At a moving ceremony ahead of the Neath-Llandovery game on Saturday, former Neath prop forward Martin Jones was inducted into the Neath Rugby Supporters’ Club Hall of Fame.

The Supporters’ Club departed from tradition to make this award ahead of the annual presentation night in May and former coach Rowland Phillips was on hand and  in good form to compere the ceremony.

Martin, a product of the Swansea Valley which has produced so many fine players for Neath RFC, played prop 81 times for the Welsh All Blacks and contributed much as a key member of the Neath team which carried all before it in the Welsh Premiership. He played more games for Neath than he did for his other several clubs during a career which also embraced spells with the Celtic Warriors and Cardiff Blues – now no longer.

NRSC chairman Len Kowalski said, “The Supporters’ Club were pleased to make this award on Saturday as Martin has not been in the best of health recently. Neath RFC has a long tradition of producing prop forwards and Martin forms part of that as a tight head prop who would yield nothing.”

* Nominations are now open for the remaining Hall of Fame inductees for 2023/24 – please see any NRSC committee member (Len Kowalski, Dawn Williams, Paula Thomas or Wayne Hopkins).

Rowland Phillips presenting the cap to Peter Jones, Martin’s  friend, who received the cap on his behalf: