Billy Bowen
Encyclopedia
William 'Billy' Bowen was a Welsh
dual code rugby
player who played club rugby union
for Swansea
and rugby league
for Leeds
. Bowen was capped six times for Wales
while playing under the union code.
in a game against Scotland. Under the captaincy of Tommy Vile
, Wales lost the match in a match that was nearly abandoned due to crowd problems, when the St Helen's spectators kept pushing onto the pitch. Bowen was re-selected for the next game of the tournament this time against France in a victory at the Cardiff Arms Park
, though he lost his place for the final match in Ireland.
Bowen was reselected to represent his country for the entirety of the 1922 Five Nations Championship
in which Wales won the tournament, winning three of the games and drawing against Scotland. Bowen scored two tries
during the tournament; the first in the opening Welsh victory over England when Bowen was one of eight different players to score a try for Wales. His second was more important, as it allowed the draw with Scotland snatched by Wales when Islwyn Evans
scored a drop goal in the last two minutes.
Bowen may have been awarded more caps for Wales, but he 'Went North' in 1922, switching codes to professional rugby league, joining Leed RLFC.
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...
dual code rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
player who played club 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...
for Swansea
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. The team is sometimes known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip...
and rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
for Leeds
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
. Bowen was capped six times 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...
while playing under the union code.
Rugby career
Bowen was first selected to play for Wales during the 1921 Five Nations Championship1921 Five Nations Championship
The 1921 Five Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the thirty-fourth series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
in a game against Scotland. Under the captaincy of Tommy Vile
Tommy Vile
Major Thomas Henry "Tommy" Vile MBE was a Welsh international rugby union player. He played club rugby predominantly for Newport, captaining the side twice and played county rugby for Monmouthshire. He also represented the British Isles in Australia, and after retiring from playing became an...
, Wales lost the match in a match that was nearly abandoned due to crowd problems, when the St Helen's spectators kept pushing onto the pitch. Bowen was re-selected for the next game of the tournament this time against France in a victory at the 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...
, though he lost his place for the final match in Ireland.
Bowen was reselected to represent his country for the entirety of the 1922 Five Nations Championship
1922 Five Nations Championship
The 1922 Five Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the thirty-fifth series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
in which Wales won the tournament, winning three of the games and drawing against Scotland. Bowen scored two tries
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...
during the tournament; the first in the opening Welsh victory over England when Bowen was one of eight different players to score a try for Wales. His second was more important, as it allowed the draw with Scotland snatched by Wales when Islwyn Evans
Islwyn Evans
Haydn Islwyn Evans was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby union for Swansea and Llanelli. Evans was capped four times for Wales, all during the 1922 Five Nations Championship.-Rugby career:...
scored a drop goal in the last two minutes.
Bowen may have been awarded more caps for Wales, but he 'Went North' in 1922, switching codes to professional rugby league, joining Leed RLFC.