John Taylor (rugby union, born 1945)
Birth name | John Taylor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 21 July 1945 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Watford, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Watford Grammar School for Boys | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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John Taylor (born 21 July 1945)[1] is a Welsh former rugby union player and current commentator. Nicknamed "Basil Brush" thanks to his wild hair and beard, he was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, and played as a flanker for London Welsh (he later became co-President with former teammate, John Dawes), and represented Wales 26 times between 1967 and 1973.
Rugby career
Playing
Perhaps Taylor's most famous moment was in the
John Taylor played for the
Apartheid
He was notable for the stand he took against
Activities after retiring
Since 1991, he has been the lead rugby commentator on ITV Sport, describing the World Cup final victory of England over Australia on 22 November 2003. He retired from ITV after the 2007 Rugby World Cup and commentated for TalkSport on the 2011 RWC in New Zealand.
Throughout the 2015 Rugby World Cup, hosted by England in September and October but also including games at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in Wales, Taylor was the stadium announcer for matches played at Twickenham Stadium, London. He worked at every RWC through to 2015 and has worked on every Lions Tour since 1983.
References
- ^ John Taylor player profile ESPN Scrum.com
- ^ Frank Keating column, the Guardian, 16 October 2007
- ^ John Taylor: Rebel with a Cause The Independent, 30 May 2009