Mr Rowlands, a son of Aberdare and patron of the club was also president of The Welsh Academicals, and the ‘Accies’ will be taking on a combined Mountain Ash and Aberdare side to remember the former Wales and British and Irish Lions player who later became the first General Secretary of the International Rugby Board.
Following its postponement in December, the match will be played out at Parc Dyffryn Pennar, Dyffryn Road, Mountain Ash (kick-off 2.30pm). The match will also be played on the 80th Anniversary of the historic first match played by the Welsh Academicals in Mountain Ash, with the involvement of Aberdare RFC due to it being the first club of Keith Rowlands.
Current WRU Board member and Team Manager for the 2009 Lions tour to South Africa, Gerald Davies, has taken over the presidency of the Welsh Academicals following Keith Rowlands’s death.
Gerald Davies said, “Keith Rowlands was the president of the Welsh Academicals and it was a great tragedy when he sadly died. The Welsh Academicals feel that going back to Mountain Ash where the Welsh Academicals began, an area where Keith grew up, would be fitting to celebrate the late president.
“Keith certainly left big boots to fill – when I look at Keith’s career he covered the lot. He played for Cardiff, Wales and the British Lions and then followed the same route as an administrator, becoming a committee man with Cardiff then the Welsh Rugby Union and then he went onto the International Board.
“He reached the highest of honours and was involved in the establishment of the first Rugby World Cup in 1987 and of course was here when the RWC came to Wales in 1999.”
Dennis Gethin, who was elected WRU President in October 2007, said, “Keith was a great personal friend of mine and a great president of the WRU albeit for only 2 years. He was always most at home on a touchline.
“I played many a game for the Accies and I remember a tour to Cornwall in the early 60s with greats such as Gerald Davies. Gerald had four games and won all four, it was games like these when people realised players such as Gerald Davies would make a big mark in the game. They also made you grow up very quickly.”
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