Following the sad passing of ‘The King’ Barry John, Cardiff Rugby have posted a clip from the time the man himself wore a player mic during a game against Swansea at the Cardiff Arms Park.

Player mics have been used in the Gallagher Premiership recently in a bid to improve the quality of the coverage and are viewed as a relatively new innovation in the sport but, as the story goes, John convinced Cardiff to let him wear one more than five decades ago.

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It is further evidence of how ahead of the game John was. In the clip, you can hear John dictating play, berating himself for a poor kick, and having a joke with the Cardiff winger who had just scored a try.

John played for Cardiff between 1967 and 1972 but is better known for his contributions on the international stage.

He won 25 caps and scored 90 points for Wales between 1966 and 172 and formed a devastating partnership with scrum-half Sir Gareth Edwards, clinching the Grand Slam at the 1971 Five Nations.

Speaking about John’s player mic, Edwards said: “He convinced Cardiff to let him wear a player mic!

“I would pass him the ball and he would be commentating live – ‘I have two options here, I can kick through to the corner or I can take the ball forward, commit their fly-half and slip the ball to Gerald on the inside’, and he did exactly that.”

John earned his nickname ‘The King’ for the starring role he played as the British and Irish Lions claimed their only series win in New Zealand in 1971, scoring 180 points and winning the admiration of his contemporaries for his unmatched flair.

John is widely regarded as one of the best players of all time, while his legacy will continue to live on.

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