1989 v England (Cardiff) W 12-9 (FN)
1989 v New Zealand (Cardiff) L 34-9
1990 v France (Cardiff) L 29-19 (FN)
1990 v England (Twickenham) L 34-6 (FN)
1990 v Scotland (Cardiff) L 13-9 (FN)
1990 v Ireland (Dublin) L 14-8 (FN)
1990 v Namibia (Windhoek) W 18-9
1990 v Namibia (Windhoek) W 34-30
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1991 v France (Paris) L 36-3 (FN)
1991 v France (Cardiff) L 22-9
1991 v Western Samoa (Cardiff) L 16-3 (W.Cup)
1991 v Argentina (Cardiff) W 16-7 (W.Cup)
1991 v Australia (Cardiff) L 38-3 (W.Cup)
Career Record: P13, W4, L9
(R) = Replacement |
Arthur Emyr is pictured above playing for Wales in February 1990.
Photo G.Herringhsaw. ©
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Playing on the wing for Wales in the late eighties and early nineties was not a joyful experience and it is testimony to Arthur Emyr's perseverance and heart that he actually finished his playing days with any tries for his country. The big North Walean was a block-busting wing who played with real "hywl". There have been many players capped by Wales but few burst with the pride that Emyr did as he sprinted onto the Arms Park.
The Swansea winger made his debut against England in 1989. Against all the odds Wales triumphed 12-9 but the winning feeling would be a rare experience for Emyr - he won with Wales only three more times and never against the "big" nations. Next up were Wayne Shelford's all-conquering All Blacks team. Emyr's Swansea had given the tourists a fright and Wales were only 12-6 down at half-time. Wales had made a bright start and a midfield move brought Emyr in off his left wing. He broke the line but as the Arms Park crowd rose in anticipation a John Schuster tap tackle allowed the New Zealand defence to scramble back.
It was one of the few moments the Welsh fans had to cheer and the class of Shelford's men saw them triumph 34-9. This was followed by a miserable period for Wales as they picked up the Wooden Spoon in 1990. However, the block-busting winger did open his account with a fine try against Scotland, finishing a move that showed all that is good about Welsh rugby. It wasn't until the Namibia tour that Emyr experienced the joys of winning again.
His second try in the Second test sealed an unconvincing win. The 1991 World Cup followed but Emyr experienced the ultimate low in Welsh rugby history - defeat to Western Samoa. Like most Welsh players that day the powerful winger was beaten into submission by the sheer ferocity of the Samoan tackling. Involved in broadcasting, he went on to become Head of Sport for BBC Wales - as had Welsh internationals Cliff Morgan and Gareth Davies. (John Lovell)
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