THE old warriors gathered above the steep steps leading down into Llandaff Cathedral, their presence in honour of a fallen colleague evidence of how they followed him right to the very end.
John Dawes made his final journey accompanied by those who had been with him every step of the way from London Welsh in the mid-Sixties to beating the All Blacks in 1971 and all manner of Grand Slams along the way.
The two caps placed on the coffin – the red of Wales alongside the gold of the Lions – offered a glittering reminder of how Dawes changed the game and made it one of style and wit before the muscle men started bashing through opponents instead of trying to go round them.
The Lions won only four series throughout the 20th century and nine of those paying their last respects on Thursday had been involved in three of them. Sir Gareth Edwards, Barry John, JPR Williams, Gerald Davies, Derek Quinnell, John Taylor, Mike Roberts and Geoff Evans had all been in New Zealand in 1971, under Dawes' captaincy, of course.
Gareth and JPR doubled up in South Africa in 1974. Clive Rowlands, Wales captain when Dawes won his cap in 1964 and manager of Finlay Calder's triumphant 1989 Lions in Australia, also attended.
They talked of times long gone when a Lions tour really was a tour and how Dawes had them playing like an orchestra. The nine could boast a total of 20 Test wins, not that anyone was boasting.
And at no stage did anyone ask about the Lions selection which was being announced simultaneously. In the cir-cumstances, it would have been deemed irreverent to have done so.
