Rugby World Cup Pioneer Ronnie Dawson Passes Away
By Priscilla Rotich
Ronnie Dawson, a member of the Irish Rugby Hall of Fame, sadly passed away at 92. He had a long career as a player, coach, manager, and administrator.
Educated at Neath Grammar School, he played flanker for London Welsh, was club captain, and also played for Wales B, Barbarians, and Middlesex County. He played for Ireland 27 times and for Leinster 28 times, and he also captained the British Lions on their tour of Australia, New Zealand, and Canada in 1959.
As a coach, Dawson has worked with junior Welsh teams, the Wales U20s, U21s, and A teams. He was also the initial full-time coach of the Wales National Football team from 1995 to 1998. World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said Dawson has made many positive changes in rugby at all levels.
Beaumont shared his tributes, saying, “Ronnie Dawson had a huge impact on rugby at every level of the game. Whether it was at his club, Wanderers, the IRFU, and the British and Irish Lions as captain and coach, or off the field running the sport, Ronnie leaves an enduring legacy,” said Beaumont.
“It is thanks to him and that first-ever 1987 organizing committee that today we have the incredible celebration of international rugby, which is the Rugby World Cup. The thoughts of everybody at World Rugby go out to Ronnie’s family and friends at this sad time,” he added.
Administratively, Dawson has been highly productive, other than on the football field. For 24 years, he was a member of the IRFU Executive Committee, and in 1989-1990, he was also its president. He was also a member of the International Rugby Board (IRB) Council for twenty years and as its chairman in 1983.
Dawson contributed to rugby's development by joining the tournament’s committee to create the Rugby World Cup, which was held in 1987. For his services to the game, he was awarded the Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service in 2004 and installed into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2013.
