 Bowcott in New Zealand in 1930 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Henry Morgan Bowcott | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 30 April 1907 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cardiff, Wales [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 14 December 2004 (aged 97) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Wenvoe, Wales [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Cardiff High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | St Catharine's College, Cambridge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Henry Morgan Bowcott (30 April 1907 – 14 December 2004) was a Welsh international rugby union centre who played club rugby for Cardiff and London Welsh and later became president of the Welsh Rugby Union.
Bowcott was a product of the Welsh Secondary Schools Rugby Union system, playing competitive matches while still a schoolboy. Educated at Cardiff High School he was taught rugby by school's rugby coach Eric Evans. [3] Bowcott was part of the Wales Secondary Schools team that beat Yorkshire Schools 18–13 at Pontypridd in April 1926, playing alongside him in that young team were future Welsh internationals J.D. Bartlett and Guy Morgan. [4] He attended St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and while at university was awarded a Sporting Blue, playing on the winning team in the 1927 and 1928 Varsity matches. Bowcott would later play for Cardiff and then London Welsh when he moved to London to become a civil servant.
Bowcott later became a Welsh selector from 1963 to 1974, and in 1974 was made president of the Welsh Rugby Union. He died in 2004 in Wenvoe, Vale of Glamorgan at the age of 97.
Bowcott was first capped for Wales in 1929, while still at Cambridge, at Swansea against Scotland alongside fellow school friend Guy Morgan. The next year Bowcott was captain of Wales, and he would play for his country on eight occasions. He was also part of the famous 1933 Welsh team that finally beat England at Twickenham. Although it was Ronnie Boon who scored all the Welsh points, Bowcott's kicking during the second half of the match ensured that the English were unable to get back into the game. [5]
Bowcott was chosen to join the Lions on their tour of New Zealand and Australia in 1930, and played in 20 of the 27 matches, including all five test matches. He was partnered at centre with Carl Aarvold, a former light blue.
Wales [6]
Great Britain
Australia 1930
New Zealand 1930, 1930, 1930, 1930The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby.
Rugby union in Wales is considered a large part of Welsh national culture. Rugby union is thought to have reached Wales in the 1850s, with the national body, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) being formed in 1881. Wales are considered to be one of the most successful national sides in Rugby Union, having won the most Six Nations Championships after England, as well as having reached 3 World Cup semi finals in 1987, 2011 and 2019, having finished 3rd in the inaugural competition and having finished 4th in 2011 in a repeat of the first third place play-off. The Welsh team of the 1970s is considered to be one of the greatest national teams of all time. As of November 2021, they are ranked 8th in the world.
Maurice Joseph Lawson Turnbull was a Welsh cricketer who played in nine Test matches for the England cricket team between 1930 and 1936.
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. Davey was a hard tackling centre and his most famous performance took place on 21 December 1935 when he led Wales to a historic 13–12 victory over the All Blacks at Cardiff.
Edward Morgan was a Welsh international rugby union player. He was a member of the victorious Wales team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks in the famous Match of the Century and is remembered for scoring the game's winning try. He played club rugby for London Welsh and Swansea.
Archie Skym was an international rugby union player for Wales and played club rugby for Llanelli and Cardiff. Skym played as a prop and was renowned for his strength and vigour and was nicknamed The butcher. An excellent scrummager, he was known to be able to lift opponents in the front row. Skym had good hands and was able to dribble with some skill.
John Cuthbert Morley was a Welsh international rugby wing who played rugby union for Newport and rugby league with Wigan. He won 14 caps for Wales in union, and five caps for Wales in rugby league, and was the first player to tour Australia and New Zealand for both union, and league British teams.
Guy Morgan was a Welsh rugby union player who captained Wales in 1929. He also played cricket for Glamorgan County Cricket Club.
Tom Arthur was a Welsh international rugby union lock who played club rugby for Neath and was capped 18 times for Wales. A tough second row forward with a strong physique, Arthur was often criticised for being over-vigorous. Though his style of play was fairly typical for Welsh rugby at the time.
Ronald Winston Boon was an international rugby union wing for Wales who played club rugby for Cardiff. Boon possessed a tremendous self-confidence in his own ability and this was reflected in his nickname Cocky. Boon was a quick runner, representing Wales at the 220-yard sprint, and was an excellent drop kicker. He is best known in Welsh rugby as the man who scored all seven points in 1933 against England to end the 'Twickenham bogey', and along with Jack Morley is seen as one of the greatest Welsh wings since the country's first Golden Era of rugby.
Arthur Whitelock Lemon was a Welsh international number 8 who played club rugby for Neath and was capped 13 times for Wales, then later switched codes to play rugby league for St Helens when he found that he had been dropped from the Wales team.
Harry Peacock was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played rugby union for Newport. He won six caps for Wales and faced two international touring teams with Newport.
Frank L Williams was a Welsh international rugby union centre for Wales who played club rugby for Cardiff, Wakefield and Headingley. Williams was a solid defensive player, who not only tackled well but was also unafraid to cover a grounded ball and accepted the punishment meted out.
Bernard Turnbull was a Welsh international centre who played club rugby for Cardiff and was capped six times for Wales. Turnbull has been described as a dogged and unimaginative centre, but with the ability to finish off the work of others. Turnbull captained Wales on one occasion in 1927.
Daniel Brinley 'Bryn' Evans was a Welsh international rugby union scrum-half who played for Wales and Swansea.
Dai Parker was a Welsh international rugby union prop who played club rugby for Swansea. He won ten caps for Wales and was selected to play in the 1930 British Lions tour of New Zealand and Australia.
Thomas Ellis Jones-Davies was a Welsh physician and international rugby union centre.
William Llewellyn Morgan was a Welsh international rugby union halfback who played club rugby for Cardiff. Morgan played international rugby for Wales and in 1908 was selected to join Arthur Harding's Anglo-Welsh tour of New Zealand and Australia.
Melville "Mel" Aaron Rosser sometimes recorded as Melvin and Melvyn was a Welsh international rugby centre who played rugby union for Penarth and Cardiff and later turned to professional rugby league joining first Leeds, then Castleford, and then York. Rosser played international rugby for Wales under both union and league codes, and toured Australia with the Great Britain rugby league team in 1928.
Rugby union has a long history in Wales. Today it holds tier one status with the IRB. However, compared to Scotland, England, and Ireland, it was a latecomer on the international scene, and was not initially successful. Rugby union is the national sport of Wales, and is a great influence on Welsh culture.
