Tommy Smyth (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Dr Tommy Smyth was an Irish
international, rugby union
prop forward who played club rugby for Newport and Malone
and invitational rugby with the Barbarians
. He won fourteen caps for Ireland
and was selected to captain the British Isles
1910 tour of South Africa
, and played in two of the test games.
against England at Richmond's Athletic Ground. Although Ireland lost the match 13-3 Smyth was back for the next game of the tournament against Scotland. With the match played at Landsdowne Road, the Irish beat the Scottish team in a game which was notable as the last game for Scotland's David Bedell-Sivright
, the British Isle's captain of the 1904 campaign
to Australia and New Zealand. Smyth played out the 1909 and 1910 Championships and scored his first international try
in the 1910 game against France. Smyth's next and last score for his country was in a 3-0 win at Landsdowne road versus England, when the Harlequin centre Frank Stoop's poor clearing kick led to Smyth scoring the only points of the game when he took the ball over the line for a try.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
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 forward who played club rugby for Newport and Malone
Malone RFC
Malone RFC is a rugby union club based in Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It is currently in the Second Division of the All-Ireland League. The club is affiliated with the Ulster Branch, itself part of the Irish Rugby Football Union...
and invitational rugby with the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
. He won fourteen caps for Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The 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...
and was selected to captain the British Isles
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
1910 tour of South Africa
1910 British Lions tour to South Africa
The 1910 British Isles tour to South Africa was the eighth tour by a British Isles team and the fourth to South Africa. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950. As well as South Africa, the tour included a game in...
, and played in two of the test games.
Rugby career
Smyth first played for Ireland in 1908, in the Home Nations Championship1908 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....
against England at Richmond's Athletic Ground. Although Ireland lost the match 13-3 Smyth was back for the next game of the tournament against Scotland. With the match played at Landsdowne Road, the Irish beat the Scottish team in a game which was notable as the last game for Scotland's David Bedell-Sivright
David 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...
, the British Isle's captain of the 1904 campaign
1904 British Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand
The 1904 British Isles tour to New Zealand and Australia was the sixth tour by a British Isles team and the fourth to New Zealand and Australia...
to Australia and New Zealand. Smyth played out the 1909 and 1910 Championships and scored his first international try
Try
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...
in the 1910 game against France. Smyth's next and last score for his country was in a 3-0 win at Landsdowne road versus England, when the Harlequin centre Frank Stoop's poor clearing kick led to Smyth scoring the only points of the game when he took the ball over the line for a try.