The final weekend of the 2014 Six Nations sees S4C’s highly respected rugby union commentator Huw Llywelyn Davies cover his final international match for the Welsh-language channel.
Saturday’s encounter between Wales against Scotland at the Millennium Stadium will see him hanging up his international headphones after 32 years of commentating in Welsh for S4C.
Although stepping down from international commentary, the 69-year-old will continue to commentate on the channel’s live Pro12 games for the remainder of the season.
Recognised by fans and colleagues alike as a font of all knowledge on the game, Davies has a fact or statistic at hand for every conceivable occasion.
Davies’ first international commentary was in 1979 for BBC Radio Cymru and then on television for S4C in February 1983 during the first 12 months of the channel, in the then Five Nations Championship, and the Wales-England game which ended in a 13-13 draw.
His final international assignment for S4C is also Wales’ 100th match to be played at the Millennium Stadium since it opened in 1999 ahead the staging of the Rugby World Cup.
Davies has commentated on three Welsh Grand Slams, five Lions’ tours and five Rugby World Cups, along with famous wins against Australia and the dramatic Six Nations title decider against England last season.
Commenting on his long career, Davies said: “I’ve been fortunate to have worked on so many great sporting occasions for S4C and the BBC.
“There have been ups and downs on the rugby field, but charting them has meant something very special to me and I’m grateful to my colleagues and to the audience for the superb support over the years.
“I’m looking forward now to doing other work for the BBC at the end of the Six Nations.”
Recognised by fans and colleagues as a font of rugby knowledge, Davies credits his father Eic for bringing Welsh language rugby commentary to the radio – something he thought about during his first assignment abroad for S4C.
“I went to New Zealand in 1983 and I just had to pinch myself that I was going there to do Welsh language broadcasting on a Lions tour,” Davies said.
Initially a school teacher at Llandovery College, Huw joined HTV in 1974 before moving to the BBC in 1979.
Regarded as one of Wales’ most highly respected commentators, Davies also occasionally contributed to the BBC’s network rugby coverage during the 1980s and 1990s alongside his BBC Wales and S4C work.
He made a surprising return to BBC TV in 2013 when he commentated on the second half of the Italy against Wales match in the Six Nations.
Davies, who was commentating on the match himself for S4C, was asked to switch sides during the match after the corporation’s original commentator Andrew Cotter had to leave five minutes into the match due to ill health.
He has also worked extensively not only as a sports commentator, but also presenter on the Eisteddfod, chat-shows and light entertainment and Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol.
Dafydd Rhys, S4C’s Director of Content said, “I would like to thank Huw Llywelyn Davies for his invaluable contribution in enriching S4C viewers’ experience of watching international rugby.
“With his passionate, polished commentary and his vast knowledge of the game, he has set the highest possible high standards for future commentators to emulate.”
Davies told the BBC that there is something extra special about Wales against Scotland being his final international fixture.
“Bill (McLaren) finished with the exact same fixture 12 years ago – it was Wales v Scotland in 2002 in Cardiff.
“Bill always said that the team that excited him most in his commentary was the Welsh side of the ’70s. So he wanted to be commentating on Wales in the final game.
“He decided that would be his final game. It was the last time that Scotland won in Cardiff – 12 years ago.”
Davies will continue to cover the Pro12 tournament until the end of the season and will lend his voice to BBC Cymru productions in the future.
