Phil Bennett was many things: one of the true rugby greats, a proud Felinfoel native, a Llanelli RFC servant, a family man, a gentleman.
He was also someone who possessed a remarkable sense of fair play, one which set him apart from his peers, and that is perfectly illustrated in none other than the All Blacks' return to Stradey Park in 1980.
But first, it is necessary to hark back two years earlier to 1978, when Wales were robbed of victory over New Zealand in the greatest of injustices. All Blacks legend Andy Haden, the formidable ex-captain who died in 2020, was at the centre of it all, for he and lock Frank 'Filth' Oliver were involved in the dive out of a lineout which saw Wales wrongly penalised and beaten 13-12 by a last-minute penalty at Cardiff Arms Park.
English referee Roger Quittenton fell for their gamesmanship, awarding a kick at goal which replacement full-back Brian McKechnie nailed to deny Wales’ stars of the 1970s of an historic win. Haden, who played 117 matches and 41 Tests for the All Blacks between 1972 and 1985, later admitted: “Frank and I practised it the day before.”
Forty-four years have passed since that day and many still won't have forgotten the controversy, so having just two years to do so would have been impossible. Thus, memories of Wales being robbed were fresh in 1980 when the All Blacks headed for Stradey on October 21, 1980 — and the last thing Welsh rugby needed at the time was another bombshell incident against the Kiwis.
Cut to the on-field action, and Scottish referee Alan Hosie is sending off New Zealand lock Graeme Higginson for stamping, clearly pointing to the touchline after the offence. The match's result was still in the balance, but rather than savour the one-man advantage, Bennett chose to preserve the game's old values with an instinctive intervention in front of 20,000 fans.
Along with centre Ray Gravell, the fly-half rushed to the official to make an impassioned plea to the ref to change his mind, despite his own side having a faint chance of even drawing the match. Even so, the sending off would have somewhat spoiled the occasion. Of course, Higginson stayed on, with Hosie later claiming he had not actually decided to send the All Black off.
"That was the centenary season of Welsh rugby and the last thing we needed was another major incident involving New Zealand," the late Bennett once said of the incident. "The spirit of the game was what mattered more than anything else."
Llanelli RFC went on to taste a 16-10 defeat, but provided the closest encounter of New Zealand's seven tour matches, with only a six-point margin, while Llanelli were leading 10-3 at the break.
Grant Batty, the All Blacks wing, is reported to have sent Bennett a letter of thanks for his diplomatic influence, saying: "Thanks for your attitude and action. Your gesture has done a hell of a lot to restore sanity between New Zealand and Welsh rugby."
The great man's influence was felt the rugby world over, and rightly so.
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