Albert Jenkins (11 March 1895 – 7 October 1953) was an international rugby player for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and played club rugby for Llanelli RFC between 1919 and 1928. Jenkins was one of the greatest backs to have played for Llanelli and is compared to later Scarlet heroes Lewis Jones and Phil Bennett.Thomas (1979), p. 60. Jenkins was a strong tackler and was an extremely fast runner from a standing start. He was also an excellent kicker with either foot and could punt the ball half the length of the pitch. He was sometimes criticised for his decision making on the field, and wasn't at his best away from Stradey Park. In the book ''Stradey Stories'', author comments, "such was his drawing power that if by some quirk of fate, Albert could not take to the field because of injury or work commitment (he was a steelworker), the fans would leave the stadium in droves and not bother to watch the ensuing match." Jenkins is seen as one of Llanelli's greatest players but he was at his peak when Welsh rugby was at one of its worst points in its history.

Club career

Jenkins played for Llanelli juniors but on the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Jenkins joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and served in France in the 38th Welsh Regiment. The 38th Welsh Regiment fought at the Somme, Ypres and Epehy, three most gruelling, gruesome and vicious battles. He served his country with distinction in one of the most horrific and bloody conflicts in history. On his return in 1919, Jenkins rejoined Llanelli and gained a position in the senior team. He would later play for Llanelli against the New Zealand

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

, losing in 1924, but beating them 3–0 in 1926.

International career

Jenkins played fourteen matches for Wales, his first cap was against England on 14 January 1920 just four months after his Llanelli debut. His greatest international was the game against Ireland in 1920 when Jenkins set up three tries for club mate

Bryn Williams Bryn Dwyfor Williams (born 6 June 1977) is a chef originally from Denbigh, Wales. He is the head chef and sole proprietor of Odette's Restaurant, Primrose Hill, London. He shot to fame as merely a sous chef in 2006 by beating established an ...

, scored a try himself, kicked two of the resulting conversions and was successful with a

drop goal A drop goal, field goal, or dropped goal is a method of scoring points in rugby union and rugby league and also, rarely, in American football and Canadian football. A drop goal is scored by drop kicking the ball (dropping the ball and then kicki ...

attempt. In the 1921 game against Scotland, Jenkins played with incredible commitment, but on occasions it appeared he was playing the Scots on his own due to the poor performance of the rest of the Welsh team. Jenkins would go on to captain Wales twice, his first against Ireland in 1923, losing both games. In 1950 a tribute match was held in his honour at Stradey Park. Jenkins died on 7 October 1953 and was buried at Box cemetery, Llanelli. Norman Lewis of Llanelli wrote "Jenkins seemed to youthful eyes a mystical figure imbued with powers the rest could only dream about"

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), p. 467. * 1920, 1923 * 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923 * 1920, 1923, 1928 * 1920, 1921, 1923, 1928 * 1924

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Albert 1895 births 1953 deaths British Army personnel of World War I Llanelli RFC players Rugby union centres Rugby union players from Llanelli Wales international rugby union players Wales rugby union captains Welch Regiment soldiers Welsh rugby union players