Phil Hopkins
Encyclopedia
Phil Hopkins was a Welsh
international rugby union
wing who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Football Club
. He won just four caps for Wales
but made an important impact to the team's 1909 Triple Crown
winning championship.
At club level, Hopkins first played rugby for local side Pontardawe RFC
before he switched to first class Welsh club Swansea. In 1908 Hopkins came to note when he faced the first touring Australian team on three different occasions, at club, county and international level. His first meeting with the Australians was when he was selected for invitational county team Glamorgan
. The match, played at Pontypridd, saw the tourists win 16-3. Two months later, Hopkins was selected for his first international appearance when he was selected for Wales to face Australia
. Hopkins had a notable game scoring one of two Wales' tries
, in a narrow victory. Then on Boxing Day of 1908, Hopkins faced Australia for a final time when he played in a historic win over the tourists.
Hopkins next played for Wales in the 1909 Home Nations Championship
, and played in two of the matches, against England and Ireland. Hopkins scored a try in both games and with Wales beating all three opponents in the tournament, he became part of a Triple Crown winning Championship. Hopkins played in just one more match for Wales, his first losing match as an international in an away game to England as part of the 1910 Five Nations 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...
wing who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Football Club
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...
. He won just four 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...
but made an important impact to the team's 1909 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 championship.
Rugby career
Hopkins first played rugby at schoolboy level for Pontardawe Colligiate School, and after he matriculated to University College of North Wales in Bangor, he also played for the college team. An all round sportsman, he played several sports to a high standard, including soccer, tennis and hockey. He rowed for University College at Henley and was a reserve for both Wales hockey XI and the amateur soccer XI.At club level, Hopkins first played rugby for local side Pontardawe RFC
Pontardawe RFC
Pontardawe Rugby Football club is a rugby union club based in Pontardawe, a small town in the valley of the River Tawe in Wales.The club has a hugely successful junior section which provides age group rugby with fully qualified coaches from 7 through to 16 and for the season 2011 - 2012, will for...
before he switched to first class Welsh club Swansea. In 1908 Hopkins came to note when he faced the first touring Australian team on three different occasions, at club, county and international level. His first meeting with the Australians was when he was selected for invitational county team 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...
. The match, played at Pontypridd, saw the tourists win 16-3. Two months later, Hopkins was selected for his first international appearance when he was selected for Wales to face Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
. Hopkins had a notable game scoring one of two Wales' 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...
, in a narrow victory. Then on Boxing Day of 1908, Hopkins faced Australia for a final time when he played in a historic win over the tourists.
Hopkins next played for Wales in 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....
, and played in two of the matches, against England and Ireland. Hopkins scored a try in both games and with Wales beating all three opponents in the tournament, he became part of a Triple Crown winning Championship. Hopkins played in just one more match for Wales, his first losing match as an international in an away game to England as part of the 1910 Five Nations Championship
1910 Five Nations Championship
The 1910 Five Nations Championship was the first 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 twenty-eighth series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
.