WARREN Gatland is nobody’s mug, but to celebrate the Kiwi coach leading Wales to yet another Grand Slam, local artist Mal Humphreys, also known as Mumph, has created a special Mugby in honour of the man who can.

George Orwell once described Britain as a nation of flower lovers, stamp-collectors, pigeon-fanciers, amateur carpenters, coupon-snippers, darts-players, and crossword-puzzle fans, but he forgot to add that on this island of ours we are also obsessed with mugs.

In every home, office, factory, building site, hospital, school, and caravan across the land, you’ll find a mug.

Some are chipped, some are a little worn around the edges, and some are slightly grimy with overuse, but almost everyone needs a good mug in their hand or by their side to get them through the pressures of the day.

No matter if you’re a traditional tea drinker, the slightly more outrageous type who has pledged their allegiance to the humble coffee bean, or perhaps, whisper it, a devotee of the strange beverage they call ‘Camomile’, a mug of something warm and wet is just the tonic to blow away the cobwebs and put a little get up and go in your stomach.

It was the pivotal role which mugs play in our lives that inspired Abergavenny artist Mal Humphreys to launch an entire range of them with a strong Welsh flavour, called Mugbys!

For those of you who don’t know, Mugbys are mugs with a sporting theme, usually rugby, which take a well-known player, reduces them to an amusing but affectionate caricature and sticks them on a mug for your consumption.

The Mugbys are immensely popular, and feature a host of Welsh rugby legends such as Adam Jones, Richard Hibbard, Nigel Owens, Liam Williams, Geraint Thomas and Robin McBryde.

And now after years of waiting and leading Wales to a record-breaking hat-trick of slams, Gatland is due to get a mug of his own.

Mal revealed, “We’d prepared a Grand Slam design beforehand as we had great faith in our boys doing a job on Ireland.

“It’s a fantastic achievement for Welsh Rugby and in particular Warren Gatland who has now won a record breaking three Grand Slams. We’re really looking forward to the World Cup in Japan later this year.”

Mal added, “The design was completed as soon as we knew the England v Scotland result and we went live on the Mugby shop just after 7pm.

“We’d sold two Mugbys within eight minutes and sales continued all weekend.”

Mal explained,“Mugbys was set up in 2014 so we’ve not had an opportunity to produce a Wales Grand Slam Mugby before. We made one for Ireland last year and that sold really well but essentially, we’re a Wales based company and we’re known primarily for celebrating Welsh Rugby, so this was a golden opportunity we couldn’t let pass us by.”

The Grand Slam Mugby is also being dispatched outside Wales with orders coming in from all over the UK and places as far afield as the USA and even Italy.

The Grand Slam Mugby can be ordered on www.mugbys.gift.

Mal is now turning his attention to the Land of the Rising Sun when the boys in red will try their hand at claiming the Rugby World Cup and giving Gats a final send-off to really remember.

But before then, Mal who is a passionate Abergavenny RFC supporter, will be keeping a close eye on the Claret and Ambers as they prepare for a WRU Bowl Semi-Final showdown with Natgaredig RFC on March 30. The make or break match will be held in the neutral venue of Llanharan RFC and the club are running three coaches to the big game due to the level of interest.

The 49-seater coaches will leave the clubhouse promptly at 12.30pm. Tickets are £5 per seat and the deadline for bookings is Thursday March 21.

Alternatively, there is a rail service between Abergavenny and Llanharan with a two minute walk from the station to the ground. A return is £19 and trains run every hour. Discounts apply if travelling in small groups. This is a massive game for the club and victory would see the Clarets progress to a mouthwatering final at the Principality Stadium. However you get to Llanharan, your support will be greatly appreciated for this match.