Watkins, John

World Rugby Museum

There have been very few more dedicated and popular Gloucester players than John Watkins.  He was supremely fit, skilled at the break-down and very difficult to contain when he was in possession of the ball. He was club captain for three seasons from 1976-79, and County captain in 1976-77.  He also captained the Barbarians, making nine appearances in all.  He won seven England caps, but all Gloucester folk think it should have been many more.

John Arthur Watkins was born in St. Catherine’s Street, Gloucester, just a stone’s throw from Kingsholm on 28 November 1945, and attended Linden Secondary Modern School.  He was only 13 when he started playing for Gordon League junior teams.  Later, he would graduate to the full League team and score lots of tries playing on the wing.  He then moved into the forwards and came to Kingsholm at the start of the 1969-70 season.  John made his first appearance on 20 December 1969 against Coventry, and his first try came in April 1970 against Cheltenham.  Gloucester’s back-row that season was Gary White, Mike Potter and Dick Smith, so chances were few.

In the 1970-71 season John forced his way into the first fifteen at No.8, becoming a regular choice in the second half of the season, scoring a try in an outstanding 15-6 win over Cardiff.  The following season he moved to the blind-side, forming a formidable back row with Potter and Smith.  This was the season that Gloucester won the inaugural RFU Club Knock-Out Competition.  John played in every round, all away from home, including Gloucester’s famous win over the London Welsh team which was full of British Lions and Welsh Internationals.  The emotion generated by that victory resulted in some of the players being in tears after the final whistle, because Gloucester had not been given the slightest chance of winning.  The final against Moseley at Twickenham was an anti-climax, as the Midland club had a player sent off after five minutes, lost two more to injury, and finished the match with only 12 players.  Gloucester won the game 17-6.

John’s form in that 1971-72 season was so good that he was selected to go on England’s tour of South Africa, and in June he played in the single test against the Springboks.  It resulted in a famous England 18-9 victory.  At one point the Cornish prop “Stack” Stevens went off to have six stitches inserted into a gash in the head.  John had to take his place in the front-row.  Luckily, Stevens returned after only seven minutes.  The Times commented, “Stevens and Watkins epitomised the courage of the English.” Watkins played in tests against New Zealand and Wales in January 1973 and went on England’s tour of New Zealand in September of that year.  Again, England pulled off another fine win 16-10.  The Times again, “Neary and Watkins between them set a standard of back-row play which New Zealanders of recent years have seen equalled only by the great Springboks.”  Two months later John was in the England team which beat Australia at Twickenham.  In 1975 he won two further caps against France and Wales.

Meanwhile John continued in rich form for Gloucester.  In the 1972-73 season he scored hat-tricks against Cheltenham and Camborne and was the club’s top try scorer with 20.  The following season was the club’s centenary, and on 3 October 1973 there was a special game against an International XV.  John was in the Gloucester team which played a running brand of rugby, scoring five tries against their illustrious opponents, and won the game 24-14.

John was made club captain for the 1976-77 season.  Never flamboyant, John led by example.  There were away wins, 16-0 against Pontypool, and 32-6 at Wasps, where John scored two tries.  In March 182 points were scored in three successive games against Abertillery, Guy’s Hospital and most satisfying of all, 51-7 against Bath.  In addition, towards the end of the season Bristol were beaten 34-9 at the Memorial Ground.  Needless to say, John played in all those games.  He scored 17 tries in the regular season, and then six more on a close season tour of North America.  Not surprisingly John was made captain for another two seasons.

The 1977-78 season was very successful.  The same fifteen played through all rounds of the John Player Cup, with Gloucester winning the final against Leicester 6-3.  Richard Mogg scored the only try and Peter Butler converted from the touch line.  On the way to the final the Cherry and Whites had defeated Gosforth, the holders of the cup for the previous two seasons, 19-10 at Kingsholm.  In John’s final season as captain, there were good wins away to Newport 16-9, Cardiff 6-3 and the double completed over Newport with a 13-0 win at Kingsholm.  In March the touring Taranaki side from New Zealand were beaten 18-6, with John scoring a hat-trick.  Over the three seasons of his captaincy the Cherry and Whites won 114 of the 154 games played.

By 1980 John was approaching 35, and the regular club back-row became John Gadd, Mike Teague and Mike Longstaff.  John played fewer games, but still scored plenty of tries for the United.  His last game for the firsts was a single appearance in the 1982-83 season against Coventry on 18 December 1982.  John had made 389 appearances and scored 109 tries.

Watkins also had a long, successful career for Gloucestershire.  His first game was against Glamorgan on 20 September 1971.  From 1972 John was a regular in the county team.  He played in the 1973 Championship final against Lancashire, which was lost 12-17.  But from 1974 to 1976 John was in the team which won successive, finals against Lancashire 22-12, Eastern Counties 13-9 at Kingsholm, and Middlesex 24-9.  He captained the county in the 1976-77 season, where the team lost to Lancashire in the semi-final.  He made his last appearance for the county on 9 December 1978 against Middlesex in the semi-final played at Kingsholm.  John won 48 Gloucestershire caps, scoring five tries.

John played regularly against touring teams. In 1972 he played for Western Counties against New Zealand at Kingsholm.  The tourists won 39-12.  The following year the South & South-West took on Australia and won 15-14.  In 1975 the Australians were again the opponents, this time faced by Western Counties, but the tourists were the winners, and in 1978 he played for South & South-West against New Zealand.

As retirement approached John had done some coaching with his old club, Gordon League, and after his Gloucester career ended, he spent eight seasons coaching Bream in the Forest of Dean, followed by a further five with Longlevens.  He still turned out as a player, and only stopped when fifty years old.  Following this, John became a well-respected referee for many years.

Comments about this page

  • I was at Eden Park in 1973 when England defeated New Zealand and John had an outstanding match on that memorable day for England.

    By Dave Rowe (25/02/2023)
  • I idolised John as a young bloke nails hard and selfless . The reason I write this is I gave him my seat on a bus tonight and incredibly he remembered a less than average local rugby player.
    As humble as you could get. So after all these years a bloke who was average to say the most, recognises a great rugby player , a truly lovely bloke and a great Gloucester legend . I’ll remember that for a long time . Today it sounds old fashioned but respect is everything for the game and those who watch it and played it rarely understand

    By Glyn (09/04/2022)
  • The Heritage site has brought back many memories, not least when I played with John Watkins @ Gordon League in the late 60s before he went to Glos. An inspirational player who always gave 100%. When he and Mike Burton trained with us in their England track suits it gave us all a lift. Thanks John.

    By Rich Badham (12/05/2011)
  • Probably the most committed and dedicated Rugby player I ever saw. A real “honour” to be on the same field as him, and pleasure to be in his company off the field. Interestingly I only found out the other day that he was relatively late coming to Kingsholm, hence why he never made the 500 club!

    By Phil Pritchard (03/10/2010)
  • I remember a shopping trip in Glos in ’78, when I was just shy of eleven. I managed to catch Mr Watkins as he was cycling leisurely along Eastgate Street, and he kindly signed my scrap of paper and let me shake his hand. Still have the autograph. Legend

    By Alex (09/08/2010)
  • John is an absolute legend of the game and a true gentleman. I have been lucky enough to play in the same team as John not that many years ago and he was still a class player. I didn’t start playing rugby until my teenage years and if it wasn’t for John, I would never have kept playing.

    By Simon (05/05/2010)
  • Watkins, one of the most dynamic Elver Eaters ever, has a claim to fame shared by very few. In the space of twelve months he was in a winning England XV against South Africa and New Zealand in their own countries.

    By Harold Francis (22/12/2009)
  • This website is brilliant. John Watkins was my favourite player as a lad and I think it worth pointing out he captained the 1978 John Player Cup winning side.

    By Andrew Wise (30/11/2009)
  • It’s perhaps worth mentioning that John still loyally serves the game he loves as a referee – the local junior clubs regard themselves as fortunate and honoured to be allocated his services on a Saturday afternoon.

    By Malc King (17/08/2009)

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