story (BBC2, September 2007)