Grand Slam Blogg
It’s 7.30am on a Monday morning, the sun is shining on the Welsh flag bunting outside the shop and I’ve never been in work this early before!
What an amazing weekend and what a way to end it all! To be fair it’s been an amazing 7 months to be a Welsh rugby fan. From the highs and lows of the World cup to this stress inducing Six Nations it’s been a fantastic ride. It’s all very well to believe Wales deserve to win trophies but the guts and determination this young team has shown since the semi-final against France, to prove that run was no one-off, has been nothing short of inspirational. The whole squad and coaching staff should feel proud the way they have kept their cool in what we all know is the most intensive rugby atmosphere in the Northern hemisphere (or Wales as we call it!)
Every player we have met in the build up and during this championship have behaved in a mature and relaxed fashion which was an example, to me, of how to re-act under pressure- let’s see if I can keep that example up now!
Work today will begin on Sam’s left arm-i.e. adding the Six Nations trophy. Initially we had hoped it could be priced at £200, but as usual I have got carried away and made the figure a little too complicated. We hope collectors will understand that due to the extra work involved and the complicated painting of each piece that the final price will have to be £250 with the limit rising to 500 pieces as promised.
We couldn’t have wish Sam ill but I couldn’t believe it when injury forced him to lift the trophy in his left hand (get well soon Sam by the way)! Also on the way in various stages of completion are Jonathan Davies and Rhys Priestland – last week I was too jittery to finish anything so I also started work on Toby Faletau, which I think will make a great Grogg when complete. All these pieces of course will take time but I promise we will work as hard and fast as we can to keep everyone happy but patience is the watchword here. Please go easy on Cathy and Carly as they have to explain my artistic vacillations to our eager collectors!
Once again thanks to our wonderful team- everyone from 1 to 15, bench included, has been outstanding. So many players have come of age during these 5 games – I just can’t wait to see them play again – sorry boys, I know you must be knackered – cos I am and I was just watching!
Well – let’s put the fingers to good use now and crack on….
Here we go,
Cheers for now
Richard
Tribute to Mervyn Davies
It was with great shock and deep sadness that we heard of the passing of our old friend and Captain Mervyn Davies. As many, rugby fans and Grogg collectors will know we have known Mervyn since the birth of the rugby Groggs back in the late 60’s. It was great characters like Mervyn who inspired my father to make the historic change from the giants of Welsh mythology to the Giants of Welsh rugby. Mervyn became, along with J.P.R., Gareth and Gerald, my father’s favourite subjects but it was Mervyn who stood out. With his distinctive mop top, headband, bandito moustache and beanpole physique he was a sculptors dream and it wasn’t long before I was following suit and joining in the fun. Our style of modelling seemed to be made for Merv’s on field persona but it was the way he embraced what we were trying to achieve that endeared him to us most of all. He took being ‘Grogged’ in good grace and as the true compliment it was intended to be. It didn’t matter to Merv how ‘Groggy’ those early figures were and his comments were always supportive and generous. Indeed it was a huge compliment to us when Mervyn chose to use a Grogg figure of himself on the cover of his autobiography. We felt we had arrived!
This weekend has helped to bring the news into perspective and brought all the memories of the Glory Years flooding back. Mervyn would have been delighted with Wales’ success -it was a great shame that he missed the final play but I imagine he knew it was coming; such was his knowledge of the game.
On a personal note it’s strange to think that Mervyn was only 12 years older than me on his many visits to the shop. As a child he always seemed the epitome of wisdom and maturity when he must have been only a young man himself. I was particularly grateful to have Mervyn ‘sit’ for the bust I made of him in 2008 – a rare event and a happy memory. Mervyn was many things – a great rugby player, a great captain. A great raconteur when talking of the game he loved so much. Above all, to us, he was a true friend and when the times were hard he always had our best interests at heart. He was the best number 8 I have ever seen and he will always be, to me, the archetypal Grogg and the greatest of men.
Richard Hughes
