In the golden age of Welsh rugby during the 1970s, no player more personified the national side’s artistry and the passion for the sport than Phil Bennett. The mercurial Llanelli No 10, who has died aged 73 of throat cancer, came from a strong national tradition of fly-halfs.
At Llanelli he developed his game under the coaching genius of Carwyn James. Before long the 20-year-old Bennett was exchanging the scarlet jersey of Llanelli for a similarly hued jersey of Wales when he won a first cap as their first ever replacement for an injured player, Gerald Davies, at the Stade de Colombes, Paris, in 1969. He never touched the ball.
