Tom Parker (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Tom Parker was a Welsh
international rugby union
flanker who played club rugby for Swansea
. Parker made his debut for Swansea in 1913 and captained his club in the 1920/21 season Parker would play 15 times for Wales, seven of them as captain. He was surprisingly one of the most successful captains in the history of Welsh rugby with 6 wins and 1 draw, all played during the 1920s, a decade that is seen as the worst period in Welsh rugby.
scoring 16 of the points. Parker's first international try came in 1920 in a match against Ireland at the Cardiff Arms Park
. One of Parker's more memorable matches came in 1923 against France when, along with Steve Morris
of Cross Keys
, he spent large parts of the game fighting against an overly violent French squad.
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 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...
. Parker made his debut for Swansea in 1913 and captained his club in the 1920/21 season Parker would play 15 times for Wales, seven of them as captain. He was surprisingly one of the most successful captains in the history of Welsh rugby with 6 wins and 1 draw, all played during the 1920s, a decade that is seen as the worst period in Welsh rugby.
International rugby career
Unusual for a new international, Parker gained his first cap against a touring side. In 1919 Parker was chosen to play against the New Zealand Army XV, and the next season would face all the home nations. His first game against England saw a Welsh team filled with new caps, so it was an impressive win when Wales beat their rivals 19-5, with Jerry SheaJerry Shea
Jeremiah "Jerry" Shea was a Welsh international dual-code rugby centre who played club rugby for Newport and Pill Harriers under the rugby union code and later represented Wigan Wasps as a rugby league player. Shea was an all round athlete, and was an accomplished swimmer and professional boxer...
scoring 16 of the points. Parker's first international try came in 1920 in a match against Ireland 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...
. One of Parker's more memorable matches came in 1923 against France when, along with Steve Morris
Steve Morris (rugby union player)
Steve Morris was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Cross Keys. A hard man, Morris was extremely physical in the way he played the game, sometimes over physical and he was unafraid to turn to violence if it was warranted. It is reported that he once knocked out a...
of Cross Keys
Cross Keys RFC
Cross Keys RFC is a rugby union club located in the Welsh village of Crosskeys. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.- History :...
, he spent large parts of the game fighting against an overly violent French squad.