Tom Kent (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Thomas "Tom" Kent was an English
rugby union
forward who played club rugby for Salford
. Kent represented England
on six occasions and in 1888 he was chosen to tour New Zealand and Australia
as part of the first British Isles team
.
and a single conversion.
On his return to Britain, Kent was still unable to break into the England national team. It took until the 1891 Home Nations Championship
to be selected to play for his country; his first match being against Wales
played away at Newport. After a 7-3 win, Kent was reselected for the very next game to Ireland, England winning easily. With two wins in the Championship, the final game for England, against Scotland set up the Championship decider. When Scotland won, a promising England campaign fell apart, and the press reacted angrily, stating the season was the worst since 1871.
Despite the disappointing end to the 1891 season, Kent was back in the England squad for the 1892 Home Nations Championship
. The tournament was an incredible success for England, not only winning all three matches, and thus taking the Championship and the Triple Crown
; but also finished the season without conceding a single point. Seven players kept their places throughout the tournament for England, Kent being one of them. As a Triple crown winner, Kent finished his international career at the highest level.
code to the rugby league
code on the 2nd of June 1896, Tom Kent would have been approximately 31 years of age. Consequently, he may have been both a rugby union and rugby league footballer for Salford.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
forward who played club rugby for Salford
Salford City Reds
Salford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup...
. Kent represented England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
on six occasions and in 1888 he was chosen to tour New Zealand and Australia
1888 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
The 1888 British Isles tour to New Zealand and Australia was a series of rugby union games played by an unofficial British team against invitational teams in New Zealand and Australia...
as part of the first 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...
.
Rugby career
Kent played the majority of his first class rugby for Salford, representing the club while chosen for the British Isles in 1888 and four years later when he was selected for England, he was still a Salford player. Kent's most notable period as a rugby player was when he was invited to join the first British overseas touring team in 1888. The tour took in 35 matches against representative teams from New Zealand and Australia, but as the touring party was not recognised by any official rugby union the club they did not face any national sides and no caps were awarded. Kent played in 28 matches, scoring five triesTry
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...
and a single conversion.
On his return to Britain, Kent was still unable to break into the England national team. It took until the 1891 Home Nations Championship
1891 Home Nations Championship
The 1891 Home Nations Championship was the ninth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 3 January and 7 March...
to be selected to play for his country; his first match being against 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...
played away at Newport. After a 7-3 win, Kent was reselected for the very next game to Ireland, England winning easily. With two wins in the Championship, the final game for England, against Scotland set up the Championship decider. When Scotland won, a promising England campaign fell apart, and the press reacted angrily, stating the season was the worst since 1871.
Despite the disappointing end to the 1891 season, Kent was back in the England squad for the 1892 Home Nations Championship
1892 Home Nations Championship
The 1892 Home Nations Championship was the tenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 2 January and 5 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
. The tournament was an incredible success for England, not only winning all three matches, and thus taking the Championship and 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...
; but also finished the season without conceding a single point. Seven players kept their places throughout the tournament for England, Kent being one of them. As a Triple crown winner, Kent finished his international career at the highest level.
Change of Code
When Salford converted from the rugby unionRugby 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...
code to the rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
code on the 2nd of June 1896, Tom Kent would have been approximately 31 years of age. Consequently, he may have been both a rugby union and rugby league footballer for Salford.