One of the hats I've been proud to wear since retiring as a player is as President of Pontypool Schools under-11s, the side where a young Toby Faletau first came through.
So, as you can imagine, myself, other officials and coaches past and present will have huge smiles, and enormous pride, when the player who came through the system with us runs out to win his 100th Wales cap in the game against France.
As a side issue, Mako and Billy Vunipola were also products of that system, albeit they accepted scholarships to go to Harrow, paid for by an English club, and as a result were lost to Wales.
To think that the three of them lined up together for Pontypool Schools under-11s is incredible really and it's certainly been to Wales' advantage that Taulupe, the best of the trio, opted to stay within the Welsh set-up.
From the first moment he broke into the Wales side, Faletau displayed a talent, at the coal face and also in the wider channels, that have rightly marked him down as a truly world class No.8 for many years.
Because I was fortunate myself to play with so many great Welsh players from the 1970s, I'm frequently asked who's the best between stars of that era and certain members of the modern game. The kind of thing that occupies hours of debate down the pub among fans, too.
Taulupe Faletau or Mervyn Davies, the great Merv the Swerve, is one of the questions that crops up. It's inevitable to a degree, given they are the two standout No.8s in the history of the Welsh game.
I always say it's nigh-on impossible to compare different eras like ours to today's. We were amateur, remember, had to work 40 hours a week and fit in our rugby, be that training or playing, as a hobby in our spare time. One or two coaches at club or international level would hopefully point you in the right direction, but by and large you'd learn from personal experience or via tips from the previous generation of players.
These days players eat and sleep rugby, have coaches guiding them on every aspect of the game, including strength and conditioning and nutrition.
You can't go forward, you can't go backward, you can't suddenly ask Taulupe and Merv to play against one another to see who's the greatest. So I suppose the closest you can get is a thought experiment. Just imagine, for example, Gareth Edwards, widely regarded as the finest player in history, with today's planning and preparation for a game.
Wow! Or, I suppose, you could say that for every member of the 1970s side.
The big difference, something you can't compare, is the size of modern players, yet even in that respect Merv was a freak of nature. He stood at 6ft 4ins, was athletic, quick and had the jump of a basketball player in the lineout.
We used to do a variety of tests in training and one of them was a standing still vertical jump where you had to reach up and put your fingerprints on a blackboard above. Merv reached up at three feet, way above the rest of us. As usual, he led the way - on and off the field.
Having earlier reflected upon Taulupe's start with Pontypool Schools under-11s and his subsequent breakthrough, it makes me smile about a conversation that took place at a London Welsh selection meeting towards the end of the 1960s when one of them said, 'There's a No.8 playing for the seconds - he's not very good but he'll guarantee you ball at the back of the lineout.'
Understatement of the century, perhaps? Within three months Merv was having a Welsh trial, the start of a wonderful career that saw him play 38 consecutive Tests for Wales and eight more for the Lions. Remember, we only played four or five times a year back then, compared to 12 Tests a year today. So Merv's 38-game achievement was the equivalent, I guess, of Taulupe's stunning landmark at the Stade de France this weekend. Remember, too, he was forced to retire early, or the figure would have been even greater.
Who will win France v Wales? Have your say here
When the Lions beat New Zealand in 1971, still the only time, their legendary captain Colin Meads said Merv had the biggest outcome on the four-Test showdown. Considering The King himself, the great Barry John, was widely acclaimed as the Lions' talisman with his own utter brilliance, coming from Meads that compliment about Merv puts his own excellence as a player well and truly put into perspective.
Back to Taulupe - when the Lions drew with New Zealand in 2017, I remember Zinzan Brooke, himself a great No8, saying before the first Test that while Faletau was good at everything, he was not influential enough in games.
Zinzan had to eat his words, Taulupe was brilliant on that tour. He did his talking on the pitch, as Merv always used to.
They were each so good at the base of the scrum, so assured with ball in hand, so adept at putting opponents on the deck with their tackling, so canny at the breakdown. Indeed, many is the time Merv, playing for Swansea against Pontypool, used to drive us nuts by having this habit of just stopping the ball. Like Richie McCaw, he had this knack of putting his hand on it to slow us down, yet letting go the moment the referee was about to blow.
Or he'd just put his body on the ball at ruck time, oblivious to us raking and stamping over him which was part of our game at the time. No matter what treatment we dished out, Merv wouldn't budge. Having got his way, he'd then just get up and smile knowingly - although I dread to think what his back actually looked like after our games.
As I say, it's so hard to compare eras. So the only way I can look at the Merv versus Taulupe debate is through three tangibles.
One is the number of Lions Tests. Taulupe played in five of them over three tours, Merv a straight eight against New Zealand and South Africa, and he was only on the losing side once. What a record.
The second point is that while Merv was universally recognised as the best No.8 in the world for many years, I don't think that's been the case with Taulupe, whatever his own brilliance, with others citing the case for Sergio Parisse, Kieran Read or David Pocock.
England fans have argued Billy Vunipola. Sorry, Taulupe has always been much the better of those two, in my eyes.
The third area where they differ is on leadership. Taulupe captained Wales just once, against Italy in 2018, whereas Merv was Wales' regular skipper and, after our Grand Slam in 1976, he was being lined up to lead the Lions in 1977 before his terrible injury.
Make no mistake he'd have been a truly great Lions captain too, but let me tell you a couple of quick stories of what made Merv such a special leader.
My first Test was in Paris in 1975 and, while still young, I'd been around the block enough to have heard enough tales of captains showing fire and brimstone, really geeing up the team, dominant personalities. I just assumed that would be my first experience of Merv.
That morning we had a forwards meeting, Merv was quiet, so I guessed he'd leave it until just before we left the dressing room.
Not a bit of it, kick off drew nearer, others were shouting and screaming, winding us up - and I looked over to see Merv sitting on his own in the corner, cigarette in mouth, almost in a world of his own.
Suddenly he stubbed out the fag on the bench, stood up, said 'Right then', called us together and very simply told us what he wanted. Short and sharp, but it worked. He talked sense, the strong and silent type, but when he spoke you listened.
My first home game was then against England at the old National Stadium. We were lined up together in the tunnel and England ran out first, as happened back then. We could just hear this frenzy of noise, a mix of jeers and cheers.
Our turn to go - but Merv kept us waiting. And waiting. And waiting. Then, after an eternity, and only when the noise had subsided into pretty much total silence, Merv barked 'Right, let's go'.
The racket as he walked out of that tunnel. In an instant it went from silence into the most incredible din imaginable. You didn't need extra motivation to play for Wales, but trust me that was a real hairs on the back of the neck moment.
Who do you think was better - Merv or Taulupe? Have your say in our comments section below
You suddenly felt unbeatable. Merv knew exactly what he was doing, how this simple trick would give us an extra edge.
What a guy, what a player, what a world-class talent. As is the case with Taulupe Faletau, another true Welsh No.8 legend. Good luck with your 100th cap today, Taulupe - from an entire nation, including everyone involved with Pontypool Schools under-11s.
We have enormous pride in you.
