{"id":406221,"date":"2026-01-11T12:40:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T12:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/406221\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T12:40:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T12:40:10","slug":"tributes-paid-to-late-outstanding-powys-rugby-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/406221\/","title":{"rendered":"Tributes paid to late &#8216;outstanding&#8217; Powys rugby player"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n  Clubs from across the rugby world have paid tribute to \u201can outstanding talent\u201d who picked up caps as a youth international, playing for two seasons at the Llanelli Scarlets, working a player and coach for Powys clubs and playing with distinction for Wales\u2019 deaf team.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  In a statement, Rhayader Rugby Club, where Rob started his career and later served as player-coach, said: \u201cIt is with profound sadness that we have learned of the passing of Rob Mills.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  \u201cRob began his rugby journey at Rhayader RFC, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Darren. He started in our U14s, progressed through the U16s, and then joined the Youth team.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  \u201cIt was during this time that he earned numerous international honours, beginning with Wales U18s. Many of us proudly followed him around the country, watching him play with great honour.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  \u201cAt this point, it was clear that Rob was destined to be a great player.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  \u201cRob moved up to play for Builth Wells, followed by a few seasons with the Scarlets. He eventually gained further honours, playing for the Wales Deaf side for many seasons.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  \u201cOn behalf of all ex-players, committee, and members, we extend our most sincere condolences to the entire Mills family at this sad time.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Builth Wells RFC said it was \u201cdeeply saddened\u201d of the loss of a \u201ca former Builth Wells 1st XV player and a highly respected figure in the rugby community.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  In a statement the club said: \u201cRob\u2019s rugby journey was one of real achievement.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  \u201cRob will be remembered not only for his ability on the field, but for the pride, commitment, and respect he brought to the game throughout his career.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  \u201cToday, our thoughts are with Rob\u2019s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  \u201cHe will always be part of the Builth Wells RFC family.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Help support trusted local news\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Sign up for a digital subscription now:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countytimes.co.uk\/subscribe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">www.countytimes.co.uk\/subscribe<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  As a digital subscriber you will get\n<\/p>\n<p>Unlimited access to the\u00a0County Times\u00a0website<\/p>\n<p>  Advert-light access<\/p>\n<p>  Reader rewards<\/p>\n<p>  Full access to our app<\/p>\n<p>\n  \u2018Nomad\u2019 national Rugby Team, Pronto Rugby, which raises money for charitable causes, said in statement &#8211; \u201cRob was more than just a number\u2014he was a valued part of our family, a familiar face, and a presence that will be deeply missed.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  \u201cHis dedication to rugby, kindness, laughter and the memories he shared with us will not be forgotten.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  RAMIT Rugby a foundation which uses rugby to raise awareness for mental health was praised as \u201ca valued member of our rugby family and will be remembered for his commitment, friendship, and the spirit he brought to the club both on and off the pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Clubs from across the rugby world have paid tribute to \u201can outstanding talent\u201d who picked up caps as&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406222,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-406221","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-rugby","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406221\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/406222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}