William Morris (29 October 1869 – 4 November 1946) 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 for club rugby for

Llanelli Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. ...

and international rugby 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 ...

. He was the uncle of Welsh boxer

Gipsy Daniels William "Gipsy" Daniels (9 February 1903 – June 1967), was a Welsh Light-heavyweight boxing champion of Britain who, in an eighteen-year career, took in 141 contests, including eight fights in New York City, and notably knocked out Max Schmeli ...

.Jenkins (1991), pg 116. He was the first of four players known as Bill Morris to represent Wales at rugby union.

Rugby career

Morris first played club rugby for local club

Felinfoel Felinfoel (pronounced ) is a small village and electoral ward on the River Lliedi on the northern border of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, West Wales, with a population of about 2,000. The Felinfoel Brewery, home of Double Dragon Ale, is the oldest ...

, before switching to first class Welsh club Llanelli. As a member of Llanelli, Morris was first capped for Wales as an international player, facing Scotland as part of the

1896 Home Nations Championship The 1896 Home Nations Championship was the fourteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 4 January and 14 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Table Results ...

. Morris came into a vastly changed pack to the one that faced England in the prior game, being one of five new forward caps. Included in the team were four Llanelli players; Morris,

Cliff Bowen Clifford Alfred Bowen (3 January 1875 – 30 April 1929) was a Wales, Welsh international rugby union wing who played for club rugby for Llanelli RFC, Llanelli and international rugby for Wales national rugby union team, Wales. He was also a ke ...

Charles Nicholl Charles "Boomer" Bowen Nicholl (19 June 1870 – 9 July 1939) was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cambridge University and Llanelli. Nicholl played for Wales on fifteen occasions during the 1891 and 1896 Ho ...

and Jack Evans. Played at the

Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British E ...

, Wales beat Scotland by two tries to nil. The selectors kept faith with the team for the last game of the Championship, with the majority of the players returning for the game against Ireland. The aggressive Welsh forward play that was successful against Scotland, failed when faced by Ireland's kick-and-rush tactics and the team lost 4–8 at

Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium ( ga, Bóthar Lansdún, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for ...

. Morris would win one final cap for Wales, in the opening game of the 1897 Championship against England. After being humiliated by England in 1896, the changed forward tactics employing several 'Rhondda Forwards', saw a different result with Wales winning 11–0. Among the pack with Morris, was teammate Evans, the two players beginning and ending their international careers together. Morris may have been chosen for the next game, but Wales were forced to withdraw from the tournament after the outcome of the Gould Affair, and when Wales were readmitted in 1898, Morris was no longer part of the Welsh team.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 465. * 1897 * 1896 * 1896

Bibliography

* * * *

Note

In 'Gone North – Volume 2', the 'Errata to (Gone North) Volume 1'Robert Gate (1986). "Gone North – Volume 1". R. E. Gate. section states that "Detailed research now indicates that Jere Blake and William Morris appear never to have signed for

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

or any other professional club although they do appear to have trialled for Northern Union clubs".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Bill 1869 births 1946 deaths Felinfoel RFC players Llanelli RFC players Rugby union players from Llanelli Rugby union forwards Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players