Former Wales captain Mark Taylor will come out of retirement for the star-studded Welsh rugby match that takes place in Neath this weekend.
The 52-cap centre secured his place in history when he became the first man to score a try at the Millennium Stadium in Wales’ win over South Africa in 1998.
He will don his boots once again for Paul James’ testimonial match at The Gnoll on Saturday afternoon, with Taylor figuring for a Select XV against a Classic Lions side. Twenty-nine internationals are expected to feature in the game, including Test Lions Lee Byrne, Shane Williams, Allan Bateman, Lee Mears and Dafydd James.
Taylor replaces ex-Ospreys centre David Bishop, who has pulled out with an injury.
Also on duty for the Select XV will be England Sevens international Mark Woodrow, along with Elvis Seveali’i, while ex-Ospreys and Dragons man Joe Bearman has been drafted in up front.
Taylor retired as a player back in 2008 but when he featured in Adam Jones’ testimonial match in 2012 he still possessed the class that stamped his career.
An outside centre with a jolting hand-off, he former a legendary midfield partnership at Swansea with Scott Gibbs and it says everything about Taylor that he managed to win 50-plus caps during an era when Wales were blessed with centres of the quality of Gibbs and Bateman.
The 66-cap James retired as a player back in December after failing to recover from a shoulder injury.
He began his senior career with Neath before stepping up to the Ospreys, featuring in the region’s first-ever competitive match and going on to play 232 games for them, wrapped around a three-year stint with Bath.
Along the way, he established himself as one of the best-performing looseheads in the game, with his no-nonsense attitude earning widespread respect.
A good crowd is expected for a match that will be controlled by Nigel Owens. Tickets can be bought here .
