Ivor Morgan
Encyclopedia
Ivor Morgan was a Welsh
international rugby union
forward who played club rugby for Swansea
and county rugby for Glamorgan
.
and Hayward
. Fortunately for Morgan, he was an all-round forward and gained positional play off the wing. Playing alongside one of rugby's true innovators, Dicky Owen
, Morgan adapted a new style of wing play. Normally Owen would play in partnership with Dick Jones
, but during this period Jones was suffering a long term injury and Morgan developed a natural understanding of Owen's play, and through this became a prolific try
scorer. In 1905, Morgan was chosen to play in the Newport team against the touring New Zealand All Blacks. The game that made Morgan as an international player was his club performance in 1908, when he was at the centre of excellent play against the Australians, in which Swansea won 6-0. In the 1908/09 season, Morgan scored 18 tries for Swansea, this record would last for 77 years.
Billy Neill
had switched to the professional league
game and left a position to fill. In a tough game, Wales won 9-6 in which Morgan played well. He was selected for the next year's Home Nations Championship
, and in a team that contained not only Owen, but also Jack Bancroft
and Billy Trew
, Wales beat England 8-0. In the next year's tournament, Morgan played all three games, including the newly introduced French team, against whom Morgan scored two tries. Morgan would play 13 matches in total for Wales, scoring a total of six tries, and lifting the Triple Crown
in 1911. Due to strategic formation changes by the Welsh selectors, Morgan was dropped in 1912 and was sorely missed in the game against England when Wales were beaten fairly easily.
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...
forward who played club rugby 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 county rugby for Glamorgan
Glamorgan County RFC
Glamorgan County RFC is a Welsh rugby union club that manages an invitational team, known as Glamorgan that originally played rugby at county level...
.
Club career
Morgan joined Swansea in 1905, but found it difficult to break into the side as his favourite position of wing-forward was taken by Swansea stalwarts ScrineFred Scrine
Fred Scrine was a Welsh international rugby union scrum-half who played club rugby for Swansea. Scrine's style of play was as a fast spoiling player and was first capped for Wales in 1899 against England.-Rugby career:...
and Hayward
George Hayward
George Hayward was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea and was capped for Wales on five occasions and was part of the 1908 Home Nations Championship winning team.-Rugby career:...
. Fortunately for Morgan, he was an all-round forward and gained positional play off the wing. Playing alongside one of rugby's true innovators, Dicky Owen
Dicky Owen
Dicky Owen was a Welsh international scrum-half who played club rugby for Swansea RFC Owen is seen as one of the greatest Welsh scrum-halves and won 35 caps for Wales between 1901 and 1912, a record that was unbeaten until 1955 when Ken Jones surpassed him.-Influence in rugby:Born Richard Morgan...
, Morgan adapted a new style of wing play. Normally Owen would play in partnership with Dick Jones
Dick Jones (rugby player)
Richard Hughes "Dick" Jones was a Welsh international fly-half who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Club. He won 15 caps for Wales and played county rugby for Glamorgan.-Rugby career:...
, but during this period Jones was suffering a long term injury and Morgan developed a natural understanding of Owen's play, and through this became a prolific try
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...
scorer. In 1905, Morgan was chosen to play in the Newport team against the touring New Zealand All Blacks. The game that made Morgan as an international player was his club performance in 1908, when he was at the centre of excellent play against the Australians, in which Swansea won 6-0. In the 1908/09 season, Morgan scored 18 tries for Swansea, this record would last for 77 years.
International career
In 1908, Morgan was chosen to play for Wales against a touring Australian team. Morgan was an unpopular choice, but Cardiff'sCardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
Billy Neill
Billy Neill
Billy Neill was a footballer who played in the Irish League with Glentoran from 1950-1963. With the Glens, he won the Irish League championship in 1952/53, the Gold Cup twice, the City Cup and the Ulster Cup once each. He was capped fourteen times by the Irish League between 1952 and 1959...
had switched to the professional 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...
game and left a position to fill. In a tough game, Wales won 9-6 in which Morgan played well. He was selected for the next year's Home Nations Championship
1909 Home Nations Championship
The 1909 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-seventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 16 January and 20 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
, and in a team that contained not only Owen, but also Jack Bancroft
Jack Bancroft
Jack Bancroft , born John Bancroft, was a Welsh cricketer, and rugby union international. He was a right-handed batsman and a wicket-keeper who played for Glamorgan. Bancroft also played rugby for Swansea RFC...
and Billy Trew
Billy Trew
Billy Trew was a Welsh international centre, outside half and wing who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Football Club. He won 29 caps for Wales and is seen as one of the key players of the first Golden Age of Welsh rugby union...
, Wales beat England 8-0. In the next year's tournament, Morgan played all three games, including the newly introduced French team, against whom Morgan scored two tries. Morgan would play 13 matches in total for Wales, scoring a total of six tries, and lifting the Triple Crown
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
in 1911. Due to strategic formation changes by the Welsh selectors, Morgan was dropped in 1912 and was sorely missed in the game against England when Wales were beaten fairly easily.