Hall of Famer Alun Priday has been a stalwart at Cardiff RFC for over 7 decades and made 410 appearances for Cardiff between 1953 and 1966 scoring 33 tries.
Priday is only one of three players to play over 400 times for the Blue and Blacks.
His earliest memory of the Blue and Blacks was when he was in his early teen years when his father took him to his first game at the Cardiff Arms Park and this struck his love for the club.
He said: “My father decided to take me to the Arms Park back in 1945 and I remember Dr Glyn Jones scoring right in front of me in the corner.
“I was then hooked and had high ambitions to play for Cardiff,” he added.
Priday said: “After seeing the 1947-48 season it made me want to play for Cardiff even more.”
That season saw Bleddyn Williams break the record of 40 tries scored by T.W. Pearson’s. That record was broken in a demolition job of nine tries against Gloucester, with Bleddyn scoring four.
That record of 41 tries still has not been beaten to this day.
Priday made his debut for the senior side on Easter Monday back in 1953 at just 22 years old against Harlequins when the Blue and Blacks won 15-3.
Priday said: “I remember it very well, one of my best days in rugby.
“When I was asked to play for Cardiff it was an absolute honour,” he added.
The former Tongwynlais player moved to Cardiff in 1953 and at the end of his playing career, he was one point away from 1,800 points in a Blue and Black shirt.
One of Alun’s favourite moments in his career wasn’t when he had an invitation to play for the Barbarians or even his international call-up for Wales where he went on to win 2 caps.
He said: “Even though they were massive honours to play for, to say you’re a Welsh international is a good feeling, however whenever we played Newport it was always a memorable one.
“When Cardiff played Newport, it felt like an international whenever we played them and whether it be home or away, we always wanted to win.
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“We used to play Newport 4 times a year back then, and it was always the game where I was up for it as I was a true Cardiff boy who carried a lot of pride when putting on that Cardiff shirt,” Priday insisted.
Priday made a surprising appearance for Aberavon when they played against Newport, he replaced Ross Richard on that day.
He said: “I remember they (Aberavon) asked me to play but I was not sure if I wanted to play for another team other than Cardiff, but when they told me that it was against Newport I said yes.”
Then in 1960 Priday played against a very much feared Springboks team in front of 50,000 people at the Cardiff Arms Park.
He said: “It was a tough old game that one was, I remember Mannetjies Roux hit me with some force from out of nowhere and I didn’t know where I was when I got up,” he added.
When talking about his career Priday also commented on the old leather balls that they played with, he said: “It was like kicking a brick, and when it rained it made it even harder and therefore made it even more difficult for me to kick at the posts.”
Throughout his playing days, Priday also played Cricket for Cardiff Athletic Club.
12 years after making his debut, Priday played his 410th game away in Bridgend, where he played his final game in a Blue and Black shirt in 1965.
Alun Priday has carried on his support for the club as he became a committee member and in November 2021, he became the president of the Cardiff Athletic Club.
When discussing the start of the 2023-24 campaign for the Blue and Blacks, he said:
“It’s been an up-and-down start with some good wins against some strong opposition and good rugby being played but there is a long way to go until the end of the season.”
When asked about who has stood out, he said: “I don’t want to just name one player.
“Everyone has a role to play in that dressing room and I have been impressed with the effort that they are all putting in,” he concluded.
Words By Harry Tovey.
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