Joining Newport RFC in 1961, he made his début for Newport on 2 September that year against Penarth RFC. In his first season with Newport the team won the Welsh Championship. Watkins played for invitational team the Barbarians during his first season for Newport in 1962.
Watkins made his international début in 1963, at the age of 20, for Wales against England partnering Clive Rowlands. He was a key figure in Newport's win over Whineray's 1963 New Zealand All Blacks. He was vice captain of Newport under Brian Price in 1963–64 and went on to captain them for three seasons 1964–65, 1965–66 and 1966–67. He set the club dropped goal record of 14 in 1966–67. In all he scored 228 points including 55 dropped goals for Newport. He never played on the losing side for Newport at sevens. In 1967 Watkins assembled his own team to enter the first ever Glengarth Sevens at Davenport Rugby Club where he won the main competition.
Watkins led the Lions in two tests in New Zealand in 1966. He set up position for Uzzell's drop goal and kicked a penalty to draw with Australia in 1966. He played 21 times for Wales (including the 1964–65 Triple Crown) and was captain three times in 1967.
In October 1967 Watkins signed to play rugby league, joining English club Salford for £16,000, a then club record. He was signed the same day as outstanding young talent Jimmy Newbrook. He was Salford's captain in 1967 and also in the Challenge Cup Final in 1969 when they were beaten by Castleford.
Watkins became Salford's record points scorer and steered them to victory in the Lancashire Cup Final in 1972 by beating Swinton at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington. In the 1972–73 season he kicked a world record 221 goals in a season. He also holds the longest scoring run record in 92 consecutive matches for Salford from 19 August 1972 to 25 April 1974. Watkins totalled 929 points from 41 tries and 403 goals. The record refers to scoring consecutively for one club and does not include representative matches.
Watkins played right-centre and scored a try, and five conversions in Salford's 25–11 victory over Swinton in the 1972 Lancashire Cup Final at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington on Saturday 21 October 1972, played right-centre and scored a try, and three conversions in the 9–19 defeat by Wigan in the 1973 Lancashire Cup Final at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington on Saturday 13 October 1973.[8] During the 1973 Kangaroo tour, Watkins was selected to play for Great Britain against Australia in the 3rd Ashes Test as a reserve. He led Salford to the Championship in 1974.
During the 1975–76 Northern Rugby Football League season Watkins played at fullback, and scored two conversions in the 7–16 defeat by Widnes in the 1975 Lancashire Cup Final at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 4 October 1975.
Watkins retired having set Salford's "Most Career Points" record with 2,907 points,[11] and is one of fewer than ten Welshmen to have scored more than 2,000 points in their rugby league career.[12] Watkins' rugby league career ended in 1979 after playing for Swinton for a season. He'd also played six international rugby league matches against New Zealand, Australia and France, and both captained and coached Great Britain and Wales.
After he'd stopped playing Watkins coached rugby league.[5] He was the Wales national team coach and also coached Great Britain, taking them to the 1977 World Cup Final, which they lost by one point to the hosts, Australia. David had two stints in the Wales head coach role, separated by 7 years.
Watkins coached in Wales for the Cardiff City club.
Administration
Watkins was appointed Newport RFC team manager in 1992–93 and later became the club's chairman when he was awarded an MBE. In 2006 Watkins, along with Falklands War hero Simon Weston, was installed as a patron of the Welsh Rugby League at a ceremony held in the Welsh Assembly. He was managing director of the Cardiff City Blue Dragons. In 2009, Watkins took over the position of Crusaders president from Jonathan Davies.[14]
Death
David Watkins died on 3 September 2023, at the age of 81.[15][16]
Note 1: Robert Seddon died on tour after a boating accident. Andrew Stoddart became captain for the remainder of the tour.
Note 2: Matthew Mullineux decided that after losing the first test that he should withdraw from further test matches, handing on field captaincy to Frank Stout, but remained tour captain. Note 3: David Bedell-Sivright was injured during the first test. Teddy Morgan took over captaincy on the field but Bedell-Sivright remained tour captain. Note 4: The team that John Raphael captained was not selected by the four Home Nations governing body, but had been organised by Oxford University and billed as the English Rugby Union team. However, it was considered the Combined British team by Argentina because it also included three Scots. Note 5: Jack Jones was captain for the first test, but Tommy Smyth remained the tour captain. Note 6: Bleddyn Williams captained in the third and fourth tests v New Zealand and the first test v Australia. Note 7: Cliff Morgan captained in the third test. Note 8: David Watkins captained in the second and foruth tests v New Zealand. Note 9: Michael Owen captained the Lions in the first tour game, the test vs. Argentina in Cardiff. Brian O'Driscoll was injured at the beginning of the first test against New Zealand. Gareth Thomas replaced him as tour captain. Note 10: Sam Warburton was injured in the second test. Alun Wyn Jones replaced him as captain for the third test. Note 11: Tour captain Sam Warburton was named on the bench for the first test. Peter O'Mahony was the captain on the field.
Note 12: Tour captain Alun Wyn Jones left the squad for 17 days due to an injury in the first warm-up match, and was replaced by Conor Murray temporarily.
