John made 191 appearances for Pontypridd RFC between 1968 and 1973 and scored 57 tries. He returned to Sardis Road as their team coach and turned the club’s fortunes around; he led them to victory in the Welsh Cup in 1996 and was responsible for their Championship crown accomplishment in 1997.

John was Wales’s caretaker coach for two games following the resignation of Kevin Bowring in 1998 before the appointment of Graham Henry. He has been the long term coach of the Wales A side and was Head Coach at Bridgend RFC for two and a half years before he resigned in 2002. He moved to Llanharan RFC for the 2003–2004 season and picked up the Lloyds TSB Coach of the Year award.