Abel Christmas Davies was a Welsh

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 international rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 wing who played club rugby for London Welsh and international rugby for Wales

Wales national rugby union team

The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...

. Davies was a tall but powerful wing, and was noted as being able to sprint the 100 yards in exactly ten seconds.

Rugby career

Davies came to note as a rugby player when representing London Welsh, while studying medicine in London. He was part of the London Welsh team which face the touring New Zealand Natives

1888-1889 New Zealand Native football team

The 1888–1889 New Zealand Native football team was a New Zealand football team that toured Britain, Australia and New Zealand in 1888 and 1889. The team was composed mainly of players of Māori ancestry, although several Pakeha were included in the squad. The tour was a private endeavour, and was...

 in February 1889. Although London Welsh lost 2-1, Davies scored the try against the Maoris.

It was while playing for London Welsh that Davies was selected to represent Wales as part of the 1889 Home Nations Championship

1889 Home Nations Championship

The 1889 Home Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Three matches were played between 2 February and 2 March. It was contested by Ireland, Scotland and Wales...

; becoming the third player from the club to be chosen for their country that season. The other representatives being Rowley Thomas

Rowley Thomas

Rowland 'Rowley' Lewis Thomas was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for London Welsh, of whom he was a founding member, and county rugby for Middlesex...

 and Martyn Jordan

Martyn Jordan

Martyn Jordan was an English-born international rugby union player who played club rugby for London Welsh and Newport and international rugby for Wales...

. Davies made his Wales debut on 2 March, at St Helen's in a game against Ireland. Captained by Wales legendary player Arthur 'Monkey' Gould, Davies was one of three players to make just a single-cap appearance during the game, along with Llanelli's

Llanelli RFC

Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...

 Giotto Griffiths

Giotto Griffiths

Griffith 'Giotto' Griffiths was a Welsh international rugby union half-back who played club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales.-Rugby career:...

 and Thomas Morgan

Tom Morgan (rugby player)

Tom Morgan was a Welsh international rugby union centre who played club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales...

. The Irish won the game by two ties

Try

A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...

 to nil and was the first Irish win in Wales. Davies lost his position in the next season to Percy Lloyd

Percy Lloyd

David Percy Marmaduke Lloyd was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Llanelli. Lloyd played for Wales on four occasions during the 1890 and 1891 Home Nations Championships.- Rugby career :...

and was never selected for Wales again.