In Strength And Shadow - The Mervyn Davies Story

Product Description

Few rugby players have matched the achievements of Welshman Mervyn Davies, the shrewd, gutsy number 8 with the heart of a lion. In what was a remarkable career, he won two Grand Slams, three Triple Crowns, earned thirty-eight consecutive Wales caps, was captain of his national team & played in two victorious Lions tours. From the tail end of the 1960s through the first half of the glorious '70s period, ' Merv the Swerve'
- with that mop of black hair & trademark headband
- cut an iconic figure in the world's great rugby arenas. Teammates & opponents respected him, fans loved him & he was a natural leader of men both on & off the field. Then, in March 1976, everything changed. Mervyn was leading Swansea in a semi-final cup clash when he suffered a massive brain haemorrhage. He began that fateful Sunday preparing for just another high-profile game but ended it fighting for his life. Wales, & the watching sporting world, could do nothing but wait & hope. & just when the odds seemed stacked irreversibly against him, Mervyn did what he had always done: he beat them. Mervyn's life story is one of what was & what might have been. From locker-room tales to the loneliness of rehabilitation, Mervyn's account is funny, moving & honest. He writes about his many highs & lows, about losing rugby but regaining his life, & shares his thoughts on the days he spent in shadow & in strength.