Gareth Meredith Griffiths was born in Penygraig in 1931. He played wing and centre for Wales in 12 matches between 1953 and 1957 and scored 15 points (5 tries). In 1955, Griffiths was selected for the British and Irish Lions' tour of South Africa and played in three of the four test matches.

The Lions' tour of South Africa in 1955 proved to be one of the most memorable campaigns in their history. They scored an impressive 26 tries in the four test matches, but shared the series with the Springboks.