Obituary: Mervyn Davies, Legendary Welsh number 8 known as Merv the Swerve BORN: 9 December, 1946, in Swansea. Died: 15 March, 2012, aged 65. Nicknamed Merv the Swerve, he starred during the so-called 1970s golden era when Wales won three Five Nations" Grand Slams in eight seasons and their players dominated selection for successful British and Irish Lions tours to New Zealand and South Africa. Davies captained Wales to the 1976 Grand Slam. His death was announced on the eve of the Welsh clash with France for the Six Nations" title and Grand Slam honours in Cardiff later today. Thomas Mervyn Davies was born in December, 1946, in Swansea, where he attended Penlan County School. He opted for a career in primary school teaching, and after moving to London during the late 1960s for that reason, he joined the famous London Welsh club. The Exiles, as they are known worldwide, was also home to players who were to become Davies" team-mates for club, country and the Lions - household names such as John Dawes, Gerald Davies and JPR Williams. It was while at London Welsh that the 6ft 3in tall, 17st Davies attracted interest from the Wales selectors, being picked for his international debut against Scotland at Murrayfield in 1969. He had only played six games for London Welsh when the Wales call came, but that faith in him was justified as he went on to play 38 consecutive Tests for Wales. During his time in the Wales number eight shirt, Davies helped his country win two Grand Slams and three Triple Crowns during a period of unprecedented success for the national team. Inevitably, he gained selection for the 1971 Lions in New Zealand and 1974 Lions to South Africa, playing in eight Test matches. In a total of 46 international appearances for Wales and the Lions he only ended on the losing side nine times ... and scored two tries. Davies wore a distinctive white headband throughout his career, while he also grew a Zapata-style moustache in an attempt to make him look more aggressive on the field of play. On moving back to Wales, Davies linked up with his home-town club Swansea, but his rugby career was to end in 1976 in dramatic and shocking circumstances. While playing for Swansea against Pontypool in a Welsh Cup semi-final on neutral territory in Cardiff, he suffered a brain haemorrhage. It later emerged he had collapsed during a game four years earlier, but had wrongly been diagnosed with meningitis. He spent several months recovering in Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales. Recalling the episode for a 2006 BBC Wales documentary The Mervyn Davies Story, Davies said: "If it had happened anywhere else, I would have died. If I had been playing on some obscure golf course, that would have been it. From competing against New Zealand one minute to not being able to beat my one-year-old son at tiddlywinks was a hard battle to come to terms with. His rugby career might have been over, but Davies continued to receive the plaudits, being voted in 2002 by Welsh rugby fans as Wales" greatest captain and number eight, being inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame and then appointed chairman of the Welsh rugby ex-internationals organisation. He also became an accomplished after-dinner speaker, retaining his many links throughout the rugby and sporting world. A statement released yesterday by the WRU said: "The Welsh Rugby Union is saddened to learn of the death of Mervyn Davies who deservedly earned a worldwide reputation as one of the greats of the modern game. Flags at the Millennium Stadium are flying at half-mast from today in honour.