Alfred "Bobby" Brice (21 September 1871 – 28 May 1938) was a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
international
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
forward who played club rugby for
Ogmore Vale, Aberavon and
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
. A three times
Triple Crown
Triple Crown may refer to:
Sports Horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)
** Triple Crown Trophy
** Triple Crown Productions
* Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Trip ...
winner, Brice was known for his tough and aggressive tackling play.
[Thomas (1979), pg 25.]
Brice was one of several 'Valley forwards' who was chosen to represent his country at the turn of the century. Although he began his international career with Aberavon, a club he would captain from 1901 to 1903;
he would later play for Cardiff.
Rugby career
Brice was first capped 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 ...
in a home game at
St Helens in
1899 against England; though it would be the final match of the tournament against Ireland in which Brice showed his worth to the Welsh squad. After
Billy Bancroft
William James Bancroft (2 March 1871 – 3 March 1959) was a Welsh international fullback, who played club rugby for Swansea, and a county cricketer for Glamorgan, for whom he was the first professional player in 1895.
Bancroft was seen as o ...
was injured after being thrown into the crowd, the Welsh were a man down to a highly motivated Irish team. Brice tackled well and covered the loose ball in a match that was disturbed by constant pitch invasions.
Although Wales lost by a solitary try it showed a strong defence that would serve Wales well as they entered their first 'Golden Era'. Brice played every match in the six consecutive Home Nations tournaments.
Although Brice was normally known for keeping his cool under pressure, in the 1904 match against Ireland he was reported for calling the referee, a 'thundering idiot',
though it is believed his actual language was worse than that on the report. The
WFU demanded that Brice apologise to Findaly, the referee, but Brice refused stating that he never used the language.
[Smith (1980), pg 122.] Brice was suspended from the game for eight months and never played for Wales again.
In 1909 he played two games for
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...
, against Headingley and Hartlepool Rovers on 1 and 2 January.
International matches played
Wales
[Smith (1980), pg 464.]
* 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904
* 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904
* 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904
Bibliography
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brice, Alfred
1871 births
1938 deaths
Aberavon RFC players
British police officers
Cardiff RFC players
English rugby union players
Glamorgan Police RFC players
People from Sedgemoor (district)
Rugby union forwards
Wales international rugby union players
Leicester Tigers players
Rugby union players from Somerset