Jerry Shea
Encyclopedia
Jeremiah "Jerry" Shea was a Welsh
international dual-code rugby
centre who played club rugby for Newport and Pill Harriers
under the rugby union
code and later represented Wigan Wasps
as a rugby league
player. Shea was an all round athlete, and was an accomplished swimmer and professional boxer
. He is best known as being the first rugby union player to achieve the Full House of scoring in an international match.
. It was with Pill that Shea gained his first cap for Wales
, against the post-war touring New Zealand Army. in 1919, like many Pill players, he switched to Newport RFC, the Harriers first-class rivals. The next year he was selected to play for Wales against England at St Helens
in the Five Nations Championship
. Unsurprisingly for teams meeting for the first time since the end of the First World War, both teams contained many new caps. It was in this match that Shea would make history by scoring a try
, conversion, drop goal, and penalty goal, the first player to do so at an international level. In a rain swept match, Shea opened the scoring in the first half with a penalty goal against the wind. England responded with a try and conversion, both from Harold Day
, to take the first half 5-3. Within five minutes of the restart, Shea had drop kicked Wales back into the lead. With twenty minutes remaining, and the Welsh forwards in command, Shea broke through the English defense to score a try under the posts which he easily converted. Wick Powell
then scored a second try for Wales, before Shea finished the match with another drop goal, for a convincing Welsh win.
The feat of achieving all four rugby union scores was held by Shea alone until Lewis Jones emulated him thirty years later when on tour with the British Lions
against Australia.
Shea would play two more matches for Wales, both on the losing side. Shea found himself at the centre of a controversy before the start of the 1920 game against Scotland, when the Scottish Rugby Union
threatened to pull out of the game against Wales as Shea was a professional boxer. A negative response from national newspapers towards the Scottish complaints ensured that the game went ahead. After the game, in which Scotland won 9-5; Shea was criticised in some sections of the press, for attempting to play the match against Scotland single-handed. Shea's final game was played against England on 15 January 1921. Whether or not Shea would have achieved more caps for Wales is unknown as in 1921 he turned professional by joining rugby league
side Wigan Wasps
in December of that year for a then record fee of £700.
, though the club failed to find support and folded the following season.
. He drew the match but just two weeks later he beat Davies by points decision at the same venue. Although Shea never fought for a major belt, he faced and beat several notable fighters during his nine year professional career. He twice faced Frank Moody
, the British and Commonwealth champion, drawing on points in their first encounter in 1919, and then beating him by points in their rematch at the Empire Theate in Cardiff the following year. Just two weeks after defeating Moody, Shea was lined up against Ted "Kid" Lewis at the Pavilion in Mountain Ash. Lewis, the former World Welterweight champion, won by a knockout in the first round. In 1920, Shea beat future European Welterweight Champion, Rene DeVos at The Ring in Blackfriars, then in 1922 he defeated the future British light-heavyweight champion Gipsy Daniels
at Newport. His final recorded fight was on 17 November 1924 when he faced ex-welterweight champ, Johnny Basham. Shea won the contest on points.
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 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:...
centre who played club rugby for Newport and Pill Harriers
Pill Harriers RFC
Pill Harriers RFC are a Welsh rugby union club based in Newport in South Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons..-Club origins:...
under the 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...
code and later represented Wigan Wasps
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....
as a 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...
player. Shea was an all round athlete, and was an accomplished swimmer and professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. He is best known as being the first rugby union player to achieve the Full House of scoring in an international match.
Rugby union career
Born in Newport in 1892, Shea initially played rugby union with Pill Harriers, a notoriously tough team from Newport DocksNewport Docks
Newport Docks is the collective name for a series of docks in the city of Newport, South Wales.-Background:Newport was a small fishing port and market town until the coming of the industrial age at the beginning of the 19th century...
. It was with Pill that Shea gained his first cap 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...
, against the post-war touring New Zealand Army. in 1919, like many Pill players, he switched to Newport RFC, the Harriers first-class rivals. The next year he was selected to play for Wales against England at St Helens
St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground
St. Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground is a spectator venue in Swansea, Wales. It is used for both rugby and cricket.It is owned and operated by the City and County of Swansea council and is also used to host the local annual Guy Fawkes night fireworks display.-History:Since the ground opened in...
in the Five Nations Championship
1920 Five Nations Championship
The 1920 Five Nations Championship was the sixth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship, and the first played since the 1914 Games due to World War I. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the...
. Unsurprisingly for teams meeting for the first time since the end of the First World War, both teams contained many new caps. It was in this match that Shea would make history by scoring a 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...
, conversion, drop goal, and penalty goal, the first player to do so at an international level. In a rain swept match, Shea opened the scoring in the first half with a penalty goal against the wind. England responded with a try and conversion, both from Harold Day
Harold Day
Harold Lindsay Vernon Day was an English rugby union footballer who played wing for Leicester Tigers and England....
, to take the first half 5-3. Within five minutes of the restart, Shea had drop kicked Wales back into the lead. With twenty minutes remaining, and the Welsh forwards in command, Shea broke through the English defense to score a try under the posts which he easily converted. Wick Powell
Wick Powell
William Charles "Wick" Powell was a Welsh international rugby union scrum-half who played club rugby for London Welsh and county rugby for Middlesex...
then scored a second try for Wales, before Shea finished the match with another drop goal, for a convincing Welsh win.
The feat of achieving all four rugby union scores was held by Shea alone until Lewis Jones emulated him thirty years later when on tour with the British Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
against Australia.
Shea would play two more matches for Wales, both on the losing side. Shea found himself at the centre of a controversy before the start of the 1920 game against Scotland, when the Scottish Rugby Union
Scottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. It is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873, as the Scottish Football Union.-History:...
threatened to pull out of the game against Wales as Shea was a professional boxer. A negative response from national newspapers towards the Scottish complaints ensured that the game went ahead. After the game, in which Scotland won 9-5; Shea was criticised in some sections of the press, for attempting to play the match against Scotland single-handed. Shea's final game was played against England on 15 January 1921. Whether or not Shea would have achieved more caps for Wales is unknown as in 1921 he turned professional by joining 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...
side Wigan Wasps
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....
in December of that year for a then record fee of £700.
International matches played
Wales 1920, 1921 New Zealand Army XV 1919 1920Rugby league career
Shea's first game for Wasps was on Christmas Eve, 1921, scoring a try on his debut. He remained with the club for three seasons, two of them as captain, though he never moved to Wigan and always traveled to matches from Wales. On 11 December 1922 he became a dual-code international when he turned out for the Wales national rugby league team in an away match against England. He played his second and final league international match the next year, when Wales beat England 13-2 in an encounter at Wigan. After leaving Wigan, Shea was instrumental in setting up Pontypridd RLFC, a lone professional league team in Wales that competed in the Northern LeagueRugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
, though the club failed to find support and folded the following season.
Boxing career
As well as a rugby player Shea was also a professional boxer, fighting in the welter and middleweight categories. Shea's first professional bout was on the 18 January 1916 against Twiggy Davies at The Park Hall, in NewportNewport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
. He drew the match but just two weeks later he beat Davies by points decision at the same venue. Although Shea never fought for a major belt, he faced and beat several notable fighters during his nine year professional career. He twice faced Frank Moody
Frank Moody
Frank Moody was a Welsh boxer who fought between 1914 and 1936. He is most notable for winning the British and Empire middleweight boxing championship in 1927 and 1928 and the light-heavyweight title from 1927 to 1929....
, the British and Commonwealth champion, drawing on points in their first encounter in 1919, and then beating him by points in their rematch at the Empire Theate in Cardiff the following year. Just two weeks after defeating Moody, Shea was lined up against Ted "Kid" Lewis at the Pavilion in Mountain Ash. Lewis, the former World Welterweight champion, won by a knockout in the first round. In 1920, Shea beat future European Welterweight Champion, Rene DeVos at The Ring in Blackfriars, then in 1922 he defeated the future British light-heavyweight champion Gipsy Daniels
Gipsy Daniels
William "Gipsy" Daniels , was a Welsh Light-heavyweight boxing champion of Britain who, in an eighteen-year career, took in 141 contests, including eight fights in New York, and notably knocked out Max Schmeling in the first round of a 1928 encounter.There is some confusion as to Daniels' actual...
at Newport. His final recorded fight was on 17 November 1924 when he faced ex-welterweight champ, Johnny Basham. Shea won the contest on points.