Don Hayward was a Welsh

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 international prop who played club rugby for Newbridge

Newbridge RFC

Newbridge RFC are a Welsh rugby union club based in Newbridge, Caerphilly in South Wales. Newbridge RFC was formed in 1888 and gained admission to the WRU in 1911...

. He won 15 caps for Wales

Wales national rugby union team

The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...

 and was selected to play in the British Lions

British and Irish Lions

The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...

 on the 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand

1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia

The British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1950 was the first post-war tour made by the Lions; there had not been one since 1938....

. Hayward is considered to be one of the finest forwards to represent Wales in the early post-war period. He was an excellent lineout specialist and was an aggressive mauler in the loose. Hayward was also an extremely strong tackler and played with total conviction.

Rugby career

Born in 1925 in Pontypool and played for 'second class' team Newbridge, who before 1939 would rarely be selected for Welsh trials, but this changed after World War II. With an improved list of opponents, and an impressive roster of players, Newbridge gained trials for several of its players including Hayward and Ray Cale

Ray Cale

William Raymond "Ray" Cale was a dual code rugby international for Wales with the international rugby union and rugby league teams.-Rugby union:...

 who were both selected. Hayward was first selected for Wales in 1949 after Rees Stephens

Rees Stephens

Rees Stephens was a Welsh international number 8 who played club rugby for Neath. He won 32 caps for Wales and was selected to play in the British Lions on the 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand...

 pulled out of the game against England. Although Stephens regained his place, Hayward was back in the 1950 season and held his place throughout the Five Nations Championships in 1950 through to 1953.

In 1951, Hayward faced the touring South Africans on two occasions, as part of the Welsh pack, and also as part of a joint Newbridge / Pontypool

Pontypool RFC

Pontypool Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in the town of Pontypool. Pontypool RFC has a long history within Welsh rugby and is one of the most notable clubs, being present at the formation of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881, but disbanding before the turn of the 19th century...

 side. Although Newbridge were beaten by the Springboks, it was an historic game and Hayward proved a formidable opponent.

Hayward would later emigrate to Australia, but returned to Britain to play rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

.

International matches played

Wales 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952 1950, 1951, 1952 1950, 1951, 1952 1951

British Lions

During the 1950 British Lions tour Hayward was over-selected in the early games, playing in the first three tests against New Zealand, but looked tired in the third test and was far below his normal form. In total he played 18 matches on the tour.
1950, 1950, 1950