Tom Evans (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Thomas "Tom" Henry Evans (31 December 1882 - 19 March 1955) was a Welsh
international rugby union
flanker who played club rugby for Llanelli
. Evans played in eighteen international games for Wales
, and in 1908 was part of the Welsh team that faced touring Australian team
. Evans played in four Home Nations Championship
s, from 1906 to 1909, and the first two Five Nations Championships, in 1910 and 1911; playing in three Triple Crown
winning seasons.
; Evans was a Police Sergeant by occupation, and was described as being 'as strong as an ox' and 'unusually fleet of foot'. He first played rugby for local club team Ammanford RFC. A rugby talent at a young age, Evans was given the captaincy of the Ammanford senior team during the 1902/03 season; while only 19. Before his first international cap, Evans had switched from his local club side to Llanelli, the premier team from the west of Wales.
Evans made his first international appearance for Wales in the final game of the 1906 Home Nations Championship
. Wales had won the previous years Championship, and with victories already established over England and Scotland, a win against Ireland in the last encounter would give the country back-to-back Triple Crown seasons. Three changes were made to the team for the trip to Belfast, all in the forward positions and all three new caps; Evans and two Cardiff
players, Dai Westacott
and Jack Powell
. The game ended in a disappointing loss for Wales, with poor selection decisions blamed. All three new caps found the strains of international rugby too much, and failed to last the pace.
Despite a poor debut, Evans was reselected for the next season's Championship
, playing in all three matches. Wales finished second in the tournament, losing only one game, against eventual champions Scotland. Evans missed the majority of the 1908 season, joining the team for the final game of the Championship in an away win over Ireland. Although Evans played but a single match of the tournament, Wales won all three games of the 1908 Championship
, making Evans a Triple Crown winning player for the first time in his career.
The 1908/09 season was the pinnacle of Evans' playing career, at club and country level. The season saw the arrival of the very first touring Australian
national team. The Wallabies, as the Australian team was nicknamed, had faced eight club and county teams, winning each match without too much resistance. Llanelli were the ninth opponents, and the game was played at Stradey Park
on 17 October. Although records state that Evans was not given the captaincy of Llanelli until the next season, he was given the honour of captaining the team for the game against the Australians. Llanelli won the game 8-3, the first loss of the tour for the Australians and the first win over one of three big Southern Hemisphere international teams for Llanelli. Evans not only led his team that day, but also scored the winning try; and was reported to have crossed the line with three Wallabies clinging on to him in a bid to bring him down. Almost two months later Evans was part of the Wales squad to face the same touring Australians, joined in the pack by fellow Llanelli team-mate James Watts
. Wales won by a narrow 9-6 scoreline. The Australian tour match was followed by the 1909 Home Nations Championship
, the final tournament before the inclusion of the French team made the competition the Five Nations Championship. Evans played in all three Championship games, plus an early encounter with France, which all resulted in wins for the Wales team, giving Evans his second Triple Crown.
The 1909/10 season saw Evans given the club captaincy of Llanelli, and he retained his place in the Welsh international team. The Welsh run of 11 games unbeaten ended during the 1910 Five Nations Championship
, with defeat away to England at Twickenham. Although Wales won the remaining three games, they could only finish second in the table to England. Evans' final Championship came in 1911
, again selected for the full tournament, Evans was part of his third and final Triple Crown team, plus the first official Grand Slam
victory. His final international match was played at the Cardiff Arms Park
in Cardiff
, in the 1911 Championship decider, against Ireland. In the 16-0 win, Evans scored his first and only international points, with one of three Welsh tries. Evans had played a total of 18 games for his country over a six season period, finishing on the losing side on only three occasions.
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...
flanker who played club rugby for Llanelli
Llanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
. Evans played in eighteen international games 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 in 1908 was part of the Welsh team that faced touring Australian team
1908-09 Australia rugby union tour of Britain
The 1908-09 Australia rugby union tour of the British Isles was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the Australia national rugby union team against invitational and national teams from England and Wales, as well as several games against sides from North America...
. Evans played in four Home Nations Championship
Home Nations Championship
Home Nations Championship may refer to any of following competitions competed for by representative teams from the Home Nations:* Six Nations Championship – rugby union competition originally known as the Home Nations Championship....
s, from 1906 to 1909, and the first two Five Nations Championships, in 1910 and 1911; playing in three 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 seasons.
Rugby career
Born in Ammanford, CarmarthenshireCarmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
; Evans was a Police Sergeant by occupation, and was described as being 'as strong as an ox' and 'unusually fleet of foot'. He first played rugby for local club team Ammanford RFC. A rugby talent at a young age, Evans was given the captaincy of the Ammanford senior team during the 1902/03 season; while only 19. Before his first international cap, Evans had switched from his local club side to Llanelli, the premier team from the west of Wales.
Evans made his first international appearance for Wales in the final game of the 1906 Home Nations Championship
1906 Home Nations Championship
The 1906 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-fourth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 13 January and 17 March...
. Wales had won the previous years Championship, and with victories already established over England and Scotland, a win against Ireland in the last encounter would give the country back-to-back Triple Crown seasons. Three changes were made to the team for the trip to Belfast, all in the forward positions and all three new caps; Evans and two 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...
players, Dai Westacott
Dai Westacott
David "Dai" Westacott was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff. Westacott played a single international game for Wales, in 1906, and faced the Original All Blacks as part of the Glamorgan county team in 1905.-Rugby career:Westacott first came to note as a...
and Jack Powell
Jack Powell (rugby player born 1882)
John "Jack" Anderson Powell was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff and London Welsh...
. The game ended in a disappointing loss for Wales, with poor selection decisions blamed. All three new caps found the strains of international rugby too much, and failed to last the pace.
Despite a poor debut, Evans was reselected for the next season's Championship
1907 Home Nations Championship
The 1907 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-fifth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 12 January and 16 March...
, playing in all three matches. Wales finished second in the tournament, losing only one game, against eventual champions Scotland. Evans missed the majority of the 1908 season, joining the team for the final game of the Championship in an away win over Ireland. Although Evans played but a single match of the tournament, Wales won all three games of the 1908 Championship
1908 Home Nations Championship
The 1908 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-sixth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 18 January and 21 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
, making Evans a Triple Crown winning player for the first time in his career.
The 1908/09 season was the pinnacle of Evans' playing career, at club and country level. The season saw the arrival of the very first touring Australian
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...
national team. The Wallabies, as the Australian team was nicknamed, had faced eight club and county teams, winning each match without too much resistance. Llanelli were the ninth opponents, and the game was played at Stradey Park
Stradey Park
Stradey Park was a rugby union stadium located near the centre of the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was the home of the Scarlets region and Llanelli RFC rugby teams. The stadium was a combination of seating and standing with a total capacity of 10,800...
on 17 October. Although records state that Evans was not given the captaincy of Llanelli until the next season, he was given the honour of captaining the team for the game against the Australians. Llanelli won the game 8-3, the first loss of the tour for the Australians and the first win over one of three big Southern Hemisphere international teams for Llanelli. Evans not only led his team that day, but also scored the winning try; and was reported to have crossed the line with three Wallabies clinging on to him in a bid to bring him down. Almost two months later Evans was part of the Wales squad to face the same touring Australians, joined in the pack by fellow Llanelli team-mate James Watts
James Watts (rugby player)
James "Jim" Watts was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Llanelli. He won eleven caps for Wales and was part of the first Grand Slam winning side in 1908.-Rugby career:...
. Wales won by a narrow 9-6 scoreline. The Australian tour match was followed by 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....
, the final tournament before the inclusion of the French team made the competition the Five Nations Championship. Evans played in all three Championship games, plus an early encounter with France, which all resulted in wins for the Wales team, giving Evans his second Triple Crown.
The 1909/10 season saw Evans given the club captaincy of Llanelli, and he retained his place in the Welsh international team. The Welsh run of 11 games unbeaten ended during 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...
, with defeat away to England at Twickenham. Although Wales won the remaining three games, they could only finish second in the table to England. Evans' final Championship came in 1911
1911 Five Nations Championship
The 1911 Five Nations Championship was the second 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-ninth series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
, again selected for the full tournament, Evans was part of his third and final Triple Crown team, plus the first official 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...
victory. His final international match was played 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...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, in the 1911 Championship decider, against Ireland. In the 16-0 win, Evans scored his first and only international points, with one of three Welsh tries. Evans had played a total of 18 games for his country over a six season period, finishing on the losing side on only three occasions.
International matches played
Wales 1908 1907, 1909, 1910, 1911 1909, 1910, 1911- IrelandIreland national rugby union teamThe 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...
1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911 1907, 1909, 1910, 1911