Ex-Saint Bobby Wanbon's Wales RU debut 50 years ago today

Playing for local club Aberavon RU at the time, Wanbon was selected to play England at Twickenham in front of 72,000 fans.

Alongside the likes of Gareth Edwards and Barry John, singing the national anthem with his fellow countrymen was a proud moment for the Welshman.

“I think there were tears in my eyes from what I recall,” said Bobby, 74.

Despite the weight of the occasion, the nerves Wanbon felt before kick-off soon settled once exposed to the massive crowd in attendance.

“Playing for West Wales against the All Blacks had helped. I should imagine 20,000 would have been the most I’d played in front of,” said Bobby.

His selection for Wales, aged 24, came on the back of an appearance for the ‘Possibles’ against the ‘Probables’ in a trial and the progress he had made with his club as well as on representative duty with West Wales.

“I’d played for West Wales a lot and I think that prepared me a little bit. I was four years with Aberavon, so I’d played quite a lot there. I scored a try in the final trial as well so was quite confident at the time.”

Wanbon’s big day at Twickeham did not start as he expected.

He said: “I remember going out training before the game on a car park, a concrete car park. All the cars were parked up outside Twickenham around us.

“Things have moved on now. Teams go out half an hour before kick-off, I’d be shattered I think with all the training they do before the game.”

With his mother watching on, Bobby impressed at number eight on his international debut – scoring a try in an 11-11 draw.

But Wanbon’s dream moment was somewhat tempered by the response to his try.

“What I recall is scoring a try, feeling overjoyed, and getting a right telling-off for it because they had a move on for a drop goal,” he said.

“I was playing number eight in the back row, I picked the ball up, went blind and got a right ear-bashing for scoring a try.”

Among other factors, the episode led to Wanbon opting to switch codes and travel north to sign for St Helens nine days later.

He spent three seasons with Saints before signing for Warrington.

“No regrets at all. I wish I’d have had a few more caps first but I would have turned anyway I reckon,” he said.

“After that incident where I got told off, I thought I might as well try it (rugby league). So, it was an easy decision for me at that time.”

His professional rugby league career followed in the steps of his uncle, Danny Sheehy, who had played for Dewsbury shortly after World War Two.

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BOBBY Wanbon took to the game of rugby league superbly, spending three seasons at St Helens before being signed by Alex Murphy to join Warrington in 1971.

He said: “Funnily enough, Alex approached me before Leigh played at Wembley against Leeds that year and he said ‘I’ve got the Warrington job’. He was still coaching Leigh and he was asking me about coming to Warrington!”

The Welshman was a key figure in the Warrington pack which dominated the domestic campaign in 1973-74, featuring in the Captain Morgan Trophy Final win against Featherstone, the John Player success against Rochdale, the Challenge Cup Final triumph against Featherstone and the Club Championship Final glory day against St Helens.

Wanbon’s success with secured a spot in Wales’ first squad to figure in a Rugby League World Cup.

The competition that spanned nine months in 1975 featured the famous game now known as ‘The Battle of Brisbane’.

Tales have long been told of the affair that saw Wales deny England of a World Cup, defeating their rivals 12-7 on the day.

Bobby said: “The Battle of Brisbane was one of the greatest moments of my career. We robbed England of the World Cup! If they’d have beaten us they would have won it by a point.”

He played for The Wire, making 163 appearances, until he retired in 1978.

From 1977 until retirement in 1999 he was tenant at various pubs in Warrington.

“It’s been a journey and I’ve met some great people along the way,” Bobby added.

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WHILE looking back at the achievements of Bobby Wanbon, it provides chance to recognise how far the game has come since the ‘good old days’ of rugby league.

Even though the 13-a-side code was the professional alternative before union’s professionalisation in 1995, the life of a rugby league star was not easy for Bobby Wanbon and his colleagues.

Bobby said: “I was a bricklayer by trade. Tuesday and Thursday evenings we would train and I’d be working 40 hours a week as well.

“I used to hate being out in the freezing cold bricklaying, and then having to go out training.

“The wife would be cooking, and I’d think ‘I could do with staying in’. When I got to training it was fine, I’d have a laugh with the lads and it would be brilliant.”

Like the lifestyle, things on the field have changed too.

The athletic, free-flowing game of today is different to the one Bobby walked into 50 years ago when first converting from rugby union to rugby league with St Helens.

He said: “The first game was a bit of an eye opener because I was due to play in the first team at St Helens against Leeds, but it was called off for bad weather.

“They said go and play for the A team against Workington. The first scrum broke out with everybody fighting and I thought ‘Blimey, what have I come into here!’ I soon learned to duck.”

He added: “You can’t throw a punch now or you get sent off. Eric Clay, one of the referees of the time, used to say to us ‘I’ve seen it, you’re allowed one back’.”

The almost thuggish nature of the sport back then has diminished in the current age of video technology but Wanbon believes the sport is just as hard as it used to be.

He said: “They’re more athletes now but unlike union where you’re running two or three yards before you meet somebody, you’re running 20 yards in league. How there’s not more injuries I’ll never know.

“Players now are much bigger but that’s the nature of the game. There’s a lot more training, and a lot more weights involved.”