Rex Willis
Encyclopedia
Rex Willis was a Welsh
international rugby union
scrum-half who played club rugby for Cardiff
and invitational rugby for the Barbarians
. He won 21 caps for Wales
and was selected to play in the British Lions
on the 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand
.
He played the last half hour of the 1952 Five Nations Championship
against Scotland with his jaw broken in several places.
, he then served in the Navy during World War II and was trained at Pangbourne Nautical College
. He returned to Wales once he was demobilised. He initially joined Cardiff based rugby club Llandaff
before later switching to Cardiff RFC. At Cardiff he was the under-study for Welsh captain, Haydn Tanner
and would cover his position while Tanner was away on international duties. During this period Willis linked up with fellow Rhondda born Cardiff player, Cliff Morgan
, a relationship that would last throughout their club and country careers.
When Tanner retired during the 1949/50 season, Willis was promoted into his position and gained regular first-class rugby. Although ignored for Welsh trials during 1949, the disastrous Five Nations Championship
of that year forced the selectors to look for a new half-back partnership. Willis was chosen alongside team mate Billy Cleaver
to face England at Twickenham
in the opening game of the 1950 Championship
in front of the largest crowd ever seen to date at the stadium. Willis had an excellent match, releasing Cleaver, who in turn controlled the match which saw Wales win the game. In the next game against Scotland, Willis protected Cleaver from the Scottish back row which resulted in Cleaver scoring a drop goal. With tries
from Thomas
and Ken Jones Wales ran in easy winners after subduing the Scottish pack in the first half of the game. Willis kept his place for the next game in a narrow win against Ireland, which saw Wales lift the Triple Crown
, and in the final game, victory over France resulted in the first Grand Slam
for Wales since 1911.
and Matthews
, was chosen for the British Lions in their 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand. Unfortunately for Willis, the excellent Rimmer and Black were also on the tour and were picked ahead of Willis. The tactical spoiling of the All Blacks was too much for the smaller scrum-halves, and Willis was drafted in for the Fourth Test at Auckland, and retained his place for the final two tests in Australia.
Willis was back for all four matches in the 1951 Five Nations Championship
again under the captaincy of John Gwilliam
, who had led the team to their Grand Slam victory the previous year. Willis was now partnered with Cliff Morgan at Cardiff, but with Wales he linked up with Glyn Davies
. Morale was high after a one sided affair in their opening game against England, but Willis experienced his first loss with Wales when the team was beaten 19-0 by an unexperienced Scottish team. Despite the loss the Welsh selectors kept faith with the players for the next match, dropping only one player, Willis's partner, Davies. This allowed the introduction of Morgan, who gained his first cap in a three all draw with Ireland.
in three games. The first was for Cardiff in October, when at the Cardiff Arms Park
, his club team lost by a single point. Willis faced the same team two months later when he was selected to represent Wales against the tourists. It was a game Wales should have won, but the backs, and specifically Cliff Morgan played a poor kicking game that wasted excellent work by the Welsh pack. In his last game against South Africa, Willis was chosen for the invitational Barbarians team in the final match of the tour and for the third time Willis found himself on the losing side.
Willis played only two games of the 1952 Five Nations Championship
, but played his part in a second Grand Slam winning year. He was instrumental in allowing Morgan to regain his form through his defensive shielding of his club partner during the first game against England; but after breaking his jaw in the Scottish game missed the final two matches of the tournament. In the 1953 Championship he was considered not fit enough to face England, and was forced to leave the field when he injured his shoulder against Scotland.
As in 1951, Willis was chosen to face another touring team on three occasions in 1953, when Cardiff, Wales and the Barbarians played the All Blacks. Unlike the South African games though, in two of these games Willis was on the victorious side. For Cardiff, Willis was at his best while in the game for Wales, Willis and Morgan were focused and steady, and in the last ten minutes shepherded their country to its final win over New Zealand that century. The Barbarians were not so successful, losing 5-19, though Willis was given the privilege of captaining the team.
and although losing the opening game to England, the team won the overall Championship on score difference. In the third match of the tournament against France, Willis was awarded the captaincy. The captaincy switched from Ken Jones to Bleddyn Williams
before Willis was given the captaincy again in the second match of the 1955 Championship
versus Scotland. It was the only match Wales lost that year, but did not stop them winning the tournament for the fourth time that decade.
The final Welsh game of 1955 was also the last for Willis, though he continued playing for Cardiff until the end of the 1957/58 season. In 1955 he turned down an invite to tour again with the British Lions, even though there was supposed to be a bar on inviting players over the age of thirty.
British Lions 1950, 1950 1950
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...
scrum-half 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 invitational rugby for the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
. He won 21 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...
and was selected to play in 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...
on the 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand
1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
The British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1950 was the first post-war tour made by the Lions; there had not been one since 1938....
.
He played the last half hour of the 1952 Five Nations Championship
1952 Five Nations Championship
The 1952 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-third series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-eighth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
against Scotland with his jaw broken in several places.
Early career
Willis was educated in England before boarding at The Cathedral School, LlandaffThe Cathedral School, Llandaff
The Cathedral School, Llandaff is a coeducational Welsh independent senior, prep and pre-prep day school. It is located in Llandaff, Cardiff. The school is part of the Woodard Schools foundation, as well as having many links to the neighbouring Llandaff Cathedral.In 1880 Dean John Vaughan opened a...
, he then served in the Navy during World War II and was trained at Pangbourne Nautical College
Pangbourne College
Pangbourne College is a coeducational independent school located in the civil parish of Pangbourne, just South West of the village, in the English County of Berkshire....
. He returned to Wales once he was demobilised. He initially joined Cardiff based rugby club Llandaff
Llandaff RFC
Llandaff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Llandaff, a district of Cardiff in Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Rugby Union Division Four East and is a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues.....
before later switching to Cardiff RFC. At Cardiff he was the under-study for Welsh captain, Haydn Tanner
Haydn Tanner
Haydn Tanner was a Welsh international rugby union player who also played for the British and Irish Lions and the Barbarians....
and would cover his position while Tanner was away on international duties. During this period Willis linked up with fellow Rhondda born Cardiff player, Cliff Morgan
Cliff Morgan
Cliff Morgan is a former Welsh rugby union player who played for Cardiff RFC and earned 29 caps for Wales between 1951 and 1958.-Rugby career:...
, a relationship that would last throughout their club and country careers.
When Tanner retired during the 1949/50 season, Willis was promoted into his position and gained regular first-class rugby. Although ignored for Welsh trials during 1949, the disastrous Five Nations Championship
1949 Five Nations Championship
The 1949 Five Nations Championship was the twentieth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-fifth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between 15...
of that year forced the selectors to look for a new half-back partnership. Willis was chosen alongside team mate Billy Cleaver
Billy Cleaver
William 'Billy' Cleaver was a Welsh international fly-half who played club rugby for Cardiff. He won 14 caps for Wales and was selected to play in the British Lions on the 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand...
to face England at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
in the opening game of the 1950 Championship
1950 Five Nations Championship
The 1950 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-first series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-sixth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between...
in front of the largest crowd ever seen to date at the stadium. Willis had an excellent match, releasing Cleaver, who in turn controlled the match which saw Wales win the game. In the next game against Scotland, Willis protected Cleaver from the Scottish back row which resulted in Cleaver scoring a drop goal. With 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...
from Thomas
Malcolm Thomas
Malcolm Thomas was a Welsh international centre who played club rugby for Newport. He won 27 caps for Wales and was selected to play in the British Lions on two tours of Australia and New Zealand. A versatile player, Thomas found himself being moved between centre and wing and was chosen many...
and Ken Jones Wales ran in easy winners after subduing the Scottish pack in the first half of the game. Willis kept his place for the next game in a narrow win against Ireland, which saw Wales lift 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...
, and in the final game, victory over France resulted in the 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...
for Wales since 1911.
British Lions
After his performance during the Championship, Willis, along with Cardiff backs Cleaver, Jones, WilliamsBleddyn Williams
Bleddyn Williams MBE , was a Welsh rugby union centre. He played in 22 internationals for Wales, captaining them five times, winning each time, and captained the British Lions in 1950 for some of their tour of Australia and New Zealand...
and Matthews
Jack Matthews
Jack Matthews OBE is a former Wales rugby union international centre who played first-class club rugby for Cardiff and Newport. Along with Bleddyn Williams, Matthews formed a centre partnership which is regarded as one of the finest in the game...
, was chosen for the British Lions in their 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand. Unfortunately for Willis, the excellent Rimmer and Black were also on the tour and were picked ahead of Willis. The tactical spoiling of the All Blacks was too much for the smaller scrum-halves, and Willis was drafted in for the Fourth Test at Auckland, and retained his place for the final two tests in Australia.
Willis was back for all four matches in the 1951 Five Nations Championship
1951 Five Nations Championship
The 1951 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-second series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-seventh series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
again under the captaincy of John Gwilliam
John Gwilliam
John Albert Gwilliam was a Welsh rugby union 'No 8' who played international rugby for Wales and club rugby for Cambridge University, Edinburgh Wanderers, Gloucester, Newport, London Welsh, Llanelli and Wasps...
, who had led the team to their Grand Slam victory the previous year. Willis was now partnered with Cliff Morgan at Cardiff, but with Wales he linked up with Glyn Davies
Glyn Davies (rugby player)
Glyn Davies was a Welsh international rugby union fly-half who played club rugby for a large selection of clubs but most notably for Pontypridd and Cambridge University. He won eleven international caps for Wales including a win over the touring 1947 Australia team...
. Morale was high after a one sided affair in their opening game against England, but Willis experienced his first loss with Wales when the team was beaten 19-0 by an unexperienced Scottish team. Despite the loss the Welsh selectors kept faith with the players for the next match, dropping only one player, Willis's partner, Davies. This allowed the introduction of Morgan, who gained his first cap in a three all draw with Ireland.
Against South Africa and New Zealand
Towards the end on 1951, Willis faced the touring South African's1951-52 South Africa rugby union tour
The 1951-52 South Africa tour of Britain, Ireland and France was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the South Africa national rugby union team against the four British Home Nation teams and France. The tour also took in several matches against British, Irish and French club,...
in three games. The first was for Cardiff in October, when 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...
, his club team lost by a single point. Willis faced the same team two months later when he was selected to represent Wales against the tourists. It was a game Wales should have won, but the backs, and specifically Cliff Morgan played a poor kicking game that wasted excellent work by the Welsh pack. In his last game against South Africa, Willis was chosen for the invitational Barbarians team in the final match of the tour and for the third time Willis found himself on the losing side.
Willis played only two games of the 1952 Five Nations Championship
1952 Five Nations Championship
The 1952 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-third series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-eighth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
, but played his part in a second Grand Slam winning year. He was instrumental in allowing Morgan to regain his form through his defensive shielding of his club partner during the first game against England; but after breaking his jaw in the Scottish game missed the final two matches of the tournament. In the 1953 Championship he was considered not fit enough to face England, and was forced to leave the field when he injured his shoulder against Scotland.
As in 1951, Willis was chosen to face another touring team on three occasions in 1953, when Cardiff, Wales and the Barbarians played the All Blacks. Unlike the South African games though, in two of these games Willis was on the victorious side. For Cardiff, Willis was at his best while in the game for Wales, Willis and Morgan were focused and steady, and in the last ten minutes shepherded their country to its final win over New Zealand that century. The Barbarians were not so successful, losing 5-19, though Willis was given the privilege of captaining the team.
Wales captaincy and later career
Willis was selected for all four matches of the 1954 Five Nations Championship1954 Five Nations Championship
The 1954 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-fifth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the sixtieth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between 9...
and although losing the opening game to England, the team won the overall Championship on score difference. In the third match of the tournament against France, Willis was awarded the captaincy. The captaincy switched from Ken Jones to Bleddyn Williams
Bleddyn Williams
Bleddyn Williams MBE , was a Welsh rugby union centre. He played in 22 internationals for Wales, captaining them five times, winning each time, and captained the British Lions in 1950 for some of their tour of Australia and New Zealand...
before Willis was given the captaincy again in the second match of the 1955 Championship
1955 Five Nations Championship
The 1955 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-sixth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the sixty-first series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between...
versus Scotland. It was the only match Wales lost that year, but did not stop them winning the tournament for the fourth time that decade.
The final Welsh game of 1955 was also the last for Willis, though he continued playing for Cardiff until the end of the 1957/58 season. In 1955 he turned down an invite to tour again with the British Lions, even though there was supposed to be a bar on inviting players over the age of thirty.
International matches played
Wales 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955 1950, 1951, 1954, 1955 1950, 1951, 1954, 1955 1953 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955 1951British Lions 1950, 1950 1950