Cardiff RFC is saddened to have learnt of the passing of Dr Jack Matthews OBE, aged 92.

Dr Jack was born in Bridgend in 1920 and played first class rugby for Bridgend, Newport and Cardiff in a distinguished career.

His days in Blue & Black coincided with those of his great friend Bleddyn Williams whom he had first played with in his Army days whilst stationed in South Wales where the legendary centre partnership was first formed.

Both players went on to International honors, Dr Jack playing 17 games for Wales and captained the side against France in 1951. He also represented the Barbarians and was capped 6 times for the British & Irish Lions on the 1950 tour of Australia & New Zealand. He was also appointed as team doctor on the 1980 Lions tour to South Africa.

With the outbreak of the Second World War, Dr Jack applied to join the Royal Air Force, but was required to train as a doctor at the Welsh School of Medicine.
He was later commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps. During his time at RAF St Athan air base in 1943 Dr Jack fought future world champion Rocky Marciano in an amateur boxing match. Marciano famously ended his career having won every professional match he had fought, but Dr Jack held him to a draw.

From a youth he was a keen sportsman and in 1937 he won the Welsh AAA junior 220yds title, a year later after spending three seasons in the Welsh Secondary Schools rugby team, he played in a senior Welsh trial at just 18 years old.

Dr Jack will be greatly missed and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this sad time.