By David Parsons
Former Welsh rugby writer Steve Bale, one of the most respected and well-travelled sports reporters of the past four decades, has died at the age of 72 after losing a battle with illness.
A classically trained journalist, he progressed from the newsroom at the Neath Guardian in his home town to work for the Swansea Evening Post, South Wales Argus, Western Mail, The Independent, The Sunday Express, Daily Express and finally the Sunday Times.
His rugby-writing career began in September 1973 with a report on Neath v University of British Colombia at The Gnoll. He worked alongside the legendary Wally Thomas at the Neath Guardian having taken over from another Fleet Street bound rugby journalist, Tim Glover.
He went on to report on more than 400 rugby internationals all over the world, including 16 England tours, seven Rugby World Cups and seven British & Irish Lions tours.
At the Evening Post he worked with Ron Griffiths and at the Argus it was Robin Davey before joining John Billott’s stable of rugby writers at the Western Mail in July 1983.
We are devastated to share that our great friend Steve Bale has passed away.
A giant of our trade, he covered 400 Tests, seven World Cups and seven Lions tours for the Western Mail, Independent, Express and Sunday Times.
We remember his talent, his warmth, and his singing. pic.twitter.com/XAOGL2rIJn
— The Rugby Union Writers’ Club (@RUWCOfficial) November 6, 2024
One of his first big assignments on his new paper was being sent to cover the Wales rugby international against Romania in Bucharest.
Wales were well beaten by the Romanians, losing 24-6, and he was asked by the then Western Mail sports editor, Reg Pearson, to write the first set of ‘player ratings’ for a rugby international.
Innovative it may have been, but finding 30 words to write about each player after such a miserable defeat was probably one of the hardest tasks he had in his career.
Fair and critical in equal measure, he turned the exercise into a triumph for his paper, but a nightmare for the players.
Another of his big missions was covering the Cardiff Blue Dragons rugby league side in the 1983-84 season.
He missed any of the 34 games and ended up covering 120 rugby matches in both codes that season for his paper.
His next move was to London to join the new kid on the Fleet Street block, The Independent, when it launched in 1986.
He began as a sub-editor but quickly became the Rugby Editor and then Rugby Correspondent in the wake of fellow Welshman Geoff Nicholson.
He spent eight years at The Independent as their top rugby man before jumping ship and joining the Sunday Express and then the Daily Express.
He spent 18 years and four months at Express Newspapers as their Rugby Correspondent, his final game for them being the Exeter v Wasps Premiership final at Twickenham.
In semi-retirement, and after a return to Wales from Exeter to live with his wife, Fleur, in Magor once again, he worked for three years as the Wales rugby correspondent for the Sunday Times.
In 2018, he was named as the winner of the annual Peter Corrigan Welsh Sports Media Award at the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame ‘Roll of Honour’ dinner.
His successor as the Rugby Correspondent at The Independent, Chris Hewett, was a long standing colleague and friend who spent 20 years on the road and the international rugby beat with him.
“Rather like Zorro, he preferred to dress in funereal black and rather like his countryman and fellow union scribe Tim Glover, he combined a mournful demeanour with a mastery of mordant wit in a rich mix that somehow distinguishes the natives of Neath from the rest of the human race,” Hewitt told the Sports Journalists Association on the occasion of Bale’s departure from the Express.
“Steve’s journalism, critically astute and big-heartedly generous in equal measure, touched the heights because he brought to his work an instinctive feel for language, a deep knowledge of rugby history and an even more profound love of the game.
“Before every Wales-England international since 1996, Steve has made the same point to me: ‘Remember…it’s a class thing.’ He was, and remains, right about that, along with almost everything else.”
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Rob Cole, who worked with Bale during his time at the Western Mail and then alongside him in rugby press boxes around the world over the next 30 years, was another colleague who sang his praises.
“Steve combined a deep and intimate knowledge of the game with a wonderful writing style. A kind and considerate man, he was always great company and much loved by all his colleagues,” said Cole.
“His was a classic journey from a local weekly newspaper to the heights of Fleet Street. He started in Neath and always loved going back to The Gnoll where it had all begun for him. Everyone in the industry has lost a great friend.”
The Sunday Times rugby correspondent, Stephen Jones, said “he wrote beautifully for a galaxy of newspapers, was dearly loved throughout the sport and way beyond”, while former Wales outside half Jonathan Davies described him as “a brilliant journalist and a lovely engaging guy.”
He is survived by his wife, Fleur, and two children, Owen and Lara.