Bowring’s proud links to grand Welsh dynasty

THE rugby world was awash with tributes, praise and thanks from grateful coaches – many English as it happens from Stuart Lancaster downwards – who heaped praise on the mentoring of proud Welshman Kevin Bowring following his death at the age of 70.

Bowring – as well as coaching Wales at U21 level, Sevens and then the national team itself – was also the man who, for over a decade, coached and guided the England and RFU Academy coaches at the RFU and as such his influence will be seen and felt for years to come.

All of which seems very apt because Bowring himself was the product of another coaching dynasty and rugby production line, namely Neath GS which in its various forms was a power in the land from the 1920s to 1973 at which stage the educational changes saw it morph into Dwr-y Feiin Comprehensive.

Two coaching giants made Neath into the strongest school in Wales and, for significant periods of time, arguably the strongest in Britain and certainly one of the most attack minded. There was Billy Allin who took charge from 1922 to the start of World War 2 and then Ron Trimnell who was the maestro between 1959 and 1973. Bowring, right, was a key member of Neath’s all conquering sides in Trimnell’s final two or three seasons.

Some of the statistics at Neath make for interesting reading.

During that 1928-73 period Neath produced 50 Welsh school caps including seven captains. There were 11 unbeaten seasons and between 1963-73 – at the peak of Trimnell’s influence – they were unbeaten at home for 128 games. Bloody hell.

Bowring, a rangy athletic flanker with great hands and good turn of speed, wrote his own chapter in the school’s illustrious history when he captained Neath to a 24-6 victory over mighty Millfield in the final of the 1972 National Schools Sevens at Rosslyn Park, the Welsh school’s first appearance at the tournament. What made that even notable is Neath that day were missing four players who had been selected by the Welsh schools and were being stood down ahead of their game against England.

And of course Bowring wasn’t the only Neath old boy to inherit the coaching genes. Mighty lock Wales lock Brian Thomas proved a brilliant operator at Neath, John Bevan – the fly-half not the wing – was a popular coach with both Aberavon and Wales while Roy Bish got Cardiff playing extraordinary high octane rugby in the 60s before he started helping at Toulouse, Benetton and ultimately Italy where he was national coach for two seasons during the 1970s.

Neath GS might be no more but its coaching tentacles have stretched far and wide and can continue to influence and mould players. Billy Allin and Ron Trimnell would be very proud.