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Tributes have poured in from across the Welsh rugby community for the popular forward and ‘true warrior’
Ospreys head coach Mark Jones said he is “devastated” as he paid tribute to his close friend and former Wales U21s international Rob Mills, following his tragic death at the age of just 45.
Mills, who was also on the books at the Scarlets before becoming an important player for Wales’ deaf team, passed away last week following repeated complications in the wake of a double-lung transplant, with tributes pouring in from across the Welsh rugby community for the former Rhayader, Builth Wells and Caerleon forward.
Former Wales wing Jones learnt the sad news while away with the Ospreys in Parma last weekend and has now paid a heartfelt tribute to his late friend ahead of his side’s Challenge Cup meeting with Montpellier on Saturday.
“[Rob] was one of my close friends,” he said. “I played Wales U18s, U19s, U21s with him, he lived 20 minutes up the road from where I live and we grew up together, playing against each other.
“I’m absolutely devastated with the news of Rob. It’s been a tough week, actually, or less than a week, I found out while I was away in Italy.
“I’m so sad for Rob and his immediate family, his partner and his children, his mum and dad, his brothers. I’m just devastated really, around that.
“If I can send my regards out to those guys formally, I’d like to do it,” Jones added. “Yeah, I’m devastated about that news.”
Paying tribute to Mills, the Ospreys boss added: “He was a character, but he was a great rugby player too. He did the nuts and bolts, a brilliant scrummager, tough, uncompromising, hit rucks.
“He was one heck of a character, he was the heart and soul of any team and the boys loved him. You’d do well to find somebody who would have a bad word to say about him.
“I spent a lot of time with Rob in the car travelling to Wales training and he’s just a great guy. I can’t emphasise enough how good a man he was.”
It comes after Mills’ wife Jade paid an emotional tribute to her late husband in a statement released through his former club Builth Wells, describing him as “my absolute whole world”.
“We loved each other so intensely,” she said. “We’ve had the most wonderful 10 years together and just three years ago welcomed our darling little boy Morgan Robert Mills into the world. Rob absolutely idolised his boys, he really was the greatest Daddy.
“We were so excited for our future, we wanted to be together forever. We thought that after Rob had had his double lung transplant we would get that life that we so desperately wanted, but devastating complications repeatedly kept happening and I have now forever lost my love. Rob was loved by absolutely everyone and I am so very proud of him.”
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