Tom Lawton Snr

Last updated

Tom Lawton
Tom Lawton, Snr thumbnail image.png
Birth nameTom Lawton
Date of birth(1899-01-16)16 January 1899
Place of birth Cungumbogan, Queensland, Australia
Date of death1 July 1978(1978-07-01) (aged 79)
Place of death Greenslopes, Queensland, Australia
School Brisbane Grammar School
University University of Queensland
Sydney University [1]
Oxford University
Rugby union career
Position(s) Stand-off half
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1919 Queensland University ()
Past Grammar ()
1920 Sydney University ()
1922 Oxford University RFC ()
1924 Leicester Tigers ()
Western Suburbs ()
1922–23 Valley Brisbane ()
Provincial / State sides
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1920–28 New South Wales 38 ()
1919–32 Queensland 13 ()
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1920–32 Australia 14 (60)

Tom Lawton Snr (16 January 1899 – 1 July 1978) was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative five-eighth who made 44 appearances for the Wallabies, played in 14 Test matches and captained the national side on ten occasions.

Contents

Schoolboy sports star

Born at Waterford, Queensland he entered Brisbane Grammar School in 1913 where he excelled at sport. He represented the school in the first XI for four years, was captain in 1916 & 1917, adjudged best fielder in 1915 & 1916 and topped the batting average in 1917. He rowed in the first VIII for three years, played tennis, won at athletics and was school swimming champion and school captain in 1917. He played in the school's rugby first XV for three years and was the best back in 1916 and 1917.

The Great War & university

In 1918 he was a gunner in France with the 12th Field Artillery Brigade of the AIF. After the war he commenced a science degree at the University of Queensland. He represented Queensland in rugby union in 1919 the final year before the sport massively lost its popularity to rugby league prompting the Queensland Rugby Union hiatus that lasted until 1929.

In 1920 he transferred to Sydney University to pursue his medical studies at St. Andrew's College. He played rugby at the Sydney University club. He won a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University in 1922 residing at New College. He played sixty games in 1922–23 for Oxford, Blackheath, New College and the Barbarians. In 1924 he became the first capped Australian to play for Leicester Tigers, he played one game for the club at home against Bristol. [2] He was selected to captain the Oxford side but was challenged for having played rugby league in his career. He represented Oxford in athletics, swimming and water polo.

Representative career

Tom Lawton in action against England at Twickenham, 7 Jan 1928 Waratahs v england 1928.jpg
Tom Lawton in action against England at Twickenham, 7 Jan 1928

His representative debut was in 1920 when selected for the New South Wales Waratahs to appear against the All Blacks. He scored a try and kicked three goals in his representative debut. With no Queensland Rugby Union competition in place at that time the New South Wales Waratahs were the top Australian representative rugby union side of the period and a number of Waratah matches of the 1920s played against full international opponents were in 1986 decreed by the Australian Rugby Union as Test matches.

After returning to Sydney from Oxford in 1925 he was immediately given the captaincy of New South Wales for the 1925 tour to New Zealand. He played as captain in nine of the eleven games and top scored with 49 points.

Lawton spent 1926 in the New South Wales, Southern Riverina district on business [3] and played Australian rules football [4] in the Deniliquin Football Association with the East End Football Club [5] that lost the grand final to the Colts Football Club. [6]

Lawton was selected for the 1927–28 Waratahs tour of the British Isles, France and Canada. He played in 27 matches of the tour exceeded only by Wylie Breckenbridge (29), and Alex Ross (29). He was the top point scorer (124 points) and played in all five Test matches of the tour.

In 1929 the All Blacks toured Australia, Lawton captained the first truly national Wallabies side fielded since 1914 which was the first national side in history to beat the All Blacks 3–0 in a series whitewash. When the British and Irish Lions toured Australia in 1930 he captained the Wallabies, Queensland and an invitational XV against them. His representative career ended in 1932 aged 33 years after he led Australia and Queensland against the touring All Blacks.

Rugby lineage

In 2007 Lawton was honoured in the third tranche of inductees into the Australian Rugby Union Hall of Fame. His grandsons Tom Jnr and Rob also both became Wallabies – Rob as a Prop forward made four test appearances from 1988 to 1989, Tom Jnr a Hooker earned 41 caps between 1983 and 1989. In 2007 he was honoured in the third set of inductees into the Australian Rugby Union Hall of Fame, and in 2013 he was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyril Towers</span> Rugby player

Cyril Towers was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative centre who made 57 appearances for the Wallabies, played in 19 Test matches and captained the national team on three occasions in 1937.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby Australia</span> Governing body for rugby union in Australia

Rugby Australia Ltd, previously named Australian Rugby Union Limited and Australian Rugby Football Union Limited, is an Australian company operating the premier rugby union competition in Australia and teams. It has its origins in 1949. It is a member of World Rugby. Rugby Australia has eight member unions, representing each state and the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory. It also manages national representative rugby union teams, including the Wallabies and the Wallaroos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berrick Barnes</span> Australia international rugby union & league footballer

Berrick Steven Barnes is a former Australian professional rugby union footballer. His usual position is fly-half or inside centre. He is previously played with Japanese Top League clubs Panasonic Wild Knights and the Ricoh Black Rams, as well as in the Super Rugby competition with the NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds. He also played for the Wallabies in international matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union in Australia</span>

Rugby union in Australia has a history of organised competition dating back to the late 1860s. Although traditionally most popular in Australia's rugby football strongholds of New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT, it is played throughout the nation.

John Edward Thornett, MBE was an Australian rugby union player, who played 37 Tests for Australia between 1955 and 1967 and made an additional 77 representative match appearances. He captained Australia in 16 Test matches and on an additional 47 tour matches on the eight international rugby tours he made with Wallaby squads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Elsom</span> Australia international rugby union player

Rocky Elsom is an Australian former rugby union player. He played the positions of flanker and number eight. He was selected for 75 caps for Australia and scored 75 points. He is the most capped Australian blindside flanker. Elsom was the 76th Australian test captain, having replaced Stirling Mortlock in 2009 for two years. He played for the Wallabies from 2005 until 2011. Elsom played professionally for New South Wales, Brumbies and Leinster.

Between July 1927 and March 1928 the New South Wales Waratahs, the top Australian representative rugby union side of the time, conducted a world tour encompassing Ceylon, Britain, France and Canada on which they played five Tests and twenty-six minor tour matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnnie Wallace</span> Rugby player

Arthur Cooper "Johnnie" Wallace was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative three-quarter who captained the Waratahs on 25 occasions in the 1920s as well as representing Scotland early in his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syd Malcolm</span> Rugby player

Syd Malcolm (1902–1987) was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative half-back who captained the Wallabies' on seventeen occasions between 1928 and 1933.

Charlie Fox was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative second-rower who made 36 appearances for the Wallabies, playing in 17 Test matches and captained the national side on seven occasions in 1925.

Rugby union was first introduced into Lebanon both by the mandated French forces, and subsequently by the Lebanese returning from the diaspora. Introduced into other parts of the Middle East, by the British military in the mid 20th Century, rugby has begun to develop across the Arabian peninsula.

Alexander William Ross was an Australian state and national representative rugby union player who captained the Wallabies in thirteen Test matches in 1933-34.

Arthur Stanley Billingsgate "Alfred" Walker was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative scrum-half. His representative career lasted from 1912 to 1924 and he captained the national side on fifteen occasions including eleven Test matches between 1922 and 1924. Later he was a NSW state selector and representative team manager.

William Beverley James Sheehan was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative fly-half in the 1920s. Eighteen of his New South Wales state appearances have since been decreed as Test matches by the Australian Rugby Union and Sheehan, who led the side in three such matches in 1923, was therefore a captain of the Australian national team.

Darby Briton Loudon was a New Zealand born rugby union player, a flanker who made sixteen representative appearances for the New South Wales state team in the 1920s. Four of these matches have since been decreed as Test matches by the Australian Rugby Union and Loudon, who led the side in one such match in 1922, was therefore a captain of the Australian national team.

Edward Joseph "Ted" Thorn was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative flanker who made 36 appearances for the Waratahs. He played in fifteen Test matches and was captaining the national side on thirteen occasions between 1924 and 1926.

John Noel Brian Hipwell was an Australian national representative rugby union player who played and captained the Wallabies. He played the majority of his career at scrum half and his representative career spanned 14 seasons from 1968 to 1981.

The 1912 Australia rugby union tour of Canada and the United States was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the Australia national rugby union team against various invitational teams from Canada and the U.S, and also against the US national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Lenehan</span> Australian rugby union player (1938–2022)

James Kenneth Michael Lenehan was an Australian rugby union footballer. A state and national representative versatile back, he played twenty-four Test matches for Australia, once as captain. His national representative career spanned a ten-year period during which time he made two grand Wallaby tours to the northern hemisphere and Home Nations and numerous appearances against New Zealand and South Africa.

Robert Briton Loudon was a New Zealand born rugby union player, a flanker who made twenty-three representative appearances for the New South Wales state team in the 1920s. Seven of these matches have since been decreed as Test matches by the Australian Rugby Union and Loudon, who led the side in one such match in 1928, was therefore a captain of the Australian national team. After rugby union restarted in Queensland in 1929, and national selections were made from the two states Loudon played in six further full Australian Wallaby Test sides. In addition to his thirteen Test matches he made a further twenty-one tour match appearances for representative Australian sides on three international tours between 1923 and 1933.

References

Sources

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "St Andrew's College Wallabies". Planet Rugby. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  2. ↑ Farmer, Stuart; Hands, David (2014). Tigers – Official history of Leicester Football Club. The Rugby Development Foundation. p. 451. ISBN   978-0-9930213-0-5.
  3. ↑ "1926 – Lawton on business in the Riverina, NSW". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. 16 April 1926. p. 8. Retrieved 16 June 2020– via Trove Newspapers.
  4. ↑ "1926 – Rugby Union – Lawton Available". Evening News. Sydney. 14 June 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 16 June 2020– via Trove Newspapers.
  5. ↑ "1927 – Played for East End – Star of the Waratahs". The Independent. Deniliquin, NSW. 25 November 1927. p. 3. Retrieved 16 June 2020– via Trove Newspapers.
  6. ↑ "1926 – Deniliquin FA – Grand Final match review". The Independent. Deniliquin, NSW. 3 September 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 16 June 2020– via Trove Newspapers.
  7. ↑ "Legends inducted into IRB Hall of Fame" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 18 November 2013. Archived from the original on 22 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
Preceded by Australian national rugby union captain
1925–30		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.