Roy John (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Ernest Raymond "Roy" John (3 December 1925 - 30 September 1981) was a former and British Lions
international rugby union
lock. He played club rugby for Crynant
and Neath
. John was capped 19 times for Wales and was a member of two Grand Slam
winning teams. In 1950 he was selected for the 1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
. John was an agile runner for a lock, but was most notable for his excellent ability in line-outs.
. John gained his place as his club partner, Rees Stephens
had been forced to withdraw from the team. John was one of five new caps entering a team that had finished bottom of the table in the year's previous tournament
. Wales beat England 11-5 and John was reselected for the remaining three matches of the campaign. After wins over Scotland and Ireland to take the Triple Crown, John scored his first and only try
for Wales in a victory over France to give the team the Grand Slam title.
Two months after the encounter with France, John was playing for the British Lions team touring Australia and New Zealand. Both he and Stephens were selected becoming the first players to represent the Lions from the Neath club. He played in twenty-two matches of the tour and played in all six Test matches. During the tour he scored two tries, one in the win against a joint Manawatu
–Horowhenua
team, and the other in the second Test against Australia
. During the tour, John was utilised in three of the Tests as a number 8, both the Australian matches and the third Test to New Zealand at Wellington. During the 1950-51 season John was given the captaincy of the Neath team.
John was back in the Wales squad for the 1951 Five Nations Championship
playing in all four matches. Despite a resounding win over England in the opening match, Wales ended the competition on third after draw with Ireland and loses to France and Ireland. The same year John faced the 1951 touring South Africa team. First at club level when a joint Aberavon
and Neath team on 17 November, and then a country level with Wales, twice ending on the losing side. Despite losing to the South Africans with Wales, John so dominated the line-out that the Springboks' coach, Danie Craven
, ordered his team not to contest them.
John continued his unbroken run of Wales appearances with another four games in the 1952 Five Nations Championship
. The pivotal game of the tournament turned out to be the team's first match away to England. England led the encounter in the first half with England scoring two tries when key Welsh player Lewis Jones
was off the pitch for treatment. Wales responded strongly in the second half led by their pack with John dominating the line-out. Wales went on to win all three remaining games giving John his second Grand Slam title. 1952 also saw Neath tour Ireland, which John joined despite being on honeymoon there.
1953 saw John complete his fourth full Championship, in which Wales came second, losing just one game to eventual winners England. John's penultimate international came in December 1953, when he was chosen to face the touring New Zealand team. Although John no longer possessed his old agility, a storming response from the forwards saw Wales snatch their last win over the All Blacks that century. John faced the same New Zealand team in late January 1954, when another joint Aberavon/Neath team lost 11-5 to the tourists.
John's final international, his nineteenth consecutive game for Wales, was an away match to England, which Wales lost through a last minute try from England's Chris Winn.
British Lions 1950, 1950 1950, 1950, 1950, 1950
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
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...
lock. He played club rugby for Crynant
Crynant RFC
Crynant Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Crynant, Wales, UK. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.-Early history:...
and Neath
Neath RFC
Neath Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The first team is known as the Welsh All Blacks because of the team colours: black with only a white cross pattée as an emblem...
. John was capped 19 times for Wales and was a member of two 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 teams. In 1950 he was selected for the 1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
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....
. John was an agile runner for a lock, but was most notable for his excellent ability in line-outs.
Rugby career
John played rugby from a young age and represented his local grammar school as a youth. His first club was Crynant, but by the time he gained his first cap in 1950 he had switched to first-class side Neath. His international debut came on 21 January against England as part of the 1950 Five Nations Championship1950 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...
. John gained his place as his club partner, Rees Stephens
Rees Stephens
Rees Stephens was a Welsh international number 8 who played club rugby for Neath. He won 32 caps for Wales and was selected to play in the British Lions on the 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand...
had been forced to withdraw from the team. John was one of five new caps entering a team that had finished bottom of the table in the year's previous tournament
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...
. Wales beat England 11-5 and John was reselected for the remaining three matches of the campaign. After wins over Scotland and Ireland to take the Triple Crown, John scored his first and only 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...
for Wales in a victory over France to give the team the Grand Slam title.
Two months after the encounter with France, John was playing for the British Lions team touring Australia and New Zealand. Both he and Stephens were selected becoming the first players to represent the Lions from the Neath club. He played in twenty-two matches of the tour and played in all six Test matches. During the tour he scored two tries, one in the win against a joint Manawatu
Manawatu Rugby Union
Manawatu Rugby Union is the governing body of the sport of Rugby union in the Manawatu rugby province. The Union is based in the city of Palmerston North but has a catchment area from nearby towns in the province, including Feilding, Rongotea, Linton, Bulls, Pahiatua, Dannevirke and...
–Horowhenua
Horowhenua-Kapiti Rugby Football Union
-Representative Rugby:The Horowhenua-Kapiti team play from Levin Domain, Levin and in the 2006 season are in Pool B of the Heartland Championship. They are seeded 6th qualifiers for the Championship as they were runner-ups in the 3rd division in 2005....
team, and the other in the second Test against 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...
. During the tour, John was utilised in three of the Tests as a number 8, both the Australian matches and the third Test to New Zealand at Wellington. During the 1950-51 season John was given the captaincy of the Neath team.
John was back in the Wales squad for 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...
playing in all four matches. Despite a resounding win over England in the opening match, Wales ended the competition on third after draw with Ireland and loses to France and Ireland. The same year John faced the 1951 touring South Africa team. First at club level when a joint Aberavon
Aberavon RFC
Aberavon RFC is a rugby union club located in the Welsh town of Port Talbot, although the club's name refers to the older settlement of Aberavon which lies on the western side of the town...
and Neath team on 17 November, and then a country level with Wales, twice ending on the losing side. Despite losing to the South Africans with Wales, John so dominated the line-out that the Springboks' coach, Danie Craven
Danie Craven
Daniël Hartman Craven , more famously known as Danie Craven or simply Doc Craven, is a former Western Province, Eastern Province, Northern Transvaal and Springbok rugby union player as well as arguably South Africa's best and best-known rugby administrator...
, ordered his team not to contest them.
John continued his unbroken run of Wales appearances with another four games in 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...
. The pivotal game of the tournament turned out to be the team's first match away to England. England led the encounter in the first half with England scoring two tries when key Welsh player Lewis Jones
Lewis Jones
Lewis Jones may refer to:*Lewis Jones , Welsh writer*Lewis Jones , Welsh dual-code international rugby footballer*Lewis Jones , Bishop of Killaloe*Lewis Jones , British politician, MP for Swansea West, 1931–1945...
was off the pitch for treatment. Wales responded strongly in the second half led by their pack with John dominating the line-out. Wales went on to win all three remaining games giving John his second Grand Slam title. 1952 also saw Neath tour Ireland, which John joined despite being on honeymoon there.
1953 saw John complete his fourth full Championship, in which Wales came second, losing just one game to eventual winners England. John's penultimate international came in December 1953, when he was chosen to face the touring New Zealand team. Although John no longer possessed his old agility, a storming response from the forwards saw Wales snatch their last win over the All Blacks that century. John faced the same New Zealand team in late January 1954, when another joint Aberavon/Neath team lost 11-5 to the tourists.
John's final international, his nineteenth consecutive game for Wales, was an away match to England, which Wales lost through a last minute try from England's Chris Winn.
Playing style
While a youth at Neath Grammar School, John had played on the wing, at centre and at fly-half before moving into the back row. Despite his height, at 6 ft 3ins, John possessed a swerve and dummy more worthy of a half-back. He was utilised as a number 8 during the Lions tour, and once as a Wales international played as flanker. Of all his rugby abilities, John is best remembered for his strength in the line-out. John had a powerful standing leap and was reported to be able to leap up and grab onto a rugby crossbar, set at 10 ft 6ins above the ground.International matches played
Wales 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953 1953 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953 1951British Lions 1950, 1950 1950, 1950, 1950, 1950