The 33-year-old scrum half knows the game from top to bottom having been to a World Cup (2011), played 11 senior caps for Wales after earning caps at U16, 18 and U20 levels, played at all four Welsh regions and Gloucester in the pro game and also appeared for Neath, Pontypridd, Llanelli and Merthyr.
It is a career that any player could be proud of, but his return to the home of Welsh rugby to play with his mates will be an extra special moment. It will also get him off the hook with his brother-in-law, Kyle Davies.
Kyle and his sister, Jolene, grew up in a house across the road from the Seven Sisters ground. Kyle will lead out the team today in what will be his 356th appearance for the club.
When Knoyle began courting his sister he was building his professional career. He and Kyle became good mates, but before Knoyle married Jolene he was forced to make a pledge.
“Kyle told me he wouldn’t let me marry Jolene unless I promised to come back and play for Seven when my professional career had finished. He has turned into one of my best mates, but I have to admit I was a bit scared of him,” said Knoyle.
“I promised him I would and here we are both playing together in a final at Principality Stadium. I think this finally clears my promise to him.”
Tavis Knoyle on debut for Wales against Argentina in 2011
Like their opponents Dinas Powys, Seven took the difficult decision to drop down to the bottom rung of the WRU National Leagues ladder after struggling to finish one off the bottom of Division 2 West Central in 2022. Dinas Powys went from Division 1 East to Division 5 East this season.
As club chair, and WRU Council member, Jeff Davies admits that was a difficult decision to make. But it is one that has helped the club to not only survive, but also thrive.
If the Cup final is a bonus, then holding onto top spot in Division 5 West Central to start climbing the league ladder again is a major goal.
“We lost about 20 players for a number of reasons and it was only COVID that saved us from relegation. We had a crisis meeting, took the tough decision to go to the WRU and ask to drop down and then some of out former players began to come back to us,” said Davies.
“We celebrated our 125th anniversary last year and when we played Falls Bay the average age of the side was around 40, with one player 48 and another 50. We finished fourth last year and this season we are top of the table.”
Knoyle has played seven games to date this season and made an impact in them all. He said he would play if and when they needed him, insisting he didn’t want to take the place of a younger player, but he got the call from Kyle for a tri to the Welsh capital and couldn’t turn him down.
“Playing with my mates had rekindled my love for the game. After so many years in the professional environment, so many injury set-backs and some tough times playing and results wise at a couple of teams, it is just nice to be playing for the fun of it,” said Knoyle.
“You end up playing for your family and friends, with all the kids running around on the touchlines. Then it is into the clubhouse for a few beers after the game – it’s about playing with and for people you really care about.
“I made my Wales debut at Principality Stadium against Argentina in a World Cup warm-up game back in 2011. It went well for me and I got a place in the squad to go to New Zealand.
“It was a huge honour to represent Wales and I can still remember the first time I ran out at Principality Stadium. I was in the Wales U20 squad and we were invited to train with the senior side.
“I hadn’t long left the coal industry at the time and as I was lying on the turf during our warm-up, I looked up through the roof, saw the clouds and thought to myself this is a great way to earn a living.
“I tried my best throughout my career. If you love your job and have a passion for what you do, then you can get on in life.
“I won’t have any special advice for the rest of the boys other than to say go out and enjoy it. We have an opportunity to do something very special together and to achieve something for our village.”
Joining him in trying to go one better than the great Seven side of 1998, who became the first second class club to reach the semi-finals of the WRU Challenge Cup. Their dream ended against a fully-loaded Llanelli team at The Gnoll.
This weekend the dream lives on and it will be in the hands of a builder, a plumber, a policeman, a civil servant, a stunt performer and a farrier to win some silverware.
