Teddy Morgan
Encyclopedia
Edward "Teddy" Morgan was a Welsh
international rugby union
player. He was a member of the winning Wales
team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks and is remembered for scoring the winning try. He played club rugby for London Welsh and Swansea
.
from Newport
in 1902 to take up a post at Guy's Hospital
in London, where he took up playing with the Welsh exiles, London Welsh. It was while playing in London that Morgan earned his first international call up, against England. Morgan's career with Wales saw him score 14 tries from the wing, but his most well remembered was the try he scored against the Original All Blacks in 1905. In the monumental match between the unbeaten All Blacks and the Triple Crown-winning Welsh team, Morgan is believed to have led the his team in singing the Welsh national anthem
in response to the New Zealanders' haka
. This was the first time a national anthem had been sung at a sporting event. During a strongly contested game, a single score decided the game. In the twenty-fifth minute, Welsh scrum half Dicky Owen
released the ball to Cliff Pritchard
, who received the ball at ankle level before darting forward. Having passed by Bob Dean, Pritchard released to Rhys Gabe
who in turn found Morgan. Morgan dummied George Gillett
and touched the ball down in the corner.
As well as scoring the winning try for Wales against the 1905 All Blacks, he was also central to a controversial decision during the match. During the game, New Zealand player Bob Deans
dived for the Welsh try line with the ball and was tackled by Cliff Pritchard and Rhys Gabe
. The referee decided Deans landed short, and no try was given. Morgan stated later that the ball was successfully grounded and the try should have counted.
. Morgan would captain the British team against both Australia and New Zealand during this tour.
, Swansea before moving to a new practice in East Anglia. While at Sketty, another international rugby player joined his practice in the early 1920s, D Bertram, who would go on to be capped 11 times for Scotland. Morgan died on 1 September 1949 in North Walsham
. In 2008, Morgan was celebrated by the local council when it was decided to raise a blue plaque
at his birthplace to commemorate his life.
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...
player. He was a member of the winning 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...
team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks and is remembered for scoring the winning try. He played club rugby for London Welsh and Swansea
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...
.
Wales
Morgan had moved to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
in 1902 to take up a post at Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
in London, where he took up playing with the Welsh exiles, London Welsh. It was while playing in London that Morgan earned his first international call up, against England. Morgan's career with Wales saw him score 14 tries from the wing, but his most well remembered was the try he scored against the Original All Blacks in 1905. In the monumental match between the unbeaten All Blacks and the Triple Crown-winning Welsh team, Morgan is believed to have led the his team in singing the Welsh national anthem
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is the national anthem of Wales. The title – taken from the first words of the song – means "Old Land of My Fathers", usually rendered in English as simply "Land of My Fathers". The words were written by Evan James and the tune composed by his son, James James, both residents...
in response to the New Zealanders' haka
Haka of the All Blacks
The Haka is a traditional Maori war dance from New Zealand. There are thousands of Haka that are performed by various tribes and cultural groups throughout New Zealand. The best known Haka of them all is called "Ka Mate". It has been performed by countless New Zealand teams both locally and...
. This was the first time a national anthem had been sung at a sporting event. During a strongly contested game, a single score decided the game. In the twenty-fifth minute, Welsh scrum half Dicky Owen
Dicky Owen
Dicky Owen was a Welsh international scrum-half who played club rugby for Swansea RFC Owen is seen as one of the greatest Welsh scrum-halves and won 35 caps for Wales between 1901 and 1912, a record that was unbeaten until 1955 when Ken Jones surpassed him.-Influence in rugby:Born Richard Morgan...
released the ball to Cliff Pritchard
Cliff Pritchard
Cliff Pritchard was a Welsh international centre who played club rugby for Newport RFC and Pontypool RFC. Pritchard was capped on five occasions and scored two tries for his country...
, who received the ball at ankle level before darting forward. Having passed by Bob Dean, Pritchard released to 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:...
who in turn found Morgan. Morgan dummied George Gillett
George A. Gillett
George Arthur Gillett was a renowned New Zealand multi-code footballer of the early 20th century and a dual-code rugby international...
and touched the ball down in the corner.
As well as scoring the winning try for Wales against the 1905 All Blacks, he was also central to a controversial decision during the match. During the game, New Zealand player Bob Deans
Bob Deans
Bob Deans was a former All Black and Canterbury rugby union player....
dived for the Welsh try line with the ball and was tackled by Cliff Pritchard and 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:...
. The referee decided Deans landed short, and no try was given. Morgan stated later that the ball was successfully grounded and the try should have counted.
International games played
Wales 1902, 1904, 1905, 1906 1908 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906 1905 1902, 1904, 1905, 1906 1906British Isles
In 1904 Morgan was one of the Welsh players chosen to tour Australasia under the captaincy of Bedell-SivrightDavid Bedell-Sivright
David Revell "Darkie" Bedell-Sivright was a Scottish international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cambridge and Edinburgh Universities. Bedell-Sivright was one of the true characters of the sport of rugby and was chosen to lead a British Isles team on a tour of Australia...
. Morgan would captain the British team against both Australia and New Zealand during this tour.
Later career and death
Morgan became a General Practitioner in SkettySketty
Sketty is the name of an electoral ward, a community and a suburb in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The community is coterminous with the electoral ward....
, Swansea before moving to a new practice in East Anglia. While at Sketty, another international rugby player joined his practice in the early 1920s, D Bertram, who would go on to be capped 11 times for Scotland. Morgan died on 1 September 1949 in North Walsham
North Walsham
North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England in the North Norfolk district.-Demographics:The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 11,998. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North...
. In 2008, Morgan was celebrated by the local council when it was decided to raise a blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
at his birthplace to commemorate his life.