 Towers in Swansea shirt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | William Hunter Towers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Hartlepool, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Swansea, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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William Hunter Towers (1861 – 7 July 1904 [1] ) was an English-born rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea and county rugby for Durham. He was capped twice for Wales [2] and was part of the Welsh team that faced the first overseas tourists, the New Zealand Natives.
Towers originally played rugby for local club Hartlepool Rovers, and represented his county side, Durham. After moving to Wales, Towers switched to first-class Welsh team Swansea. It was while playing for Swansea that Towers was first selected to play for Wales in a game against Ireland as part of the 1887 Home Nations Championship. Towers was one of two new caps on the day, the other being Llanelli's John Goulstone Lewis. Under the captaincy of Tom Clapp, Wales beat the Irish team even though Ireland outscored Wales three tries to one; a peculiarity of the scoring system of the time.[ citation needed ]
In 1888 Towers, now captain of the Swansea senior team, gained his second and final international cap when he was chosen to face the touring New Zealand Natives. Although certain members of the Welsh team received a hostile reception from the St. Helen's crowd, [3] Wales played well; with Towers scoring a try which Jim Webb converted. The Welsh managed another two tries without reply, for a memorable win. Two days later, on Christmas Eve, Towers faced the same New Zealand side as he led out the Swansea team against the tourists. In heavy rain, Swansea lost the match with the press criticising the Swansea players for complacency. [4] During the same tour, Towers refereed the match between the New Zealand natives and Llanelli three days before the Welsh match, which Llanelli won thanks to a Harry Bowen dropped goal. [5]
Wales [6]
Jim Lang was a Welsh international rugby union number 8 who played club rugby for Llanelli and Swansea. Whilst with Llanelli he faced two touring Southern Hemisphere teams, the South Africans in 1931 and New Zealand in 1935.
Ernie Finch was a Welsh international rugby union wing and played club rugby for Llanelli and county rugby for the Western Counties. Finch is most notable as the player who scored an excellent solo try against the 1924 touring New Zealand 'Invincibles' in their match against Llanelli.
James Webb was an English-born international rugby union player who played club rugby for Newport and international rugby for Wales.
Edward Bishop was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Swansea and was capped once for Wales.
William Henry Thomas was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Llanelli and London Welsh. He was capped eleven times for Wales and captained the team on two occasions. In 1888, Thomas was chosen to tour New Zealand and Australia as part of the first British Isles team. This unofficial tour did not play any international opposition and no caps were awarded.
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.
David Percy Marmaduke Lloyd was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Llanelli. Lloyd played for Wales on four occasions during the 1890 and 1891 Home Nations Championships.
David 'Dai' Hiddlestone was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Neath. He was capped five times for Wales and was notable for leading an ill-advised response to the New Zealand Haka during the team's 1924 tour.
Alexander Frederick Bland was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff. Bland won nine caps for Wales over a period of four years.
Charles Suckling Arthur was an English-born international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Arthur was one of the Wales team to face the first Southern Hemisphere touring parties, the 1888 New Zealand Natives.
Griffith 'Giotto' Griffiths was a Welsh international rugby union half-back who played club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales.
George Thomas was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Newport and international rugby for Wales. He was also a professional sprinter and was an All-England Sprint Champion.
Tom Morgan was a Welsh international rugby union centre who played club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales. Morgan was a collier by profession.
Daniel Griffiths was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales. Morgan was a collier by profession.
Edward John Roberts was a Welsh international rugby union fullback who played club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales.
Hugh "Sawdust" Hughes was an international rugby union player who played club rugby for Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Although very little personal information is available for Hughes, he is notable for facing the touring New Zealand Māoris, the first touring Southern Hemisphere rugby team, when they lost to Cardiff in 1888.
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George Rosser Evans was an international rugby union half-back who played club rugby for Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Rosser is notable for facing the touring New Zealand Māoris, the first touring Southern Hempishere rugby team, when they lost to Cardiff in 1888.
David John Thomas was a Welsh international forward who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Club. He won ten caps for Wales and is most notable for scoring the only try in Swansea's win over South Africa in 1912.
John "Jack" Anderson Powell was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff and London Welsh. Powell played a single international game for Wales, in 1906, and faced the Original All Blacks as part of the Glamorgan county team in 1905 and the South African team as a member of the Cardiff team in 1907.
