Geoff Wheel, the former Swansea, Wales and Barbarians lock, has died at the age of 73.

The news was confirmed in a statement from Swansea RFC, which described Wheel as a “fearsome competitor” who was a “mild-mannered, shy and thoughtful person”.

Wheel had been living with motor neurone disease (MND) and was said to have passed away in the early hours of Boxing Day morning.

He earned 32 caps for Wales between 1974 and 1982 and formed a renowned second-row partnership with Allan Martin.

Wheel, affectionately nicknamed as “Gaffa”, won four Triple Crowns and two Grand Slams. He did, however, receive the dubious honour of becoming the first Wales player to be sent off in a Five Nations match.

That would occur in 1977, when Wheel aimed a right hook at Ireland flanker Stewart McKinney. Scottish referee Norman Sanson promptly dismissed Wheel and also delivered Ireland lock Willie Duggan with his marching orders for a separate skirmish in the aftermath.

“I didn’t know what that was about,” Wheel said later. “I wasn’t involved with Willie Duggan at all. I didn’t even see what he was supposed to have done. We even had a bit of a laugh about it on the sideline.

“We definitely got the best of it. [Duggan] was having a really good game at the back of the line-out. Willie was a great character and an exceptionally good player. I don’t know what he got sent off for but they ended up losing their best player and we won the game easily enough.”

Wheel took the incident to heart and thought about giving up. “I felt I had disgraced myself,” he told journalist Peter Jackson. “I thought about all my mates and how I had let them down. The game didn’t seem worth bothering with anymore. A lot of hard work, an international place and the chance of a Lions tour... all down the drain because of one punch.

“I told my friends I wasn’t going to play again. They told me not to be silly and the Swansea club were marvellous in the way they looked after me. Then there were the letters of encouragement, it all helped to change my mind and decide to carry on.”

Wheel missed that year’s British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand due to a misdiagnosed heart condition. He ended up representing Swansea 323 times, captaining the club against the All Blacks in 1981 and playing in a tour match against Australia six years previously.

Between 1975 and 1978, Wheel went 15 matches unbeaten in a Wales jersey and was known as an unsung hero of a celebrated side.

“Geoff was respected and much loved by all at Swansea Rugby Club,” said Swansea RFC president Stan Addicott. “I had the privilege to be his club coach for seven years from the mid-seventies to mid-eighties.

“His wholehearted, fiery, yet engaging and humorous nature endeared him to his players, while he often shared his musical talent on the accordion and ukulele post matches with club supporters.

“He was certainly one of the great characters of his time in Welsh rugby and will be greatly missed as a family man, player and friend to many people.”