‘Little John’ was educated
at Watford GS and then at Loughborough College. In his final
year at the College he began a first class career with London
Welsh, making his debut for Wales the following year in 1967
against Scotland. In 1968 he was selected to tour South Africa
with the Lions. He toured again in 1971, playing in all four
tests obtaining the nickname ‘Man from the Bible’ owing
to his fine beard and calm disposition.
A schoolmaster by profession,
his slight build often lured defenders into a false sense
of security and his positional and tactical awareness plus
total
fearlessness were without question. Taylor played 26 times
for Wales and had the added bonus of being an international
goal kicker. A captain of London Welsh in 1972/74 and in
1977/78, he captained Wales in his final match against Japan
in 1973. |
