By Whaley Shark
July 16 2011

We north Wales boys have to stick together so when, a couple of years ago, I was amazed to win the Shirt Off Your Back draw, it really had to be Eifion’s for me (nothing to do with the fact that his was one of the few shirts I’d have a chance of fitting into, of course).  Now, as he leaves soggy Stockport for the south of France, he’s another in my occasional ‘Thank You’s to this summer's departing players.

We signed a 24-year old Eifion, who’d previously been playing for Ruthin, in 2005, and I think it’s fair to say that he was one of our better discoveries. At the time we signed him, Llanelli Scarlets were apparently responsible for talent-spotting in north Wales, Lord alone knows why, given that it’s the best part of a four hour journey, just what you want on a winter’s night after a training session, and with an early start on the farm to look forward to. Anyway, Scarlets’ loss was our gain and, ironically, Eifion made his Sharks debut against Scarlets in a narrow away Powergen Cup defeat in December 2005. That, of course, was our Championship winning season, and the new boy didn’t get too many opportunities, being restricted to just four appearances.

However, the following year, with Stu Turner having retired and Sherri out injured, he took his chance, clocking up 22 appearances and putting in a man-of-the-match performance in a one point home defeat by Leicester Tigers. A versatile prop, playing either side of the front row, Eifion became something of a fixture in the side over the following three seasons and started to attract the Wales selectors’ interest. This was somewhat controversial, with 21 stone plus Eifion being known as the Premiership’s heaviest player. A bit of slimming down did the trick though, and he was capped as a replacement by Wales in a 34-13 win against Canada in November 2008. Although he remained on the fringes of the Welsh international scene, including membership of the 2010 Six Nations squad, he hasn’t so far broken through to establish himself on the international scene.

Last season was a major setback, both for Sale and for Eifion, as he suffered a serious knee injury in mid September. While our fears that it would put him out for the season weren’t quite fulfilled and he returned to play a full part in the crucial games at the end of the season, we did miss him through what turned out to be a long, hard autumn and winter. Off the field, while he was recuperating, his three year contract extension, signed in April 2010, turned out not quite to be for three years after all, and it was announced that he would be joining Toulon next season.

So that’ll be that for the big man’s Sale career. He leaves with my best wishes and I’ll always remember the appalled expressions on opposition wingers’ faces as 20+ stone of Eifion charged towards them. Pob lwc yn Ffrainc, Tarw.