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Former Wales, Cardiff and Newport hooker Mike Watkins has died aged 73.
Watkins won four caps and also captained his country.
Known as 'Spikey' for his combative nature, Watkins was born in Abercarn in south Wales and first came to prominence playing for nearby Crumlin RFC.
Watkins switched clubs to Cardiff in 1976, playing 118 games for the capital club until 1981, before a move to Newport where he played another 229 games for the Black and Ambers before hanging up his boots in 1987.
Dragons said that everyone associated with the Rodney Parade club was "deeply saddened by the passing of... a true Man of Gwent", adding that Watkins was "uncompromising and a leader on the field, a hugely popular character off it".
The move from Crumlin to Cardiff saw Watkins first catch the eye of the Wales selectors and he was chosen for the 1978 tour to Australia but did not play in either of the two Test defeats to the Wallabies - and would have to wait another six years to win his international caps.
That was largely down to the presence of Bobby Windsor, the Pontypool legend who was Wales' first-choice hooker from 1973 to 1979 and won five caps for the British and Irish Lions over two tours.
In those days replacements were only used for injuries, and Watkins was left warming the Wales bench 17 times without winning a cap - although he did play for the Wales B team several times during the '70s.
During those amateur days, for the bulk of his career Watkins worked for his father - a former Regimental Sergeant Major in the British army - as a truck driver.
When Windsor retired, Wales saw the likes of Alan Phillips - Watkins' Cardiff team-mate - as the man to take over the number two jersey.
Watkins finally got his Test chance in 1984 at the age of 32 with the national team in the doldrums following the retirement of a string of the game's greats, who had been part of Wales' glittering sides of the '70s.
Having proved his leadership by captaining a Newport side coached by Charlie Faulkner, and then leading Wales B to a first win in their history in France, Watkins was called up for the Five Nations game away to Ireland in February 1984.
He was also handed the Wales captaincy on debut and led the side to an 18-9 win in Dublin, then played in the following defeat to France with Eddie Butler given the armband.
In March, Watkins was made skipper again and guided 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 claimed the Grand Slam.
Watkins played his final Test the following November in a loss against an Australia side who beat all four home nations on their 1984 tour, while the hooker also made two appearances for the Barbarians in that year.
At the end of 1984, having waited so long to play for his country, Watkins decided to retire from international rugby along with players including Butler, Graham Price and fly-half Gareth Davies in protest and frustration at what they saw as a flawed and muddled Wales selection policy.
Later in life, Watkins emigrated to Thailand, working in PR and settling down with his schoolteacher wife Maew.
