Wales' autumn opener against New Zealand marked the first Welsh rugby international since the death of the voice of Welsh rugby, Eddie Butler.
The former Wales captain and highly-respected broadcaster died suddenly in his sleep aged 65 in September, on a fundraising trek in Peru. His death prompted an outpouring of grief among not just his family, friends and colleagues, but the wider Welsh public (and beyond) who had taken in some of Welsh rugby's finest moments in the company of Butler, on commentary.
A special tribute was paid to both Butler and Welsh rugby legend Phil Bennett inside a packed Principality Stadium on Saturday. Wales' autumn curtain-raiser against the All Blacks was also the first time the men in red have played at home since Bennett's death aged 73 in June, with Wales having toured South Africa in July.
Read more: Eddie Butler was the voice of Welsh rugby and the game will never quite sound the same without him
Just before the anthems and haka, Butler's voice was boomed out into the stadium while a video montage featuring him and Bennett was played to fans in the ground, with Butler's epic commentary clips provoking emotions for so many.
TV cameras then panned to Butler's normal seat in the stadium's broadcast gantry, which was left empty and adorned with a cover emblazoned with his name and the rugby teams he ran out for: Wales, the British and Irish Lions, Pontypool, Cambridge and Crawshays.
A commentary microphone was also poignantly placed on the desk he would have used, while a photo montage of Butler and Bennett was displayed on the desk's monitor.
Commentator Andrew Cotter, working on Amazon Prime Video's coverage of the game, said: "Eddie will be greatly missed as a colleague and a friend, and Phil Bennett as well."
Players, staff and fans applauded as both men who did so much for Welsh rugby on and off the field were remembered.
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