It is said of Regan King that some of the passes he threw out were so sweet they might have reached their destination coated with honey.
“What a player,” says former Wales, Lions, Scarlets, Ospreys and Clermont full-back Lee Byrne, in his book The Byrne Identity.
“He got just the one cap for New Zealand — against Wales in 2002 — but in any other country he’d have won a cabinet-full.
“I’ve never seen a guy with skills like it.
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“It would be no exaggeration to say that Regan got me into the Wales team. He just had this knack of putting other players into holes, producing a telling pass at just the right moment. “
Byrne went on to recall an incident when the pair played together at Clermont Auvergne. Scarlets legend King had broken clear of the defence and could have cruised in himself for a try, but instead opted to pass to the Welshman alongside him.
“I asked him afterwards why he’d done it,” Byrne says in his book. “'I just get more joy from watching other players score,’” came the reply.
And so we bring into the story Skewen RFC, operating in Division One West of the Welsh National League back in 2018 and indeed still in that section today. They are an amateur club who don’t pay players and boast a thriving minis and junior section, with around 230 youngsters coming through. They understand what they are about as a community club and fill the role brilliantly.
But in their 139-year history there is almost certainly only one occasion when an All Black donned their colours.
Regan King was a Neath player at the time.
Skewen’s chairman Richard Tristham recalls how the master playmaker came to don the club’s black and amber colours.
“We were short of players not long before Christmas in 2018 and we’d contacted Neath to see if we could permit a couple of their boys,” he says.
“If I remember correctly, we’d helped them out previously.
“Neath said: ‘No problem, we don’t have a game.' They offered us Aaron Bramwell, their full-back, and Regan King as a centre.
“They both came over.
“We couldn’t really believe it, that Regan King, an All Black, was going to be playing for Skewen.
“But he did play and we had a really good game against Waunarlwydd.
“As you can imagine, the Waunarlwydd players were, like: ‘What’s going on here?’"
But doubtless the visitors to Tennant Park had a few stories to take back to The Waun clubhouse that evening four winters ago.
The New Zealander wearing the No. 12 shirt helped set up three of Skewen’s five tries in a 31-7 win but it was never a case of the opposition saying: “After you, Mr King.”
In front of a crowd of around 150 to 200, tackles came the then 38-year-old’s way and so did charges.
“A few of their boys ran at him and there were a few late hits,” laughed Tristham, “but it was nothing serious and Regan was brilliant.
“He took the game in his stride, showing his class and linking everything together. The boys around him really improved with him in the middle.
“He just had this ability to create space, bringing a lot of our boys onto the ball and giving them room they wouldn’t have had otherwise.
“Even as old as he was when he played for us, he was still a class above.”
Nor did King make his excuses and rush away after the game.
Instead, he mixed with his team-mates and opponents, had pictures taken and enjoyed a few beers and a post-match meal.
“Regan had a bite to eat and a couple of pints afterwards," said Tristham. "A few of the kids had photographs taken with him and we presented him with a signed jersey.
“He was very down to earth and happy to play in a local rugby game. There were no airs or graces about him.
“After the match, you wouldn’t have thought he was the rugby player he was. He chatted with the lads and there was no ego. In fact, he was almost embarrassed when we presented him with a jersey.
“I think he had a good time.
“Our boys enjoyed it and I think the Waunarlwydd lads did as well. After all, it’s not every day players at our level get to play with or against an All Black.
“For Skewen, it was a nice chapter in our history.”
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