Barry Holmes
Encyclopedia
William Barry Holmes was a rugby union
player who played for the England national rugby union team
and the Argentina national rugby union team
. As of 2011 he is the only player to have been capped at senior level by both those two countries.
Holmes was born in Buenos Aires on 6 January 1928 to British parents. He was educated at St. George's College, Quilmes
and began his rugby union career playing for the Old Georgian Club
in Buenos Aires. He travelled to Britain to continue his education at Queens' College, Cambridge
and was selected to play for Cambridge University R.U.F.C.
in The Varsity Match
twice, playing on the wing in 1947 and at fullback in 1948. Holmes returned to Argentina in 1948 as part of a touring team made up of players from both Cambridge University RUFC and Oxford University RFC
which won all nine of its tour matches, including two against the Argentina national team.
Holmes's form for Cambridge University in the 1948-49 season led to two appearances in the trial matches for the England team and also an invitation to play for the Barbarians
in their annual fixture against Leicester
. His performance in the second trial match clinched his selection at fullback in England's team for their opening match of the 1949 Five Nations Championship
against Wales
at Cardiff Arms Park
and he retained his place for the whole championship. Holmes won four caps for England and scored a conversion in each match against Ireland and France for a total of four points.
After playing on the Barbarians' 1949 tour of South Wales, Holmes returned to live in Argentina and was selected for the national team after only two games for Old Georgians. He was capped twice for Argentina against France in August and September 1949 but did not score any points. He was married in November 1949 and moved to Salta
but died of typhoid fever
on 10 November 1949, less than a week after his wedding.
England rugby historian Barry Bowker described Holmes as a "steady fullback" while Clem Thomas
, a team-mate at Cambridge and a Wales international himself, called him "a marvellous man and a great footballer" and said that the news of his death "depressed us enormously".
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...
player who played for the England national rugby union team
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
and the Argentina national rugby union team
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
. As of 2011 he is the only player to have been capped at senior level by both those two countries.
Holmes was born in Buenos Aires on 6 January 1928 to British parents. He was educated at St. George's College, Quilmes
St. George's College, Quilmes
St. George’s College is a private, bilingual, co-educational learning institution located in Quilmes, Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Founded in 1898, it is among the most exclusive and upper-class schools in Argentina, and indeed in Latin America. St...
and began his rugby union career playing for the Old Georgian Club
Old Georgian Club
Old Georgian Club is a sports club located in Palermo, Buenos Aires. Founded in 1908 by alumni of St. George's College, Quilmes, the club sees itself as a pillar of Buenos Aires' British community....
in Buenos Aires. He travelled to Britain to continue his education at Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
and was selected to play for Cambridge University R.U.F.C.
Cambridge University R.U.F.C.
The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club, or CURUFC, is the rugby union club of Cambridge University, and plays Oxford University in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham stadium every December. CURUFC players wear light blue and white hooped jerseys with a red lion crest...
in The Varsity Match
The Varsity Match
The Varsity Match is an annual rugby union fixture played between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England. By tradition, the match is held on the second Tuesday of December. In 2005, however, this changed, and the match was on Tuesday 6 December. In 2007, it was held on a Thursday for...
twice, playing on the wing in 1947 and at fullback in 1948. Holmes returned to Argentina in 1948 as part of a touring team made up of players from both Cambridge University RUFC and Oxford University RFC
Oxford University RFC
The Oxford University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Oxford. The club contests The Varsity Match every year against Cambridge University at Twickenham.-History:...
which won all nine of its tour matches, including two against the Argentina national team.
Holmes's form for Cambridge University in the 1948-49 season led to two appearances in the trial matches for the England team and also an invitation to play for the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
in their annual fixture against Leicester
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
. His performance in the second trial match clinched his selection at fullback in England's team for their opening match of the 1949 Five Nations Championship
1949 Five Nations Championship
The 1949 Five Nations Championship was the twentieth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-fifth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between 15...
against 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...
at Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
and he retained his place for the whole championship. Holmes won four caps for England and scored a conversion in each match against Ireland and France for a total of four points.
After playing on the Barbarians' 1949 tour of South Wales, Holmes returned to live in Argentina and was selected for the national team after only two games for Old Georgians. He was capped twice for Argentina against France in August and September 1949 but did not score any points. He was married in November 1949 and moved to Salta
Salta
Salta is a city in northwestern Argentina and the capital city of the Salta Province. Along with its metropolitan area, it has a population of 464,678 inhabitants as of the , making it Argentina's eighth largest city.-Overview:...
but died of typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
on 10 November 1949, less than a week after his wedding.
England rugby historian Barry Bowker described Holmes as a "steady fullback" while Clem Thomas
Clem Thomas
Richard Clement Charles "Clem" Thomas was a international rugby union player. A flanker, he represented Cambridge University R.U.F.C. in the Varsity Match in 1949 and played for Brynamman, Swansea, London Welsh and Harlequins. He earned 26 caps for Wales, between 1949 and 1959 and captained Wales...
, a team-mate at Cambridge and a Wales international himself, called him "a marvellous man and a great footballer" and said that the news of his death "depressed us enormously".