Jack Morley
Encyclopedia
John 'Jack' Cuthbert Morley (28 July 1909–7 March 1972) was a Welsh
international rugby
wing who played rugby union
for Newport and rugby league
with Wigan
. He won five caps for Wales in rugby league and 14 caps for Wales
in union and was the first player to tour Australia and New Zealand for both union and league British teams.
Morley, although mainly a wing player was often used as a utility back, and was known for his incredible pace and ability to change direction at speed. He was an intelligent but unorthodox player.
and by 1931 was captain of the senior Newport team, at the age of 21 he was the youngest player to be given the honour. He captained Newport against the touring South Africans at Rodney Parade
on 8 October 1931, and set up Ken Richards for a try after a typical zigzag run. The South Africans took note of Morley and attempted to ensure he wasn't given the space to run at them for the rest of the game. In August 1932 he switched to rugby league, leaving Newport for Wigan.
. After playing in two matches of the 1930 tournament, he played in all four matches of Wales's Championship winning 1932 campaign. Morley scored in all but one of the matches, surprisingly the game he failed to score was against France, when Wales were rampant and his team mates scored seven tries. Morley was capped 14 times for Wales and his final game was against Ireland at the Cardiff Arms Park
in 1932. He would probably have been chosen for future teams as he was still a young exciting player, but his decision to join a professional league side made him ineligible for future Welsh games.
British Lions New Zealand 1930, 1930, 1930
Wales 1932, 1936 1935, 1935 1933
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
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:...
wing who played 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 Newport 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...
with Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
. He won five caps for Wales in rugby league and 14 caps 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...
in union and was the first player to tour Australia and New Zealand for both union and league British teams.
Morley, although mainly a wing player was often used as a utility back, and was known for his incredible pace and ability to change direction at speed. He was an intelligent but unorthodox player.
Club career
Morley first represented Wales as a schoolboy, and after leaving Newport Municipal Secondary School he joined Newport. In his first season with the club he scored 29 triesTry
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...
and by 1931 was captain of the senior Newport team, at the age of 21 he was the youngest player to be given the honour. He captained Newport against the touring South Africans at Rodney Parade
Rodney Parade
Rodney Parade is a stadium in the city of Newport, south Wales. Located on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre it is primarily used for rugby matches and is the home ground of Newport RFC and the Newport Gwent Dragons regional team.-History:...
on 8 October 1931, and set up Ken Richards for a try after a typical zigzag run. The South Africans took note of Morley and attempted to ensure he wasn't given the space to run at them for the rest of the game. In August 1932 he switched to rugby league, leaving Newport for Wigan.
International career
Morley was first capped for Wales against England on January 19, 1929 and although he finished on the losing side he did manage to score a try on his debut, when he received the ball forty yards out, broke infield and crossed wide, after cutting back inside to score . He retained his place and played in the remaining three games of the Championship1929 Five Nations Championship
The 1929 Five Nations Championship was the fifteenth 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 forty-second series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
. After playing in two matches of the 1930 tournament, he played in all four matches of Wales's Championship winning 1932 campaign. Morley scored in all but one of the matches, surprisingly the game he failed to score was against France, when Wales were rampant and his team mates scored seven tries. Morley was capped 14 times for Wales and his final game was against Ireland 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...
in 1932. He would probably have been chosen for future teams as he was still a young exciting player, but his decision to join a professional league side made him ineligible for future Welsh games.
International matches played under union code
Wales 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932 1929, 1931 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932 1929, 1931, 1932 1931British Lions New Zealand 1930, 1930, 1930
International matches played under league code
Great Britain 1936, 1937Wales 1932, 1936 1935, 1935 1933