Legendary Welsh Rugby Icon Courtenay Meredith Passes Away at 97
The Welsh rugby community is mourning the loss of a true icon, as former Wales and British and Irish Lions player Courtenay Meredith has passed away at the remarkable age of 97. Meredith was the last surviving member of the historic Wales team that defeated New Zealand in 1953 – a feat the nation has not replicated since.
Meredith, a formidable prop, toured South Africa with the Lions in 1955 and earned four Test caps as part of an all-Welsh front-row alongside Billy Williams and Bryn Meredith. He was the next all-Welsh front-row to play in a Lions Test, following Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees, and Adam Jones in 2009.
Widely regarded as one of the toughest players to don the Welsh jersey, Meredith packed down at both tight-head and loose-head for his beloved Neath club, earning 14 caps for his country. The crowning achievement of his illustrious career was the 13-8 victory over Bob Stuart’s New Zealand in 1953, when tries by Sid Judd and Ken Jones secured Wales’ third and, to date, final triumph over the All Blacks.
Two years later, Meredith was selected for the Lions’ tour to South Africa, playing in every Test as the visitors drew the four-match series 2-2.
Born in Pontypridd and educated at Neath Grammar School, Courtenay Meredith is rightly considered one of the finest Welsh front-row forwards of all time. In its heartfelt tribute, the Welsh Rugby Union expressed its “sincere condolences” to Meredith’s “friends and families” on this sombre occasion.
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