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Tributes have been paid to a rugby player, teacher and writer following his death.
Richard Rowe, 47, who played rugby for Deri Minis, Penallta, Fleur and Oakdale passed away last week. He was also an English lecturer at Coleg Gwent, as well as a private tutor.
In 2007, he published the well-known book, The A-Z of Welsh Rugby – drawing upon locker-room antics and tour-bus shenanigans to offer a comical insight into the game.
Richard was also a charity worker – volunteering with Helping Caring Team to aid the vulnerable and homeless across South East Wales.
On their Facebook page, the charity paid tribute to Richard – saying he “was funny, clever, kind, wicked”, adding that he had an “abundance of empathy for everyone”.
His former club, Penallta, paid tribute to their former scrum-half with a simple post on social media.
It simply read: “Richard Rowe. Penallta Legend. 1979 – 2026.”
Hundreds responded underneath to pay their respects to Richard, who originally hailed from Ystrad Mynach.
Paying tribute on Facebook, friend Phil Morris said: “Thinking of a dear friend today, we all know what life has in store for us at some point, but not so soon, not when there is still so much talent and potential to be realised.
“A genuinely special human being and news of his loss today has caused a wound that many of us will carry until our final day comes.”
As well as the book on Welsh rugby, Richard’s writing skills lent themselves to other areas as well, including the stage.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of actor and writer Richard Rowe,” wrote Blackwood Little Theatre on social media.
“Richard made a significant contribution to Blackwood Little Theatre over the years and received several awards for his outstanding one-act play, The Tobacco Tin.
“He was a talented writer, and we often spoke about his next piece of work and his dream of bringing another of his plays to the stage.
“It will always be a sadness for Blackwood Little Theatre that we never managed to make that happen before Richard’s passing. It feels like a missed opportunity, and one we will always regret.
“Richard will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Thank you for everything you gave to our theatre and to the world of amateur drama.”
Speaking about the well-known rugby book he wrote back in 2007, Richard said: “I had the idea of writing a humorous book, and I came up with this.
“It’s based on my own memories and accounts from fellow players.
“We’re not a big club, but we do OK – a club on the up. We’re hoping to be in the second division next season.
“The lads are all working, but we get to training a couple of times a week and have a match on Saturday, mainly because of the social aspect.
“I thought it would be nice to do a bit of a sideways look at rugby at this sort of level, as there’s already plenty on the glory years and achievements of the international and big Welsh sides.”
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