Claude Davey (14 December 1908 – 18 February 2001) was a

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 ...

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 club rugby for several teams, most notably Sale and

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of 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 C ...

. He was awarded 23 caps for Wales and captained his country eight times. Davey was a hard tackling centre and his most famous performance took place on 21 December 1935 when he led Wales to a historic 13–12 victory over the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...

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Early career

Davey was one of the outstanding Welsh players of his generation, known for his impressive crash-tackling and strong running ability.Thomas (1979), pg 81. He was often criticised for poor handling, but Davey tended to run onto the ball at speed requiring not only good timing but good passing from his teammates. When it failed it was classed as 'bad hands' but when it worked Davey would make distinct attacking headway. This style of play was described in 1930 by the ''Llanelly Mercury'' as 'he can do nothing except emulate a battering ram, and too often he forgets to take the ball with him'.Smith (1980), pg 255. Davey first came to notice while playing for the Wales Secondary Schools, before gaining a place for a Wales University XV, while he was studying electrical engineering at Swansea University. His first club team, was 'the Mond'Cwmgors RFC - A History
a colliery team that would later become

Cwmgors Cwmgors is a village in the county of Glamorgan, and administered as part of the unitary authority borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It is part of the community of Gwaun-cae-Gurwen and lies within the ceremonial county of West Glamorgan. Cw ...

, moving to Swansea in 1928. His first game for Swansea came in December of the same year against

Skewen Skewen ( cy, Sgiwen) is a village within the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, in Wales. The village is served by Skewen railway station and has its own rugby club. History Skewen was once an industrial village. There were a number of colli ...

International rugby

Davey was called up for Wales at the end of the 1929/30 season in the final game of the tournament against France. In an extremely rough match Davey made a very good impression. He was called upon again the next season, though at this time he was playing for Sale. Davey made a name for himself in the 1931 game against Ireland in Belfast. Ireland only need to beat Wales to win the Triple Crown, but Davey and

Jack Bassett Jack Bassett (11 July 1905 – 19 February 1989) was a Welsh international rugby union full back who played club rugby for Penarth. He won 15 caps for Wales and was selected for the 1930 British Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand. He ...

tackled with such brutal aggression that the opposite centre retired with concussion and his replacement was later knocked unconscious. Davey not only subdued the Irish on their own soil but also scored a try himself and put his wing in for two more.Thomas (1979), pg 82. He first captained Wales against Scotland in 1934, and would captain his nation a further seven times.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 464. * 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938 * 1930, 1931 * 1931, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938 * 1935 * 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 * 1931

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davey, Claude 1908 births 2001 deaths Barbarian F.C. players London Welsh RFC players Rugby union centres Rugby union players from Garnant Sale Sharks players Swansea RFC players Wales international rugby union players Wales rugby union captains Welsh rugby union players