By Paul Smith 
Warwickshire rugby has lost one of its modern greats with the untimely passing of Trevor Revan.
The former Rugby Lions and Coventry prop lost his battle with cancer last weekend at the age of just 60.
Revan who also earned representative honours with Warwickshire, the Barbarians and England A is remembered as the kind of old-school forward who was the bedrock of every team in which he played.
Never one to take a backward step, he was a phenomenally durable man whose game was built around scrummaging power.
And despite being naturally quiet, according to Rob Field who was a long-time colleague at both Coventry and Rugby Lions, when Trevor spoke those present listened.
“He was one of the most naturally strong men it would be possible to meet,” he said.
“One of my first Cov games was against Rugby Lions and I remember looking through the first scrum, seeing Trevor’s massive thighs and thinking ‘how on earth are we ever going to move that!’
“A few years later I got to know him as a friend and colleague at Lions and you couldn’t meet a nicer more family-oriented guy.
“He was really quiet, but on the odd occasion he opened his mouth and said something everyone concentrated because he had so much experience and was so well-respected.”
Revan played 18 seasons and over 400 games of senior rugby spanning the amateur and professional eras after joining Coventry from his junior club Birmingham Welsh in 1985.
He moved to Rugby Lions, who were then in the upper reaches of the English league structure, before the start of the 1989-90 campaign and quickly became a mainstay of their pack.
As a result, Revan made his sole appearance for England A in Dublin against Ireland in 1991, and was considered unlucky by many not to take the final step to a full cap.
The prop’s time at Webb Ellis Road was broken by a season in France with Dijon, but his longevity and ability to adapt is evident in a final tally of 283 Rugby Lions appearances spread over more than a decade. He also spent a summer in the 1990’s playing at Tech Rugby Club in Wollongong, Australia.
After rejoining Cov in 1999, Revan added a further 75 games in blue-and-white to the 31 registered during his first Coundon Road stint before retiring at the age of 39 after – appropriately – facing Rugby Lions in his final game at the end of 2002.
Former Coventry skipper Julian Hyde remembers Revan as a great character whose genial, gentle off-field manner contrasted sharply with his combative nature on the pitch.
“It’s a huge shock to find that Trevor has gone as we all knew he was ill but he put such a brave face on everything,” he said.
“He was an amazing player and also a real gentleman off the pitch. He was a quiet but very strong character and as a second-row myself, being behind him in a scrum was a very comfortable place to be.
“One of my early rugby experiences was doing an hour-and-a-half on a Monday night of scrummaging and going home hardly able to stand and Trevor was a major part of that.
“He took over from Steve Wilkes who was a total legend in the Cov front row and just how respected he was by the likes of Steve Brain and Harry Walker speaks volumes.”
Despite first being hit by cancer nine years ago, Revan retained his connection with rugby through trips to watch Leicester with former front-row colleague Richard Mee and involvement with ex-players groups at both Coventry and Rugby Lions.
Social media has overflowed with tributes to the giant prop from the likes of former internationals Neil Back, Darren Garforth, Rob Hardwick and Walter Little plus teammates including David Bishop, Ben Gulliver, Gareth Tregilgas, Neil Mapletoft and Nick Baxter plus former international referee John Pearson.
Typical of these were Cov centre Matt Gallagher who said: “Genuinely one of the most respected blokes around. As tough as they come but a massive heart and a top bloke.”
And a former front-row opponent Richard Protherough who wrote: “What a great competitor and legend of Warwickshire rugby with Cov and Rugby Lions. RIP Big Trev – loved the battles.”
Revan who worked on building sites before his cancer worsened in the last two years leaves son Curtis and daughter Caitlin who are both in their mid-20’s.
Trevor’s funeral takes place at 12 noon on Thursday November 7th at Rainsbrook Crematorium and afterwards at Rugby Lions.
