A Tribute to Arthur Lewis

On the week of Arthur Lewis’s funeral, the Steelmen wish to pay tribute to a “once in a generational player worthy of being known as a Man of Steel.”

Balancing top tier rugby with hard work as an electrician, Arthur perfectly embodied the work ethic, grit and humility of the Gwent valleys becoming one of the most feared and respected centres in the amateur era.

Arthur played for his hometown club of Crumlin before joining the Steelmen where he went onto make over 500 appearances for the club. During that time, he captained the team in 1965/66, 1969/70 and 1972/73.

Earning 11 caps for Wales between 1970 and 1973, he won 9 of those matches famously captaining his country and scoring a memorable try against England.  Arthur was also an integral part of the victorious British and Irish Lions squad that toured New Zealand in 1971 scoring tries against Canterbury and Manawatu.

Mostyn Richards played alongside Arthur Lewis at Ebbw Vale

“Arthur was on the Lions tour of NZ in 1971 and was unfortunate not to make the fabulous back division for the 4 tests. He came back having learned a lot from the coaching of Carwyn James and set about turning EVRFC into a side who could mix it with the best teams up front, allied to an invasive back division.

We scored at least 6 or 7 tries literally from behind our goal line over a few years. Arthur was the inspiration of the style of rugby we entertained the crowd with. He taught all of us how to pass, when to pass, weight of pass etc and it paid dividends for many of us.

In a nutshell, he was an outstanding centre for Ebbw Vale, Pontypool, Cross Keys, Monmouthshire, Wales, the Barbarians and the British Lions.

He was a supremely confident attacker, defender and catalyst for all the teams he represented. He was a true legend of EVRFC and always showcased the finer skills of the game in his illustrious career.”

The final word goes to REL, who wrote the following about Arthur,

“He reached the heights of rugby playing on every international ground in the world and received every honour in the game, a great player and character we were privileged to call one of our own.”

Arthur will always be remembered as a true gentleman who always had time for a chat, a pint with supporters and his wealth of rugby stories. He leaves behind a permanent legacy on the legends mural at Ebbw Vale and in the hearts of every supporter who watched him pull on the red white and green jersey. He was, and always will be, a true Man of Steel.

RIP ARTHUR