Birth name | Thomas Marriott Barlow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | December 1864 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Pendleton, Lancashire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 27 January 1942 (Age 77) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Chester, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation(s) | solicitor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Thomas Marriott Barlow (December 1864 – 27 January 1942) was an English-born international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff Rugby Football Club and international rugby for Wales. An all round sportsman, Barlow also played cricket for Glamorgan and South Wales.
Born in Pendleton, Lancashire, Barlow moved to Wales where he joined local rugby club, Cardiff. In 1884, Barlow was chosen to represent Wales, in a game against Ireland, as part of the Home Nations Championship. Barlow found himself brought into the Welsh squad at full-back to replace Charles Lewis and was one of six new caps brought into the side after Wales had lost the opening two games of the Championship. The game was played at the Cardiff Arms Park, and the travelling Irish team turned up for the match two players short, with accounts at the time crediting Wales players Purdon and Jordan being drafted in to complete the team. Under the captaincy of Joe Simpson, Wales won the game by a dropped goal and two tries to nil. Although a rare victory for the Welsh team, Barlow lost his place the very next match when Wales rugby legend Arthur 'Monkey' Gould was given the full-back role.
Wales [2]
Barlow played cricket for South Wales from 1883 to 1895 and in 1894 was selected for Glamorgan County Cricket Club. He played in two county matches for Glamorgan, against Wiltshire and Worcestershire in 1896.
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 arguably the greatest national team of all time, prompting many experts in the game to suggest that had the Rugby World Cup existed during this period, Wales would be amongst the list of World Cup winners. As of November 2021, they are ranked 8th in the world.
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