(Part 1) 1996 - 1997.
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An outstanding and popular player - a real players' player - Robert Howley won caps for his country at every level. The Cardiff scrum-half made his debut against England in 1996, scoring a try in what would become an all too familiar defeat against the old enemy. A consistent performer, he was Welsh player of the year in both 1996 and 1997. Rather in the Edwards mould, Howley's play was typified by breaks from the breakdown. This with a strong all round kicking and passing game ensured that despite the fact he was often playing behind beaten Welshpacks, he was selected to play for the British Lions on its 1997 tour of South Africa. Stunning performances in the tour games meant he was certain to gain the test place but sadly his tour was ended by a shoulder injury in the Western Province game.
The moment was captured by the 'Living with Lions' documentary showing Howley's distress upon learning from the team doctor that his tour was over. If anyone ever wanted to know what playing for the Lions meant then that moment perfectly captured it. For Howley the pain was particularly hard to bare for on the tour his full range of talents had finally been displayed. His early career would be played out behind struggling Welsh packs - the dominance of the Lions eight was a marvellous luxury. Despite this Howley still managed to turn heads. Following his try-scoring debut, he would follow up with tries against France in 1996 in an all too rare victory. Tries would follow in tests against the Barbarians (1996) and France (1996 and 1997). Most memorably and perhaps fittingly, Howley scored the final international try at the old Arms Park - again in another defeat to England in 1997. Few would argue that there was a more deserving player to gain this notoriety. (John Lovell)
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Rob Howley is pictured above playing rugby for Wales against France in the Five Nations Championship
against France on Saturday March 17th. 2001. Photo G. Herringshaw. ©
(Part 1) 1996 - 1997.
| The 111th captain of Wales, Robert Howley led his country to ten straight wins during his reign as skipper. It was an unprecedented period of success and a great relief for Welsh fans who had suffered greatly in the early nineties. With the arrival of Graham Henry, the coach of the world's most successful club side, the Auckland Blues, Wales played with both guile and style. At its heart was Howley. The Cardiff man played with an urgency that made him the heartbeat of the side. With genuine pace he was always capable of scoring spectacular solo tries. In 1999 the first Welsh victory in Paris since 1975 set up a resurgence in the nation's fortunes. This was followed by the famous Wembley victory over England and the series win against Argentina in Buenos Aries - the first series win on Argentinian soil for a Home Nations side. Defeat in the quarter finals of the World Cup meant much of this was forgotten. The Welsh media is often harsh and Howley's captaincy was often commented on in terms of how much it was affecting his game. His record speaks for itself. The 2001 Lions were in no doubt about Howley's capabilities as a player and selected him for the Australian tour. Denied a Lions cap in South Africa in 1997, the number nine would finally fulfil his dream and face the Wallabies in a Lions jersey. The Lions were awesome and Howley was a thorn in his opponent's - George Gregan - side. This was a battle of the world's best scrum-halves and Howley won convincingly. Sadly, injury would yet again blight his tour and he missed the next two tests - the Australians won the series 2-1. He retired from international rugby in 2002 but has enjoyed huge success with Wasps, winning the Heineken Cup in 2004. (John Lovell) |