Bill McKay (rugby player)

Last updated
Bill McKay
Birth name James William McKay
Date of birth(1921-07-12)12 July 1921
Place of birth Waterford, Ireland
Date of death 15 October 1997(1997-10-15) (aged 76)
Place of death Gisborne, New Zealand
School Coleraine Academy
University Queen's University Belfast
Occupation(s) Doctor
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
? Queen's University RFC ()
National team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1947-1952
1950		 Ireland
British Lions 		23
6		 (9)
(0)

James William McKay (12 July 1921 – 15 October 1997) was a rugby union player who played for Ireland, the British Lions and the Barbarians during the 1940s and 1950s.

Rugby union Team sport, code of rugby football

Rugby union, commonly known in most of the world simply as rugby, is a contact team sport which originated in England in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is between two teams of 15 players using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field with H-shaped goalposts at each end.

British and Irish Lions rugby union team

The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for any of the Home Nations – the national teams of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The Lions are a Test side, and generally select international players, but they can pick uncapped players available to any one of the four unions. The team currently tours every four years, with these rotating among Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The most recent series, the 2017 series against New Zealand, was drawn 1-1.

Contents

Early life

McKay served during the Second World War, including with the Chindits unit. [1] He studied at Coleraine Academy and then the Queen's University, Belfast and played rugby for Queen's University RFC. [2]

Chindits

The Chindits, known officially as the Long Range Penetration Groups, were special operations units of the British and Indian armies, which saw action in 1943–1944, during the Burma Campaign of World War II. The creation of British Army Brigadier Orde Charles Wingate, the Chindits were formed for raiding operations against the Imperial Japanese Army, especially long-range penetration: attacking Japanese troops, facilities and lines of communication, deep behind Japanese lines.

Queen's University Belfast Rugby Football Club is the rugby union team of Queen's University Belfast, currently playing in Division 2A of the All-Ireland League. Founded in 1869, it is the most successful and oldest continuous rugby union club in Northern Ireland. They originally played as Queen's College, Belfast and have won the Ulster Senior Cup a record 23 times.

Rugby career

McKay made his first appearance for Ireland opening match of the 1947 Five Nations Championship against France. He played in every one of Ireland's matches during the Championship, a feat which he repeated in Ireland's Grand Slam championship win in 1948 and their championship win and Triple Crown in 1949. He did likewise in 1950 and was selected for the British Lions team for their tour to New Zealand and Australia. McKay featured in all six Test matches during the tour, four against New Zealand and two against Australia. He also featured in nine other games during the tour against local opposition, scoring ten tries during the tour, the most of any forward. [3] He again featured in all four of Ireland's matches during the 1951 Five Nations Championship, which saw Ireland win their third championship in four years. His final game for Ireland came against France on January 1952. In total, McKay won 23 caps for Ireland. [4]

The 1947 Five Nations Championship was the eighteenth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-third series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between 1 January and 19 April. It was contested by England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

McKay twice played for Ulster against international opposition, against Australia in 1947 and South Africa in 1951. He also played three games for the Barbarians invitational team, against Cardiff RFC and Swansea RFC in 1948 and against East Midlands in 1951. [5]

Ulster Rugby rugby union team

Ulster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the Pro14 and the European Rugby Champions Cup.

Barbarian F.C. rugby union team

The Barbarian Football Club, usually called the Barbarians and nicknamed the Baa-Baas, is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain. The Barbarians play in black and white hoops, though players wear the socks from their own club strip. Membership is by invitation, and as of 2011, players from 31 countries had played for the Barbarians. Traditionally at least one uncapped player is selected for each match.

Cardiff RFC british rugby union football club based in Cardiff

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, shortly after which relocating to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since.

Following completion of his studies at Queen's University, Belfast, McKay qualified as a doctor and decided to emigrate to New Zealand. [6]

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References

  1. ↑ "Ireland team of '55 back on duty". The Guardian. 2003-03-30. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  2. ↑ "Queen's Lions Kings". Queen's University Belfast. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  3. ↑ "Player Archive: Bill McKay". British & Irish Lions. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  4. ↑ "Player: Bill McKay". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  5. ↑ "Player Archive J.W. McKay". Barbarian Football Club. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  6. ↑ "Lions Legend: Bill McKay". British & Irish Lions. 2010-04-11. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
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