No-one could ever accuse Andrew Gazzi of shirking a challenge.
He played rugby at first-class level for Maesteg in the 1980s, a time when forwards attended rucks in great numbers, space there was aplenty on the field and coaches fielded press enquiries from the works canteen rather than via a Zoom media conference. If there were win bonuses, they came in the form of an extra token for post-match beers — five pints instead of four, perhaps.
A different world, then.
The scrum-half’s days as a serious player ended because of a knee problem in his mid-30s. But last weekend, at the age of 61, he could be found on the field once again, playing for Gorseinon against Gowerton in a 2nd XV fixture. Nor was it a cameo appearance.
Gazzi, the Gorseinon club’s president and treasurer, played for the full 80 minutes.
What is there to say? A US judge once declared: “When I was 40 my doctor advised that a man in his 40s shouldn’t play tennis. I heeded his advice carefully and could hardly wait until I reached 50 to start playing again.” Has Gazzi been taking from a similar playbook?
“I just help out if we’re short,” he laughed. “Last weekend was a last-minute thing. The night before we had about 20 players, but a few didn’t turn up on game day. Cancelling wouldn't have been fair on the 12 or 13 who were there. Gowerton, in fairness, would have played 12 against 12 or 13 against 13, but it’s obviously better to play 15 against 15. So we found some boys.
“It wasn’t only myself. There was a gentleman who hadn’t played rugby for 20 years. He was in his 40s. He put his kit on and I found him a pair of a size 10 boots. There was another boy who came on just early in the second half after we lost a player to injury. He was well into his 50s. By the end, it was Dad’s Army out there.”
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The former owner of the Diamond Holidays company continued: “I try to keep myself fit, running 5k most days and doing exercises two or three times a week — press-ups, sit-ups and stuff. I’m in semi-retirement now. I do a couple of days a week delivering for Asda. That also helps me to look after myself, as well.”
Even so, not every club president could have done what Gazzi did last weekend. But in these days of player shortages in Welsh rugby the man himself still takes his boots along to matches.
Earlier this term he acted as a replacement for an Admiral Division One West league game against Aberystwyth. His services were not required on the pitch that day, but with a cluster of drop-outs for the date with Gowerton, he didn’t think twice about venturing into his car boot, dusting down the aforementioned footwear and taking to the field.
Never mind the following morning — when WalesOnline caught up with him six days later, he was still feeling the after-effects of facing players who, in some cases, were a generation or three younger.
“I’m still aching,” he said. “On the Sunday morning, I was like a board, from my neck and shoulders down to my lower back. My legs and back are fine now, but my shoulders and neck are still pretty stiff because that’s where the contact is the biggest.
“People say I must be mad, but I enjoyed it. Gowerton had quite a few young boys in their side — a few Ospreys U17s and U18s, I think, looking for games. It was very physical and a young and active game.
“They ran away with it in the end by something like 42-15. It was probably due to fitness. There were four of us who were well over 40. I had quite a few comments during the game from the opposition. ‘Old man’ was the most common. I’m pretty competitive and gave some of the stick back.”
Turn back the clock 35 years or so and Gazzi was in a Maesteg squad which contained the likes of Gwyn Evans, Leighton O’Connor, Chris Davies, Jeff Pope, Peter Francis, Allan Bateman, Mike Hall and Dai Arthur (you can read more about the Old Parish here ).
He also had a dalliance with Llanelli before he returned to the club where it all started for him, namely Gorseinon.
“I finished playing for Gorseinon at 34 or 35 because my knee was giving me problems," he said. “I was told I’d need further surgery to carry on playing. But I took the decision to pack in.
“I don’t know what happened when I reached 50. Perhaps it was a mid-life crisis or whatever, but I started training and running again. Over the years, I got fitter and fitter and my body got stronger and I just felt as if I wanted to play again.
“I played a few games for the seconds. My first match back was against Bonymaen up there. I lasted only about 30 seconds after their No. 8 hit me on the nose and cut it across the top. I was 53 to 54 then.”
The battle is the pleasure, perhaps.
His Maesteg days were hugely enjoyable at senior level. “One year ourselves and Pontypool were at the top of the table and we played at the Old Parish in front of a crowd of thousands, I caught the ball from the kick-off, got up and all my jersey was ripped on the back where the Pontypool boys had rucked me off the ground," said Gazzi, a terrier of a nine in his prime.
“The crowd were shocked by it. We had a good side. Gwyn Evans was brilliant, a total professional even in those days. He played for Wales and the Lions and deservedly so. I remember walking into the changing rooms and not many boys had six-packs in those days, but he did. He was the first person I’d seen with a six-pack, a very fit person and a great player.
“Has the game changed? Of course it has at the top level, especially. Even at a lower level it’s different, more physical and with less space, with fewer people committing to rucks and mauls. You can barely call them rucks anymore. The rest of the players are just marking you.
“It’s probably easier to play scrum-half now, because they can’t touch you, but when you’re on your feet you face a wall of big forwards, so it’s rare that you can go blind or open. As most scrum-halves now do, you just pass the ball to the outside-half and it all starts from there. Unfortunately, even then, it’s still a wall of defence.
“One of the big problems is that even at Division One level some players are getting paid quite a bit. Gorseinon rugby club will never pay a player. We don’t believe in it. But there are lots of clubs from our division upwards who are paying and therefore the level of fitness and strength of those boys is much greater than it used to be.
“It’s a concern because unless you have a body that can cope, then it’s dangerous to play, because of the injuries that could occur. And the type of rugby we play, with the jackal — my God, it’s such a dangerous position to be in, with your neck at risk. Especially at our level. You can get hit from any angle and injuries can occur.
“The old game was hard, but it was more open and you could make more breaks. Now, it’s more of a physical and attritional game. If the attrition works, you get gaps on the outside; if it doesn’t it’s very hard to make a breakthrough.”
As a club, Gorseinon look to maintain values and an ethos that some feel are in danger of going out of fashion. “We still play for fun,” said Gazzi. “We are lucky in that we have a group of boys from the community who are good mates but plenty of other clubs are not so lucky. You hear tales of boys going back to their clubs, having food and leaving. We’re not like that. We are a community club.
“I think the playing side is dwindling to an extent, with some clubs losing their youth teams. The game will survive, but there’s so much choice today. People have other options and we just have to try to keep rugby popular. It’s very hard for the Welsh Rugby Union but they have to look at participation, especially with Wales being at the football World Cup. Maybe that’s harmed it. Young boys find it easier to play football than they do rugby.”
And what of Gazzi’s playing career? Will he go again, as they say?
"If we are low on numbers and struggling to make up a side, I’ll have a go," he said. “A couple of years ago, I used to bring my boots down and expect to play. Now, I put them in the boot and if they’re short, I will play. It’s something I still enjoy.”
Age shall not wither. Over-60s everywhere, take heart.
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