The inspiring story of the player with a famous Welsh rugby name back playing after double lung and liver transplants

Rugby has been in Rhys Goodfellow’s blood for as long as he can remember. His father Peter captained Glamorgan Wanderers, as well as having spells with Cardiff, Penarth, Newbridge and Bridgend, while his grandfather Peter was a Cardiff RFC legend who made 240 appearances for the club and went on to serve as chairman and fixture secretary.

Then there are his uncles on his mother’s side, Lyndon and Alan Thomas, who both played for Bridgend. So the sport has been a huge part of his life and, as such, he wasn’t going to let the little matter of a double organ transplant stop him from playing it.

Having suffered from cystic fibrosis from a young age, Rhys underwent surgery in October 2019, becoming the beneficiary of new lungs and liver at the age of 30. Showing huge determination, he was back playing rugby inside two years. In just his second game, he suffered a serious ankle injury, but he wasn’t to be deterred and has gone on to figure at both full-back and scrum-half for Old Penarthians RFC this season. It’s an inspiring story.

“I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when I was two, so I’ve had it throughout my life really,” the 33-year-old explains. “It’s a disease that affects mainly the lungs and the main organs in the body. I was fine in secondary school, playing rugby, football, doing cross country. Any sport, you name it, I was playing it.

“But then, when I was 16, I was told I wasn’t allowed to play rugby any more because I’ve got an enlarged spleen. At the time I thought it was the end of the world. I was just gutted that I couldn’t play.

“Rugby was such a big part of my life. I remember going to a lot of the Cardiff games at the Arms Park when my grandad was on duty. We would be sat in the committee box watching