John Alf Brown
Encyclopedia
John "Jack" Alf Brown, colloquially known as John Alf or "Big John", (October 1881 – 3 August 1936) was a Welsh
international rugby union
forward player who played club rugby for Cardiff
and county rugby for Glamorgan
. Brown was capped seven times for Wales
and although he missed facing the first touring South African team in 1906 with Wales, he faced the tourist with both Cardiff and Glamorgan.
Brown was reputed to be an extremely tough and physical forward player, which was reflected in his manual occupation as a coal trimmer
at Cardiff Docks
. He died in 1936 from Pneumoconiosis
.
based team St. Peters RFC
. Brown was made vice-captain of St. Peters, but in 1901 moved to first class team Cardiff. Brown first played for the Cardiff Senior XV during the 1901/02 season, under the captaincy of Bert Winfield
. In late 1905, Brown was part of the Cardiff team to face the Original All Blacks, his first encounter with international opposition. In a very close match, Cardiff lost 10-8. The next season saw the South Africa
tour Britain, and Brown faced them twice, at county and then club level. He first faced South Africa when he was selected to represent Welsh county team Glamorgan. Brown was a surprise choice and joined the team along with Cardiff team mates George Northmore, Bert Winfield, Rhys Gabe
and Billy O'Neill
. In a very quick paced game, the South Africans won 6-3, and then went on to beat Wales in a shock win a month later. On 1 January 1907 the South Africans met Cardiff in the last game of the tour, having only lost one match, against Scotland, in a 28 game campaign. The game was one of the highlights of the tour, with many of the Cardiff players having been humiliated by the South Africans in the Wales defeat, playing for pride. In the forwards, Brown, Casey and O'Neill worked tirelessly for Cardiff, against a South African team lacking unison; and it was from Brown's performance on this game that he would later win his Welsh cap. The final score was 17-0 to Cardiff, South Africa's only loss to a club side throughout the tour.
During the 1907/08 season, Rhys Gabe was given the captaincy of Cardiff, and he made Brown his vice-captain. By the time Brown left Cardiff in 1910, he had played with the club for ten seasons, appeared in 221 matches and scored 12 tries
.
, played at home against England. Brown was one of four new caps in the Wales line-up, and one of two debuts in the pack; the other being Llanelli's
James Watts
. After the disappointing performance against South Africa, Wales rediscovered their form to beat England convincingly 22-0. Brown not only finished his first international with a win, but he also scored his first and only international points during the game with a try. After the opening game, Brown kept his place in the national team for the rest of the tournament, which saw the Welsh finish second behind Scotland.
The 1908 Championship
saw France face the Home Nation sides, in preparation for the country entering the competition proper in 1910. Brown played in three of the games, including the very first international game between Wales and France, but was replaced in the encounter with Ireland by Tom Evans
. Wales won all four games that season, making Brown not only a Triple Crown
winning player, but also a member of the very first Grand Slam
winning team.
Brown played in one final international for Wales, the 1909 Home Nations Championship
opener against England. His career ended as it had started with a victory over the English, and despite taking no further part in the competition, was part of another Grand Slam winning squad when Wales beat all other four countries to win the Championship.
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 player who played club rugby for Cardiff
Cardiff 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...
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...
. Brown was capped seven 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...
and although he missed facing the first touring South African team in 1906 with Wales, he faced the tourist with both Cardiff and Glamorgan.
Brown was reputed to be an extremely tough and physical forward player, which was reflected in his manual occupation as a coal trimmer
Coal trimmer
A coal trimmer is an occupation involving the positioning of boats to be loaded with coal. It may also involve the spreading of coal evenly using a shovel inside the hold of a ship....
at Cardiff Docks
Cardiff Docks
Cardiff Docks is a port in south Cardiff, Wales. At its peak, the port was one of the largest dock systems in the world with a total quayage of almost...
. He died in 1936 from Pneumoconiosis
Pneumoconiosis
Pneumoconiosis is an occupational lung disease and a restrictive lung disease caused by the inhalation of dust, often in mines.-Types:Depending upon the type of dust, the disease is given different names:...
.
Club career
Brown first came to note as a rugby player while representing CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
based team St. Peters RFC
St. Peters RFC
St Peters Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the district of Roath, in Cardiff, South Wales. The club plays their home games at the Harlequins Playing Field, located off Newport Road...
. Brown was made vice-captain of St. Peters, but in 1901 moved to first class team Cardiff. Brown first played for the Cardiff Senior XV during the 1901/02 season, under the captaincy of Bert Winfield
Bert Winfield
Herbert Benjamin 'Bert' Winfield was an English rugby union player who played international rugby for Wales. He was a member of the winning Welsh team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks and captained Wales against Ireland in 1908...
. In late 1905, Brown was part of the Cardiff team to face the Original All Blacks, his first encounter with international opposition. In a very close match, Cardiff lost 10-8. The next season saw the South Africa
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...
tour Britain, and Brown faced them twice, at county and then club level. He first faced South Africa when he was selected to represent Welsh county team Glamorgan. Brown was a surprise choice and joined the team along with Cardiff team mates George Northmore, Bert Winfield, Rhys Gabe
Rhys Gabe
Rhys Thomas "Rusty" Gabe born as Rees Thomas Gape, was a Welsh rugby union player who played club rugby for Llanelli, London Welsh and Cardiff and gained 24 caps for Wales, mainly as a centre.-Rugby career:...
and Billy O'Neill
Billy O'Neill
William "Billy" O'Neill often recorded as Billy O'Neil or Billy Neil was a Welsh international dual-code rugby front row player who played club rugby under the union code for Cardiff and Aberavon and as a professional rugby league player he represented Warrington...
. In a very quick paced game, the South Africans won 6-3, and then went on to beat Wales in a shock win a month later. On 1 January 1907 the South Africans met Cardiff in the last game of the tour, having only lost one match, against Scotland, in a 28 game campaign. The game was one of the highlights of the tour, with many of the Cardiff players having been humiliated by the South Africans in the Wales defeat, playing for pride. In the forwards, Brown, Casey and O'Neill worked tirelessly for Cardiff, against a South African team lacking unison; and it was from Brown's performance on this game that he would later win his Welsh cap. The final score was 17-0 to Cardiff, South Africa's only loss to a club side throughout the tour.
During the 1907/08 season, Rhys Gabe was given the captaincy of Cardiff, and he made Brown his vice-captain. By the time Brown left Cardiff in 1910, he had played with the club for ten seasons, appeared in 221 matches and scored 12 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...
.
International career
On the 12 January 1907, Brown was selected for the Wales national team for the first time. He was brought into the squad for the opening match of the 1907 Home Nations Championship1907 Home Nations Championship
The 1907 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-fifth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 12 January and 16 March...
, played at home against England. Brown was one of four new caps in the Wales line-up, and one of two debuts in the pack; the other being Llanelli's
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...
James Watts
James Watts (rugby player)
James "Jim" Watts was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Llanelli. He won eleven caps for Wales and was part of the first Grand Slam winning side in 1908.-Rugby career:...
. After the disappointing performance against South Africa, Wales rediscovered their form to beat England convincingly 22-0. Brown not only finished his first international with a win, but he also scored his first and only international points during the game with a try. After the opening game, Brown kept his place in the national team for the rest of the tournament, which saw the Welsh finish second behind Scotland.
The 1908 Championship
1908 Home Nations Championship
The 1908 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-sixth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 18 January and 21 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
saw France face the Home Nation sides, in preparation for the country entering the competition proper in 1910. Brown played in three of the games, including the very first international game between Wales and France, but was replaced in the encounter with Ireland by Tom Evans
Tom Evans (rugby player)
Thomas "Tom" Henry Evans was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Llanelli. Evans played in eighteen international games for Wales, and in 1908 was part of the Welsh team that faced touring Australian team...
. Wales won all four games that season, making Brown not only a 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...
winning player, but also a member of the very first Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
winning team.
Brown played in one final international for Wales, the 1909 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....
opener against England. His career ended as it had started with a victory over the English, and despite taking no further part in the competition, was part of another Grand Slam winning squad when Wales beat all other four countries to win the Championship.
International matches played
Wales 1907, 1908, 1909 1908- IrelandIreland national rugby union teamThe Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
1907 1907, 1908