Tom Rees (rugby player born 1913)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Rees was a Welsh
international rugby union
prop who played club rugby for Newport RFC. He was a member of the winning Welsh team who beat the 1935 touring All Blacks
.
. Newport lost the game 17-5 in a game noted for its physicality in the scrum and during rucks. Rees was also chosen to represent Wales against the same touring New Zealand team, but earlier in the year had already gained his first Welsh cap when he was selected to face both Scotland and Ireland in the Home Nations Championship
.
Rees's first international match was against Scotland under the captaincy of Claude Davey
. Wales won the game 10-6, mainly thanks to an impressive display from Cliff Jones
. His second international, at Ravenhill
in Belfast, saw Wales lose to Ireland, the eventual tournament winners. His next international game was against the New Zealand tourists in a close game which Wales won in the last few minutes. In 1936 Rees played in all three games of the Home Nations Championship
which Wales won after beating Scotland and Ireland and drawing with England. Rees played in the first two games of the 1937 Championship, with his final game being against Scotland at St Helens
.
In 1938 Rees was approached to play for the British Lions
in their 1938 tour
of South Africa, but turned them down due to his financial situation
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...
prop who played club rugby for Newport RFC. He was a member of the winning Welsh team who beat the 1935 touring All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
.
Rugby career
Rees joined Newport in 1934 after joining Newport Police Force. In 1935 he was part of the Newport team that faced the touring New Zealand team1935-36 New Zealand rugby union tour of the British Isles and Canada
-Matches:-Three-Quarters:* N. Ball * H.M. Brown * G.F. Hart * N.A. Mitchell * C.J. Oliver -Five-eighths:* J.L. Griffiths * T.H.C. Caughey * J.R. Page...
. Newport lost the game 17-5 in a game noted for its physicality in the scrum and during rucks. Rees was also chosen to represent Wales against the same touring New Zealand team, but earlier in the year had already gained his first Welsh cap when he was selected to face both Scotland and Ireland in the Home Nations Championship
1935 Home Nations Championship
The 1935 Home Nations Championship was the thirty-first 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-eighth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six...
.
Rees's first international match was against Scotland under the captaincy of Claude Davey
Claude Davey
Claude Davey was a Wales international rugby union player who played club rugby for several teams, most notably Sale and Swansea. He was awarded 23 caps for Wales and captained his country eight times...
. Wales won the game 10-6, mainly thanks to an impressive display from Cliff Jones
Cliff Jones (rugby player)
Clifford 'Cliff' William Jones OBE was a Welsh international rugby union fly-half who played club rugby for many teams but is most associated with Cardiff and Cambridge University...
. His second international, at Ravenhill
Ravenhill Stadium
Ravenhill Stadium is located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is used by Ulster Rugby. It has a normal capacity of 12,300 and is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union.-History:The grounds were opened in the 1923/24 season...
in Belfast, saw Wales lose to Ireland, the eventual tournament winners. His next international game was against the New Zealand tourists in a close game which Wales won in the last few minutes. In 1936 Rees played in all three games of the Home Nations Championship
1936 Home Nations Championship
The 1936 Home Nations Championship was the thirty-second 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-ninth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six...
which Wales won after beating Scotland and Ireland and drawing with England. Rees played in the first two games of the 1937 Championship, with his final game being against Scotland at St Helens
St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground
St. Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground is a spectator venue in Swansea, Wales. It is used for both rugby and cricket.It is owned and operated by the City and County of Swansea council and is also used to host the local annual Guy Fawkes night fireworks display.-History:Since the ground opened in...
.
In 1938 Rees was approached to play for the British Lions
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
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....
of South Africa, but turned them down due to his financial situation
International games played
Wales 1936, 1937- 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...
1935, 1936, 1937 1935 1935, 1936