Barry John was a Welsh rugby union fly-half who played in the 1960s and early 1970s during the amateur era of the sport. John began his rugby career as a schoolboy playing for his local team Cefneithin RFC before switching to the first-class west Wales team Llanelli RFC in 1964. Whilst at Llanelli, John was selected for the Wales national team—as a replacement for David Watkins—to face a touring Australian team.
Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players playing seven-minute halves, instead of the usual 15 players playing 40-minute halves. Rugby sevens is administered by World Rugby, the body responsible for rugby union worldwide. The game is popular at all levels, with amateur and club tournaments generally held in the summer months. Sevens is one of the most well distributed forms of rugby, and is popular in parts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and especially in the South Pacific.
The Barbarian Football Club, known as the Barbarians, is a British-based invitational rugby union club. The Barbarians play in black and white hoops, though players wear socks from their own club strip. Membership is by invitation. As of 2011, players from 31 countries had played for them. Traditionally at least one uncapped player is selected for each match.
William Pollock McLaren was a Scottish rugby union commentator, teacher, journalist and one time rugby player. Known as "the voice of rugby", he retired from commentating in 2002. Renowned throughout the sport, his enthusiasm and memorable turn of phrase endeared him to many.
Nick Mullins is a British journalist and sports commentator, primarily working on BT Sport's Premiership Rugby coverage and BBC One's Wimbledon coverage.
William Purdon Geen was a rugby union wing and centre, who represented Wales, and played club rugby for Oxford University and Newport and county rugby for Monmouthshire. He was also invited to play for the Barbarians on several occasions. Geen unsuccessfully trialled for England in 1910, but was selected and played for Wales on three occasions in the 1912–1913 season. Injury prevented him from playing more internationals, and his service in the First World War put an end to his career.
Sydney Pyman Bell was an English rugby union halfback and solicitor. Bell played club rugby for Cambridge University and Northern and played international rugby for the British Isles XV in their 1896 tour of South Africa.
Arthur Rotherham was an English rugby union scrum-half who was a member of the first official British Isles tour and was later capped for the England team.
The Rt Revd Walter Julius Carey was an English Anglican clergyman and author who served as Bishop of Bloemfontein in South Africa from 1921 to 1935. Carey was a rugby union forward who played club rugby for Oxford University and Blackheath and played international rugby for the British Isles XV in their 1896 tour of South Africa.
Herbert Waddell was a Scottish rugby union fly-half who played club rugby for Glasgow Academicals and international rugby for Scotland and the British Isles. Waddell was heavily involved with the invitational tourist team, the Barbarians, not only playing for the club, but also became the fifth president of the club in 1973
Howard Marshall OBE was an English rugby union half-back who played club rugby for Blackheath and Richmond and was a member of the first official British Isles tour in 1891. Marshall played just one game for England, scoring a hat-trick of tries on his debut.
Denys Douglas Dobson was an English international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Oxford University and Newton Abbot. Dobson played international rugby for England and the British Isles team on its 1904 tour of Australia. Dobson was the first player from a British touring rugby team to be dismissed from the playing field, when he was sent off in a match against the Northern District in Newcastle, New South Wales.
Clement Pearson Simpson OBE was an English rugby union forward who was a member of the British Isles XV that toured South Africa in 1891.
John Stanley Francomb (1873–1915) was an English international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Manchester and Sale. Francomb played international rugby for the British Isles on their 1899 tour of Australia.
Percival Coles was an English sportsman and sporting administrator. Although Coles did not play any sport at an international level, in rugby union he was one of the founding members of the Barbarians Football Club and later became Secretary of the Rugby Football Union. As a cricketer he played for Oxford University and Sussex.
William Thomas Charles Cave was an English international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cambridge and Blackheath. Cave played international rugby for both the British Isles and England, and was also selected for invitational team the Barbarians.
Lt. Colonel Gilbert Faraday Collett DSO was an English sportsman who was an international rugby union wing and first-class cricketer for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. As a rugby footballer he represented Cambridge University and Cheltenham at club level. Collett also played international rugby for the British Isles during the 1903 tour of South Africa but was never selected for the England national team.
Albert Ernest Elliott was an English rugby union player who played club rugby for Cambridge University and St. Thomas' Hospital. Elliott gained his only international cap when he was selected for England in 1894. He is also notable for being one of the few international rugby players to die serving during the Boer War.
William Eldon Tucker was a Bermudian rugby union player who played club rugby for Cambridge University, St. George's Hospital and Blackheath. Tucker gained his first of five international caps when he was selected for England in 1894. He returned to Bermuda after qualifying as a medical doctor.
James Idwal Robling was a Welsh sports commentator, who worked for the BBC in Wales for almost 40 years.
