Carolyn Hitt on Gethin Jenkins

George North’s eyes glinted with mischief and a smile with subtext hovered below his Movember moustache.

Asked for his view of Gethin Jenkins ahead of the prop idol’s 100th cap today, he paused and chose his words carefully.

“He’s a unique man,” grinned the winger. “He certainly lets you know when you’ve done something wrong!”

George then went on to give a more serious and fulsome tribute to only the fourth centurion in the history of Welsh rugby – and the first to do it up front: “To get 100 caps in the front row is remarkable. Gethin’s still on top form and is one of the most professional players you’ll ever come across.”

Moments earlier Warren Gatland had described the loosehead – who celebrates his 33rd birthday tomorrow – in similarly glowing terms.

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“He had a phenomenal game last week. I think he is a sensational player,” said the Welsh coach. “It is a fantastic milestone for someone who has been a great servant of Welsh rugby. I hope we can go out there on Saturday and give a performance that reflects his contribution to Welsh rugby in that we play well and win.”

In school they called the Beddau boy Melon – “something to do with having a big head,” he explains – and it has stuck through his playing days.

In his own words, meanwhile, Gethin’s Twitter profile proclaims himself to be a “top sapper and wannabe DJ”, a description that alludes to seemingly opposite sides of the Jenkins psyche.

Always such a fierce, fiesty and stern presence on the field, who would have imagined off the field disco king Melon is more night club than rugby club? In a book of sporting lists he contributed his Top 10 Dance Tunes, which include Snap’s Rhythm is A Dancer and Robin S’ Show Me Love.

As for the “sapper” reference, Gethin’s grumpiness is the stuff of legend and source of much banter from his team-mates but, hey, who wants a Pollyanna in the front row?

Welsh defence coach Shaun Edwards once eulogised Gethin’s magnificent negativity: “He likes a moan and a whinge. In fairness, he’s one of the best whingers I’ve come across. But that’s Gethin, you’ve got to put up with that really. And when you put him out on the field… what a player.”

What a player indeed. A maurauding menace in the loose, as brilliant over the ball as a scavenging flanker and always the first forward to give chase, Gethin’s skillset has enriched the Welsh game for more than a decade.

Asked to name the highlight of an international career that began against Romania in Wrexham in 2002, Gethin recalls, with his usual dry delivery: “One game in 2005 – just because of the simple fact I scored a try.”

That try in the Grand Slam decider against Ireland is also the quintessential Gethin moment cherished by his many fans. As Cardiff-born Channel 4 Home Affairs correspondent Andy Davies declared to me: “That epic charge-down in ’05 had echoes of Graham Price in ’75 and gave the whole of Welsh rugby one almighty adrenalin shot.”

Since that wonderful campaign is long since consigned to the souvenir DVD it’s easy to forget just how pivotal Gethin’s try was in the match that would bring Wales its first Grand Slam for 27 years.

Ireland’s strong start had jangled Welsh nerves. But Gethin set the ball rolling, or rather dribbling, when he charged down Ronan O’Gara’s clearance kick and showed his usual pace and presence of mind to toe it towards the tryline. Not only did it generate the momentum that carried Wales to victory, it was all the sweeter for being the best possible riposte to O’Gara after the fly half had just sledged the prop with the charming sobriquet of “fat b*****d”.

If there was another example to show the heart of a three-quarter beats in the big chest of this fabulous forward it came in the 2011 World Cup. Granted the opposition was more minnow-like but you still rarely see a prop display such sheer elegance. The shimmying route the front rower took across the whitewash against Namibia would grace the Shane Williams Back Catalogue. It was Strictly Scrum Dancing.

Such was the virtuoso quality of this try, Gethin wasn’t so much piano pusher turned piano player as piano pusher turned Artur Rubinstein. Collecting the ball off his toes, he palmed off one defender, jinked past another and burst 35 metres towards the line taking half the Namibian defence over with him.

Alongside these stirring performances from a player who has been selected for three Lions tours and won both European titles, there have been great displays of character. Gethin has faced dark times off the field, enduring the untimely loss of his mother Lesley, who died in 2007 aged just 49 after a long battle with cancer.

I once met Mrs Jenkins during the 2003 World Cup in Australia, where she described the immense pride she took in her son’s achievements. It would prove a source of comfort and a focus as her health deteriorated.

She still went ahead with her trip to New Zealand two years later, saying the thought of watching her son play for the Lions would help her cope with the illness:  “Seeing Gethin play has given me something to aim for, to look forward to. It’s kept me going.”

Sadly, Mrs Jenkins passed away just before the 2007 World Cup. Inspired by his mother’s courage, Gethin was determined to honour her memory by playing for Wales just 48 hours after she died.

“I played that game against France because she would have wanted me to,” he said at the time. “I owe everything I have done in my life to her because she really spurred me on. I just want to get on the field now because every cap and game is for her.”

Six years later, as Gethin describes what his success means to his family and how integral they have been to his career, it is obvious that every one of those 100 caps has been dedicated to his mother. He knows she would have been so proud of him today. He should know the rugby fans of Wales are proud of him too.

Now view our Gethin Jenkins archive

The Welshman who supports the All Blacks

Last week I explored the story of how Welsh supporters developed a remarkable devotion to the very first Springbok team to tour Wales in 1906/07.

It seems our fan forebears are not unique in falling for the opposition, as I discovered when I received a great letter from Mrs Sandra Dyer of Brynmawr this week.

“My husband Jim has been a mad New Zealand supporter for 50 years,” Sandra explains, adding that his All Black obsession began “on the 6th November 1963 when he first saw them play against the combined Abertillery and Ebbw Vale team at Abertillery Park. At the time he was working at the Rose Heyworth Colliery. He went straight after he finished work to see the game.”

According to Jim, Wilson Whineray’s tourists were “so big he thought there were 20 of them.” From that moment, Jim was smitten and has followed the All Blacks ever since, travelling twice to the Land of the Long White Cloud to support them.

“We both went to the first World Cup in 1987 when New Zealand beat France in the final 29-9,” Sandra recalls. Hang on, Wales were third in that inaugural tournament – how could a Man of Gwent be more interested in the Men in Black?

“It’s true that no-one believes a Welshman can support New Zealand,” Sandra admits, laughing.

“A lot of people just assumed my husband was a Kiwi. He still keeps the New Zealand flag flying in the back garden and we’ve just had a new front door with a silver fern on it to celebrate half a century as a faithful supporter.” The Dyers’ house is also called “Seland Newydd”.

While I can never imagine a scenario where Wales didn’t come first I suppose there are worse teams to switch one’s allegiance to. And as the All Blacks face England in Twickenham, just for today Jim probably won’t be the only Welshman supporting New Zealand…

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/24937402

Carolyn Hitt on Gethin Jenkins