Cardiff legends Gerald Davies and Alan Phillips have been recognised in the King’s New Year’s Honours for 2025.

Davies was awarded a knighthood, while Phillips received an MBE.

Originally from Llansaint, Carmarthenshire, Davies had two spells with the Blue and Blacks and captained the side for three seasons in the 1970s.

The 79-year-old played 46 times for Wales between 1966 and 1978 and won three Grand Slams during his career.

He also made five appearances for the Lions during the 1968 and 1971 tours, and served as the President of the Welsh Rugby Union.

Davies was knighted for services to his sport and for voluntary and charitable service in Wales, and he admitted he was ‘dumbstruck’ to receive the honour.

“I feel very emotional about it,” said Davies. “I am surprised by it.

“Words are really quite inadequate to describe it. It comes out of the blue.

“I am humbled by it and moved by the thought that somebody, somewhere, has thought it worthy of giving me that honour.

“I was dumbstruck in many ways, but you don’t achieve these things on your own.”

Davies’ former Cardiff and Wales teammate Alan Phillips was also named among the honourees, having been awarded an MBE for services to rugby union and charity in Wales.

The 70-year-old former hooker scored an incredible 162 tries in 481 appearances for Cardiff and was Club captain 1985-87.

He also won 18 caps for Wales and toured South Africa with the Lions in 1980.

More recently, he held the position of Team Manager with Wales from 2002 to 2019, when he was succeeded by another Cardiff great, Martyn Williams.

In the role, Phillips helped Wales to three Grand Slam wins in 2005, 2008 and 2012.

Friend of Cardiff, Craig Maxwell was also recognised with an OBE for voluntary and charitable services to improving outcomes for people with cancer after he walked the Wales Coast Path.

Maxwell was joined on stages of the walk by several Cardiff staff and received a hero’s welcome at the Principality Stadium where he finished his walk.