Robert "Bobby" Lloyd ( – 18 January 1930), also known by the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

of "The Hafodyrynys Wonder", was a Welsh

rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league. Canadian football and, to a lesser extent, American football were once considered forms of rugby football, but are seldom now referred to as such. The ...

er who represented Wales in both

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 ...

and

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

. He played union for Welsh clubs

Pontypool Pontypool ( cy, Pont-y-pŵl ) is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales. It has a population of 28,970. Location It is situated on the Afon Lwyd ri ...

and Monmouthshire County as a scrum half back, gaining selection 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 ...

, before moving to England to play league for Halifax ( Heritage № 237), also in the halves, and gaining selection for

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and

Rugby union

Lloyd worked as a miner, and in 1912 was part of the Monmouthshire County team that faced the touring

South Africans The population of South Africa is about 58.8 million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religions. The South African National Census of 2022 was the most recent census held; the next will be in 2032. In 2011, Statistics Sout ...

. Lloyd played well and gave the Springbok halves, Freddie Luyt and

Uncle Dobbin Frederick James Dobbin (10 October 1879 – 5 February 1950)
Scrum.com universally known as Uncle Dobbin was a South A ...

a difficult match, though the tourists class shone through to win the game comfortably.Billot (1974), pg 76. A scrum-half, Lloyd was first capped for Wales in a winning game against Scotland on 1 February 1913. The game was played at Inverleith and both sides had a sparsity of international experience; though Wales were captained by the veteran

Billy Trew Billy Trew (1 July 1878 – 20 August 1926) was a Welsh international centre, outside half and wing who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Football Club. He won 29 caps for Wales and is seen as one of the key players of the first Golden Age of ...

. Lloyd played in the next six consecutive games in the 1913 and 1914

Five Nations Championship The Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) is an annual international men's rugby union competition between the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The current champions ar ...

s, which saw Wales finish second to England in both tournaments. Lloyd was a favourite at Pontypool and was one of the finest scrum-halves produced by the club. International matches for WalesSmith (1980), pg 468. * 1914 * 1913, 1914 *

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

1913, 1914 * 1913, 1914

Rugby league

Bobby Lloyd went north and in 1914 commenced playing for English

Northern Rugby Football Union Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

club; Halifax. He was selected to go on the

1920 Great Britain Lions tour The 1920 Great Britain Lions tour was the third British national rugby league team or 'Lions' tour of Australasia, where it was winter and matches were played against the Australian and New Zealand national sides, as well as several local teams. In ...

of Australia and New Zealand. Lloyd won a

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

for

while at Halifax in 1920 against Australia. Lloyd won a

for

while at Halifax in 1921. Bobby Lloyd played in Halifax's 0-13 defeat by

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...

in the 1920–21

Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...

Final during the 1920–21 season at

The Cliff A cliff is a vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliff, The Cliff or The Cliffs may also refer to: Buildings *Cliff Brewery, a former brewery near Ipswich, England *Cliff Palace, largest cliff dwelling in North America *The Cliffs, a histo ...

, Broughton on Saturday 30 April 1921, in front of a crowd of 25,000.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Great Britain Statistics at englandrl.co.uk (statistics currently missing due to not having appeared for both Great Britain, and England)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lloyd, Bobby 1880s births 1930 deaths Dual-code rugby internationals Great Britain national rugby league team players Halifax R.L.F.C. players Pontypool RFC players Monmouthshire County RFC players Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from Powys Rugby league utility players Rugby union players from Crickhowell Rugby union scrum-halves Wales international rugby union players Wales national rugby league team players Welsh miners Welsh rugby league players Welsh rugby union players