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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Ryan O'Neill

The beautiful tribute from Rodney Parade to late Dragons star Matthew J Watkins

The former club of the late Dragons rugby star Matthew J Watkins posted a touching tribute on the day the player was laid to rest.

Former Wales centre Watkins passed away earlier this month at the age of 41 after a battle with a rare form of pelvic cancer.

His funeral took place in Cardiff yesterday, with only 10 people allowed to attend because of social distancing measures introduced due to the coronavirus pandemic.

While the funeral was streamed online for fans to pay their respects, Watkins' former club Dragons in Newport unveiled a poignant tribute of their own, spelling out the star's initials in club shirts arranged along the pitch at Rodney Parade.

A tribute to the late Wales star Matthew J Watkins was unveiled at Rodney Parade yesterday (Dragons Rugby)

The fitting move also saw a heart created from rugby balls around another shirt bearing the player's old squad number.

It was posted on the Rodney Parade Twitter account which has since racked up more than 1,200 likes.

As well as his time at Dragons, Watkins played for Scarlets and Gloucester. He was capped 18 times for Wales and retired in 2011, revealing his cancer diagnosis in 2013.

Matthew J Watkins playing for Wales in 2006 (Getty Images)

Speaking about the tribute, a Dragons spokesperson said: "It was something we wanted to do as a testament to the player and the man, the legacy he left behind and how he dealt with his condition with such positivity.

"Our thoughts are with his family at this very difficult time."

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