​Geoff Wheel, who has died of motor neurone disease aged 73, was a tough rugby union forward who played 32 times for Wales during their golden period in the 1970s. He made his debut as a 22-year-old in 1974 when the side was already established as the most exciting force in world rugby, and continued for another eight years, by which time the great days were over.
Wheel’s work in the second row was unglamorous compared with the flair roles of players such as JPR Williams and Gareth Edwards. But his great contribution to the team was his unsurpassed ability to rip the ball away from the opposition at rucks and mauls.
Playing largely in partnership with fellow lock Allan Martin, he was highly effective not just in the loose but in the lineout, where his jumping ability and great strength – along with his distinctive white headband – set him apart.
Though gentle and reticent off the field, Wheel could be an aggressive and headstrong figure when in action, and in 1977 became the first Welshman to be sent off in an international, for fighting with Ireland’s Willie Duggan.
He also had a notable confrontation with England’s Bill Beaumont at Twickenham in 1980, although the incident came to attention mainly because it was captured in what became a much-used press photograph. Wheel was upset that the image attracted so much interest because he and Beaumont had thought nothing of the set-to and had shared a friendly pint after the match.
The most controversial moment of Wheel’s career was not of his making at all, when he was penalised in 1978 against New Zealand in Cardiff for a shove in the lineout, leading to a late converted penalty that made the score 13-12 to the All Blacks and denied Wales a famous victory. In fact Wheel had pushed no one, for New Zealand’s Andy Haden, as he later admitted, conned the referee by diving to the floor without any meaningful contact being made.
Geoffrey Arthur Derek Wheel was born on June 30 1951 in Swansea, and grew up in the St Thomas area of the city, attending Bishop Gore Grammar School. He played his early rugby for Mumbles RFC, while also showing potential at soccer in the reserves with Swansea City. He began to dedicate himself exclusively to the oval ball game when he was signed by Swansea RFC as a 19-year-old in 1970.
Within four years he was making his debut for Wales in the Five Nations Championship, and by 1979 he had featured in four title-winning campaigns, including two grand slams. His final appearance came in 1982, after which he continued with Swansea for another year, ending up with 323 appearances for the club. He captained the Whites from 1979 to 1981, a period in which they collected a plethora of honours, including two Anglo-Welsh championships and a National Sevens title, winning 81 of the 93 games under his command.
He also played nine times for the Barbarians between 1975 and 1977 and would have been on the 1977 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand but for a medical examination that revealed a previously unknown heart condition. To his simultaneous relief and chagrin, the diagnosis turned out to be incorrect, but the mistake was discovered too late to allow his withdrawal to be reversed.
Working as an accounts manager at a brewery company, Wheel maintained his connections with Swansea RFC for the rest of his life, and was a leading light in the club’s former players’ association, of which he was president until his death.
He was noted during his playing days for acco​mpanying club supporters on the accordion or ukulele in post-match singing sessions, and was for many years an organist at church services in St Thomas, where he lived all his life. He was also president of the Gwalia Singers choir in Swansea and volunteered as a food bank worker and with the Boys’ Brigade.
He is survived by his wife, Christine, whom he married in 1975.
Geoffrey Wheel, born June 30 1951, died December 26 2024
Article courtesy of
Source link
