Elvet Jones
Encyclopedia
Elfed Lewis "Elvet" Jones MBE
(29 April 1912 – 5 October 1989) was a Welsh rugby union
whose international career was curtailed due to the outbreak of the Second World War. He played club rugby for Llanelli
, and in 1938 he was selected to tour South Africa
with the British Isles
team.
scorer for the club with 15. Jones was again highest try scorer for Llanelli in the following season, this time ending with 23 tries. In the 1934/35 season Jones continued to score regularly, but his 16 try tally was surpassed by fellow wing Bill Clement
. The next season Jones regained his leading try scorer title with 20, and he also experienced his first international opposition as the touring New Zealand team came to Llanelli on 22 October in 1935. Jones was selected to face the tourists, though failed to score in a game won 16-8 by New Zealand. During the 1936-37 season Jones was selected as senior team captain, and led the team to one of their most successful seasons scoring a record 699 points. Jones showed his commitment to Llanelli and the amateur game by refusing three approaches to join the professional Northern League, all offers rumoured to have involved a signing-on fee of £400.
In 1938, despite not being selected for his national team, he was chosen to tour South Africa
as a part of Bernard Charles Hartley
's British Isles team along with team-mate Clement. Clement had been a first choice selection, but Jones was a later choice following the withdrawal of Harlequins wing F.J.V. Ford. Despite playing in only 12 of the 24 matches of the tour, Jones finished as the tour's highest try scorer with ten, including the first British try against the South Africa team
, in the third and final Test of the series. Twice in the tour he scored a hat-trick of tries, against the South Western Districts
and then Rhodesia
.
During the 1938/39 season, Jones was selected for his one and only international cap. Chosen for the second match of the 1938 Home Nations Championship
, Jones was one of three different wings chosen opposite Sydney Williams
. The first match of the tournament saw F.J.V. Ford win his one and only cap, but Jones replaced him for the encounter against Scotland. Despite an 11-3 win, Jones was himself replaced for the final match to Ireland by Chris Matthews. The 1939/40 season would be Jones' last before the outbreak of the Second World War. Only one match was played, before the Welsh Rugby Union
declared the cessation of competitive rugby, against Felinfoel
. Jones was Llanelli captain for the match. Jones ended his career with Llanelli as one of their highest try scorers, with a career total of 129, one of the few players to have scored over a hundred tries for the club.
After the war, Jones continued his connection with rugby and Llanelli by becoming club Chairman from 1960 through to 1967 and then serving as club President from 1978 to 1981. It was in his role as Chairman, that in 1964 at the Annual General Meeting of the Welsh Rugby Union, that Jones made a key speech where he attacked both the WRU and Welsh clubs for neglecting coaching; instead 'concentrating too much on physical fitness and neglected... basic skills and tactics. He went on to claim that Welsh rugby 'at international and club level had deteriorated and even international players lack the ability to handle the ball accurately...' Jones pleaded for the Welsh Coaching Committee to be reconstituted and that the WRU should consider appointing an official Rugby Coach with several assistants, lest the AGM of the WRU 'degenerate into a meeting of social, instead of rugby, clubs.' In 1967, the WRU hired their first international coach, David Nash
. A constant beliver in the progress of rugby, in the 1964/65 Llanelli RFC annual meeting, he announced the need to create a 'seconds team' to bridge the gap between Youth and Senior teams.
It should be noted that an Elvet Jones, represented Wales in the Victory Internationals after the war, but he represented Cardiff and Neath.
in 1912, and was educated at Llanelli County School. He was a magistrate's clerk by profession, and after the outbreak of the Second World War he joined the Royal Air Force
. He rose to the rank of squadron leader and received the Belgian Military Cross
. He was later awarded an MBE.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(29 April 1912 – 5 October 1989) was a Welsh 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...
whose international career was curtailed due to the outbreak of the Second World War. He played club rugby for Llanelli
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...
, and in 1938 he was selected to tour South Africa
1938 British Lions tour to South Africa
The 1938 British Isles tour to South Africa was the fourteenth tour by a British Isles team and the sixth to South Africa. The tour is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950....
with the British Isles
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
team.
Rugby career
Jones began playing rugby as a schoolboy for his local county school, joining Llanelli Harlequins as a senior. By the 1932/33 season he was playing for first-class team Llanelli, ending that season as top tryTry
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...
scorer for the club with 15. Jones was again highest try scorer for Llanelli in the following season, this time ending with 23 tries. In the 1934/35 season Jones continued to score regularly, but his 16 try tally was surpassed by fellow wing Bill Clement
Bill Clement (rugby player)
William Harries "Bill" Clement OBE MC TD was a Welsh international wing who played club rugby for Llanelli and was capped six times for Wales. Clement was described as a staunch tackler with speed and a good turn of pace; and after his appearance for the British Isles was seen as the best...
. The next season Jones regained his leading try scorer title with 20, and he also experienced his first international opposition as the touring New Zealand team came to Llanelli on 22 October in 1935. Jones was selected to face the tourists, though failed to score in a game won 16-8 by New Zealand. During the 1936-37 season Jones was selected as senior team captain, and led the team to one of their most successful seasons scoring a record 699 points. Jones showed his commitment to Llanelli and the amateur game by refusing three approaches to join the professional Northern League, all offers rumoured to have involved a signing-on fee of £400.
In 1938, despite not being selected for his national team, he was chosen to tour South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
as a part of Bernard Charles Hartley
Bernard Charles Hartley
Major Bernard Charles "Jock" Hartley OBE was a rugby union international player who represented England from 1901 to 1902. At club level he represented Cambridge University and Blackheath...
's British Isles team along with team-mate Clement. Clement had been a first choice selection, but Jones was a later choice following the withdrawal of Harlequins wing F.J.V. Ford. Despite playing in only 12 of the 24 matches of the tour, Jones finished as the tour's highest try scorer with ten, including the first British try against the South Africa team
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
, in the third and final Test of the series. Twice in the tour he scored a hat-trick of tries, against the South Western Districts
Eagles (rugby team)
The South Western Districts Eagles, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They play out of George at Outeniqua Park....
and then Rhodesia
Zimbabwe national rugby union team
The Zimbabwe national rugby union team is the rugby union team representing Zimbabwe. They are considered to be a third tier rugby union nation...
.
During the 1938/39 season, Jones was selected for his one and only international cap. Chosen for the second match of the 1938 Home Nations Championship
1938 Home Nations Championship
The 1938 Home Nations Championship was the thirty-fourth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the fifty-first series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six...
, Jones was one of three different wings chosen opposite Sydney Williams
Sydney Williams
Sydney Arthur "Syd"/"Sid" Williams was a Welsh dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s, '40s and '50s who at representative level played rugby union for Wales, and at club level for Aberavon RFC, playing at Wing, i.e...
. The first match of the tournament saw F.J.V. Ford win his one and only cap, but Jones replaced him for the encounter against Scotland. Despite an 11-3 win, Jones was himself replaced for the final match to Ireland by Chris Matthews. The 1939/40 season would be Jones' last before the outbreak of the Second World War. Only one match was played, before the Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
declared the cessation of competitive rugby, against Felinfoel
Felinfoel RFC
Felinfoel RFC is a Welsh rugby union club representing the town of Felinfoel, Llanelli, West Wales. Felinfoel RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for Llanelli Scarlets.-Club honours:* WRU Division Two West - 2007/08 - Champions...
. Jones was Llanelli captain for the match. Jones ended his career with Llanelli as one of their highest try scorers, with a career total of 129, one of the few players to have scored over a hundred tries for the club.
After the war, Jones continued his connection with rugby and Llanelli by becoming club Chairman from 1960 through to 1967 and then serving as club President from 1978 to 1981. It was in his role as Chairman, that in 1964 at the Annual General Meeting of the Welsh Rugby Union, that Jones made a key speech where he attacked both the WRU and Welsh clubs for neglecting coaching; instead 'concentrating too much on physical fitness and neglected... basic skills and tactics. He went on to claim that Welsh rugby 'at international and club level had deteriorated and even international players lack the ability to handle the ball accurately...' Jones pleaded for the Welsh Coaching Committee to be reconstituted and that the WRU should consider appointing an official Rugby Coach with several assistants, lest the AGM of the WRU 'degenerate into a meeting of social, instead of rugby, clubs.' In 1967, the WRU hired their first international coach, David Nash
David Nash (rugby coach)
David Nash is a former Wales international rugby union player. A number 8 forward, he attained 6 caps for Wales between 1960 and 1961. Nash was selected for the 1962 British Lions tour of South Africa. He played his club rugby for Ebbw Vale.In 1967 Nash was appointed as the first national coach of...
. A constant beliver in the progress of rugby, in the 1964/65 Llanelli RFC annual meeting, he announced the need to create a 'seconds team' to bridge the gap between Youth and Senior teams.
It should be noted that an Elvet Jones, represented Wales in the Victory Internationals after the war, but he represented Cardiff and Neath.
Personal history
Jones was born in LlanelliLlanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
in 1912, and was educated at Llanelli County School. He was a magistrate's clerk by profession, and after the outbreak of the Second World War he joined the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. He rose to the rank of squadron leader and received the Belgian Military Cross
Military Cross (Belgium)
The Military Cross is a military decoration of Belgium. It was established on 11 February 1885 and is awarded to commissioned officers in the Belgian Armed Forces for loyal and uninterrupted service. Officers of the military reserve can also be awarded this decoration, on the condition that they...
. He was later awarded an MBE.