The son of former international referee and former President of the Welsh Rugby Union, Wilf Faull, he was at No 8 in the only Lions team to beat the All Blacks in Auckland in 10 attempts. The ‘Class of 2017’ will try to match that achievement at Eden Park this weekend.
Born in Morriston, he was educated at Bromsgrove School, where he played at centre, before doing his National Service in the Royal Navy, where he was a full back. He had a dramatic introduction to senior club rugby in Wales when he played against the All Blacks in only his third game for Swansea at the age of 20.
The Whites played him at centre to use his tackling and goalkicking to upset the New Zealanders. He made a good job of it, kicking two penalties to help his side notch a 6-6 draw at St Helen’s.
He scored 52 points in 20 outings in the back division that season before moving into the back row for the 1954/55 campaign. He played against the 1958 Wallabies and the 1960 Springboks for Swansea and ended with 359 points from 211 games for the club over 10 seasons, captaining the club in 1962/63.
He made the first of his 12 appearances for Wales in the back row as one of four new caps in the 6-5 win over Ireland in Cardiff on 15 March, 1957. Joining him on debut were centres Graham Powell and Cyril Davies and prop Henry Morgan.
He missed only one of Wales’ next nine internationals over the course of the next two years, winning five of his first six games and ending with a record of seven wins and a draw in 10 outings before the 1959 Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand.
He was working in the steel industry when he was one of nine Welshmen selected for the 1959 tour and played in four of the six Tests – one in Australia and three in New Zealand. He made 20 appearances, including one on the way home against Eastern Canada, and scored 60 points.
He scored two tries on his Lions debut in Sydney, but was in the side that lost 18-14 to New South Wales. He played in the first Test win over the Wallabies, 17-6 in Brisbane, and then played in three of the four Tests in New Zealand, missing only the second game in Wellington.
The first Test saw Don Clarke kick six penalties to beat the Lions almost singlehandedly, 18-17, even though the tourists scored four tries. The fourth and final Test at Eden Park saw the Lions take revenge with a 9-6 win by three tries to nil.
Until his death on Wednesday, 21 June he was one of 11 surviving Lions from that game, joining Terry Davies, Ray Prosser and Haydn Morgan. Rhys Williams also played in the game.
The ‘Evening Post’ in Wellington, described him as being “big, vigorous and mobile” and being “a particularly good forward who proved his worth in the lineouts.” At 6’ 3” tall he was the second tallest player in the squad after England lock Richard Marques (6’ 5”) and was the heaviest player at 15st 10lbs.
He played three times for the Barbarians, including the 11-6 win over the 1958 Australians in Cardiff. He also played for a Wales XV against an International XV in the match to raise funds for the Commonwealth Games in the Welsh capital in 1958.
The Welsh Rugby Union would like to offer its sincere condolences to the friends and family of John Faull.
John Faull
Born 30 June, 1933 in Morriston
Died 21 June, 2017
Wales Cap No 619
