Haydn Tanner was born in Penclawdd, near Swansea, on 9 January 1917 and educated at Gowerton Grammar School. Whilst still at school he shot to fame as an 18-year-old scrum-half in the Swansea and Wales teams that beat New Zealand in 1935.He went on to win 25 caps either side of World War II, and captained Wales 12 times. In 1938 he toured South Africa with the British Isles, playing in 10 games. In 1946 he moved from Swansea to Cardiff and captained the latter for two seasons. He also led the Barbarians in six of his 15 appearances, including the first-ever game against an international touring team, Australia, in 1948, when he also scored one of the Barbarians' three tries in a 9-6 victory. Haydn Tanner died on 4 June 2009, aged 92.