Sam Walker (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Samuel "Sam" Walker was an Irish
rugby union
prop. Walker played club rugby for Instonians
and played international rugby for Ireland
and was captain of the British Isles team
in their 1938 tour of South Africa
.
. He won his first international cap when he was selected for the Irish national team during the 1934 Home Nations Championship
. he won 15 caps for his country between 1934 and 1938, and captained the team in his final international game, against Wales, at Swansea.
In 1938 he was selected to captain the British Isles team on their tour of South Africa. He is recognised as an able captain, who managed to sustain good morale in a British team that was devastated by injuries. He also fostered an open style of play that resulted in exciting and free scoring matches, which delighted the South African spectators. Walker showed excellent fitness himself during the tour, and was able to lead the British team out for 17 invitational games and all three Tests against the South African national team
. On the tour he usually played his favoured role as prop, alongside Bunner Travers
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
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...
prop. Walker played club rugby for Instonians
Instonians
Instonians is the name of the umbrella organisation that incorporates rugby union, men's and ladies' hockey and cricket sections. There is also a golf society that plays under the Instonians name....
and played international rugby for Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The 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...
and was captain of the British Isles team
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
in their 1938 tour of South Africa
1938 British Lions tour to South Africa
The 1938 British Isles tour to South Africa was the fourteenth tour by a British Isles team and the sixth to South Africa. The tour is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950....
.
Rugby career
Walker came to note as a rugby player when he represented Instonians. During the 1934/35 season, he was also selected to play for invitational tourists, the BarbariansBarbarian 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 his first international cap when he was selected for the Irish national team during the 1934 Home Nations Championship
1934 Home Nations Championship
The 1934 Home Nations Championship was the thirtieth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the forty-seventh series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six matches...
. he won 15 caps for his country between 1934 and 1938, and captained the team in his final international game, against Wales, at Swansea.
In 1938 he was selected to captain the British Isles team on their tour of South Africa. He is recognised as an able captain, who managed to sustain good morale in a British team that was devastated by injuries. He also fostered an open style of play that resulted in exciting and free scoring matches, which delighted the South African spectators. Walker showed excellent fitness himself during the tour, and was able to lead the British team out for 17 invitational games and all three Tests against the South African national team
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...
. On the tour he usually played his favoured role as prop, alongside Bunner Travers
Bunner Travers
William 'Bunner' Travers was a international rugby union player. He was selected for the 1938 British Lions tour to South Africa. Travers played club rugby for Newport RFC and was the son of George Travers, also a Wales international.-References:...
.