BBC Repair Shop fixes historic rugby shirt ruined during washing

Karen Richards could not believe it when she put her late father-in-law’s precious international rugby jersey in the washing machine – and it came out damaged.

Bryan Richards, who grew up in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, was the last Wales player to wear a number six shirt as a fly-half, which made it a piece of sporting history.

After going through the wash the red from the shirt ran into the white collar, and things got worse when Karen tried to bleach it.

She and husband Lloyd Richards, who live in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, tried in vain to find someone to fix it – until as a last resort they decided to call BBC One’s The Repair Shop.

“My heart sank, it was such a precious family heirloom and I had ruined it,” mum-of-two Karen said.

The devastated 51-year-old said she felt she had done a disservice to Bryan, who died aged 91 in December 2023.

He wore the shirt against France at Cardiff Arms Park on 26 March 1960.

Then they got The Repair Shop involved.

“Within three or four weeks we were down there,” said Lloyd, 56.

Rebecca Bissonnet restored the shirt on the show by examining the red stitching, which would have matched the jersey.

The textile conservator believed the stitching was polyester so unaffected by the bleaching.

After removing the six, the collar and the three feathers she dyed the top its original red.

A piece of grainy footage of Bryan playing was also restored on the programme.

Bryan had told his son he would train by running up and down the slag heaps behind his house.

As well as Wales, he played for Neath, the Barbarians and captained Swansea.

But the pinnacle of his rugby career was playing for his country, mortgage adviser Lloyd said.

The jersey now has pride of place in a clear acrylic box in Lloyd’s home office.

Karen said Bryan would have been “a bit bemused by it all”.

“He didn’t really tell anyone about his experiences,” she said.

The couple were delighted to have the jersey looking as good as new.

“Never for one minute did I think it was going to look as good as it does,” Karen said.

The Repair Shop is on on BBC One at 20:00 GMT on Wednesdays and on BBC iPlayer