Charles Henry Pugh (7 March 1896 – 23 January 1951) was a Welsh 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 it ...

player who played rugby for three notable Welsh clubs,

Aberavon Aberavon ( cy, Aberafan) is a town and community in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The town derived its name from being near the mouth of the river Afan, which also gave its name to a medieval lordship. Today it is essentially a distr ...

Maesteg Maesteg is a town and community (Wales), community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English ...

and Neath. He was capped seven times for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and was part of the Welsh team that faced the touring 1924 New Zealand team.

Rugby career

Pugh was first selected to represent Wales in the opening match of the

1924 Five Nations Championship The 1924 Five Nations Championship was the tenth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the thirty-seve ...

. Played at home at St Helen's, Wales faced England, who had finished the previous season as home nations

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

winners. Under the captaincy of Joe Rees, Pugh was one of nine new Welsh caps in the team who would eventually lose 17-9 to England. Pugh was reselected for the next game of the tournament, away to Scotland, but this was an even worse result than the English game, with the Welsh team letting in eight tries. Six of the Wales team never played for the national team after this match, though the selectors kept faith in Pugh for the next match against Ireland. After Jack Whitfield's lone spell as captain in the Scotland game, the Welsh were now led by Rowe Harding, though the result remained the same. In a close game 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 ...

, Pugh scored his only international points when he scored one of two Welsh tries, though this was not enough to gain victory over the Irish team. In the final game of the tournament, Pugh found himself again selected, the only forward to have played in all four matches of the Championship.Smith (1980), pg 204. Towards the end of 1924, Pugh was part of the Welsh squad who faced

George Nēpia George Nēpia (25 April 1905 – 27 August 1986) was a New Zealand Māori rugby union and rugby league player. He is remembered as an exceptional full-back and one of the most famous Māori rugby players. He was inducted into the New Zealand Spor ...

's touring New Zealand team. Wales were beaten in a one-sided affair, though Pugh worked tirelessly under the pack leadership of Steve Morris.Billot (1972), pg 68. Pugh played two more games for Wales, both in the 1925 Championship, against England and Scotland. Wales lost both matches, leaving Pugh with only a single victory in a seven match international career.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 470. * 1924, 1925 * 1924 * 1924 * 1924, 1925 * 1924

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pugh, Charlie 1896 births 1951 deaths Aberavon RFC players Glamorgan Police RFC players Maesteg RFC players Neath RFC players category:Glamorgan Police officers People educated at Port Talbot County Boys' Grammar School Rugby union players from Pontypridd Rugby union locks Wales international rugby union players Welsh police officers Welsh rugby union players Glamorgan County RFC players