BBC pundits Jonathan Davies and Sam Warburton have paid touching tributes to the late great Eddie Butler, having worked alongside the former Wales captain turned commentator at the BBC.
Butler played 16 times for Wales between 1980 and 1984 and become a much-loved broadcaster for the BBC following his retirement. He tragically passed away last year at the age of 65 while on a charity trek in Peru and the BBC paid tribute to Butler ahead of the first Six Nations without him on commentary.
Former Wales fly-half Davies admitted it would be an emotional experience commentating on a Six Nations game without Butler alongside him. "Having spent 25 years with Eddie on a Friday and a Sunday, he was such a gentle, loving, caring man and so talented," he said.
"To step into Bill McLaren's boots... everyone said it was not possible but he was his own man, he did it his own way. He loved the pause and let the pictures do the talking and then when he spoke he brought the pictures to life.
"The suddenness of what happened to him shocked us all and when I walk into the commentary box today... it'll be very, very different." Former Wales captain Warburton, meanwhile, said it was a "tickbox moment" getting to commentate alongside Butler having grown up listening to him.
"I grew up watching the Six Nations at home and I grew up to Eddie's voice," Warburton said. "Then when I'm playing and you watch the games back he's saying my name and it's quite a surreal thing.
"Then when I finished playing, I go in the commentary box with him. That was one of the most nerve-racking things I did post career, doing commentary with Eddie Butler. That was like a real tickbox moment for me. I was really proud I did that."
A memorial service was held for Butler at Abergavenny Market, Monmouthshire ahead of Wales' Six Nations opener against Ireland, with around 700 people in attendance. Former England star Jeremy Guscott was among those who attended, having worked alongside Butler for many years at the BBC.
"He was a guy you could go to to talk about things you couldn't with other people," Guscott said. "And also his voice. He had an unique way of describing the game."
