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A move from Crumlin to Cardiff brought Watkins to the attention of the Wales selectors for the first time and he was selected for the 1978 tour to Australia but he did not play in any of the Test defeats to the Wallabies – and would have to wait another six years to win his caps.
This is largely due to the presence of Bobby Windsor, the Pontypool legend who was Wales’ first choice from 1973-79 and won five caps for the British and Irish Lions across two tours.
In those days, substitutes were only used for injuries, and Watkins was left warming the Wales substitutes bench 17 times without winning a single cap – although he did play for the Wales B team several times during the 1970s.
During those amateur days, Watkins worked for most of his career for his father – a former British Army staff sergeant – as a truck driver.
When Windsor retired, Wales saw the likes of Alan Phillips – Watkins’ Cardiff teammate – as the man to take over the number two jersey.
Watkins finally got a Test opportunity in 1984 at the age of 32 when the national team was in the doldrums following the retirement of a succession of the game’s greats, who had been part of the brilliant Wales side of the 1970s.
Having proven his leadership by captaining Charlie Faulkner’s Newport side, and then leading Wales B to their first ever win in France, Watkins was called up for the Five Nations match away to Ireland in February 1984.
He was also handed the captaincy for Wales on his debut and led the team to an 18-9 victory in Dublin, then played in the following defeat to France with Eddie Butler taking the captaincy.
In March, Watkins was appointed captain again and led Wales to a 24–15 victory over England at Twickenham in the final round of matches, with Wales finishing third in the table as Scotland won the Grand Slam title.
Watkins played his final Test the following November in a loss to an Australia side that had beaten all four nations on the 1984 tour, while the hooker also made two appearances for the Barbarians that year.
At the end of 1984, having waited too long to play for his country, Watkins decided to retire from international rugby along with players including Butler, Graham Price and Gareth Davies in protest and frustration at what they saw as Wales’ flawed and confused selection policy.
Later in life, Watkins immigrated to Thailand, worked in public relations and settled down with his wife, teacher Mayo.
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