Arthur Boucher (29 June 1870 – 25 April 1948) 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 Newport. Boucher was an adaptable player, who although selected mainly as a forward, often played at centre. He was strong, quick for his position and passed well on the run. He was often noted for his kicking skills and kicked several drop goals each season even as a forward.Thomas (1979), pg 17. Boucher was one of the last great all-round Welsh players before positional specialisation was adopted. Boucher played for the invitational

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less c ...

and became their club secretary between 1894 and 1899. He is the maternal grandfather of

Dick King-Smith Ronald Gordon King-Smith OBE (27 March 1922 – 4 January 2011), was an English writer of children's books, primarily using the pen name Dick King-Smith. He is best known for ''The Sheep-Pig'' (1983). It was adapted as the movie ''Babe'' (1995 ...

Rugby career

Born in

Gobowen Gobowen is a village in Shropshire, England, about 3 miles north of Oswestry. The population according to the 2011 census was 3,270. History The village was previously called ''Bryn-y-Castell'' ("Hill of the Castle" in English) after the Norma ...

in England, Boucher moved to Wales while still young. He joined Newport during the 1889/90 season and in the following decade he captained them over three seasons. Boucher was part of Newport's invincible 1891/92 season alongside the legendary Arthur Gould, though Boucher actually played more games. Boucher was first selected to play for Wales on 2 January 1892 against England. He was brought in with fellow Newport forward Wallace Watts, and the two were selected to play in the same squad on ten occasions. The Welsh team were beaten soundly by England, and failed to win any of the games in that season's

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

. The next season Boucher played his role in winning Wales's very first

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, and by 1897 he had collected 13 caps, missing two games in between only due to injuries. In his final game for Wales against England, Boucher scored his first and only try for his country, and due to the Gould Affair Wales played no further games that season.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 463. * 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897 * 1892, 1893, 1895, 1896 * 1892, 1893, 1895

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boucher, Arthur 1870 births 1948 deaths Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players English rugby union players Rugby union forwards Newport RFC players Barbarian F.C. players Rugby union players from Shropshire