David Phillips Jones

David Phillips Jones
Birth name	David Phillips Jones
Date of birth	10 December 1881
Place of birth	Pontymoile, Wales
Date of death	9 January 1936 (aged 54)
Place of death	Llantarnam, Wales
School	Usk Grammar School
Notable relative(s)	Jack Jones, brother; 'Tuan' Jones, brother
Occupation(s)	mining surveyor
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Wing
Amateur team(s)
Years	Team
?-1901; 1901; 1901-1912; ?; 1905; 1908	Pontymoile RFC; Newport RFC ; Pontypool RFC ; London Welsh ; Monmouthshire ; Newport RFC
International career
Years	Team
1907	Wales

Last updated May 06, 2024

David Phillips Jones more commonly known as 'Ponty' Jones (10 December 1881 – 9 January 1936)^[1] was a Welsh international rugby union wing player who played club rugby for several teams, most notably Pontypool and London Welsh. He won a single cap for Wales in 1907.

Rugby career

Jones was one of four rugby playing brothers; Jack and James were capped for Wales like David, while the youngest brother Edwin played for club team, Pontypool. As the brothers had the common surname of Jones, the brothers were separated by their nicknames. James was more often known as 'Tuan' and David as 'Ponty'.

Jones first played rugby for his home town of Pontymoile, before being selected for first-class rugby club, Newport. He played only 11 games for the Newport senior team before joining the newly reformed Pontypool club,^[4] making his debut for the club on 7 December 1901 in a match against Ebbw Vale RFC.^[3] Jones' career at Pontypool was extremely successful, becoming a leading scorer over several seasons including 172 tries over his entire career.^[3] Such was Jones' scoring record, that the left wing corner pointing to Conway Road at Pontypool's Recreation ground, was nicknamed 'Ponty's Corner'.^[3] In the 1904–05 season, Jones scored 49 tries, which included six in the same game against Talywain in April 1905; a club record that stood for 98 years.^[3]

Jones was made captain of Pontypool for three consecutive seasons, from 1904 to 1907; and in 1907 he was awarded his one and only international cap.^[2] During the first decade of the 20th century, Wales was going through its First Golden Age of Rugby, and the team was filled with talented back players, competition for international caps was fierce. In the 1907 Home Nations Championship, Wales had used both Teddy Morgan and Hopkin Maddock on the left wing, but when neither were available for the final Welsh encounter of the tournament, Jones was brought into the squad. The game was played on 9 March, with Welsh home advantage at the Cardiff Arms Park against Ireland. Jones came into a strong three-quarter, and was partnered opposite Johnnie Williams on the wing, with Pontypool team-mate John Hart Evans and Wales captain Rhys Gabe at centre. The Wales team were convincing winners, beating the Irish 29–0. All the points came from the backs with the three-quarters scoring five tries, three from Williams, one from Gabe, and Jones scored an international try on his debut. Despite such a promising start, Jones was replaced the next season by Reggie Gibbs and never represented Wales again.

Jones continued to represent Pontypool after his international career, and also played county rugby for Monmouthshire. In the 1908/09 season, he returned to Newport for a short period, scoring 5 tries in 14 appearances. During the 1911–12 season he broke his hip, which ended his rugby playing career.

International matches played

Wales^[5]

Ireland 1907

Bibliography

Jenkins, John M.; et al. (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Rugby Players. Wrexham: Bridge Books. ISBN 1-872424-10-4.
Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0766-3.

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References

↑ Ponty Jones player profile Scrum.com
1 2 Jenkins (1991), pg 86.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Ray Ruddick (2004). "John Phillips 'Jack' Jones". The Rugby Museum. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
↑ Newport RFC profile Archived 17 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine blackandambers.co.uk
↑ Smith (1980), pg 468.

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[1] Ponty Jones player profile Scrum.com

[Jenkins86-2] 1 2 Jenkins (1991), pg 86.

[Rugby_Museum-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ray Ruddick (2004). "John Phillips 'Jack' Jones". The Rugby Museum. Retrieved 23 October 2009.

[4] Newport RFC profile Archived 17 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine blackandambers.co.uk

[Smith466-5] Smith (1980), pg 468.

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