David "Dai" Evans (1872 – 29 January 1912) 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 ...

forward who played club rugby for

Penygraig Penygraig is a village and community in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. As a community Penygraig contains the neighbouring districts of Dinas, Edmondstown, Penrhiwfer and Williamstown. Penygraig is within ...

and international rugby 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 ...

. Evans was born in

Maenclochog Maenclochog () is a village, parish and community in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales. It is also the name of an electoral ward comprising a wider area of four surrounding communities. Maenclochog Community includes the small settlement of Ll ...

, Pembrokeshire, but came to the

Rhondda Valley Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( cy, Cwm Rhondda ), is a former coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fawr valley ...

to find work.Parry-Jones (1999), pg 36. A policeman by profession,Smith (1980), pg 92. Evans was one of the first 'Rhondda forwards', an aggressive style of forward player who was expected to play a more physical style game.

Rugby career

Evans first came to note as a rugby player when he was selected to face 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 ...

. Originally a collier,Smith (1980), pg 92. Evans became a police officer in 1892 and his size and strength typified the style of forward player the Welsh selectors turned to in the late 19th century.Westcott (1992) p.26 The previous game, the Championship opener against England, saw the first 'Rhondda forward' when Sam Ramsey of

Treorchy Treorchy ( cy, Treorci; ) is a town and community (and electoral ward) in Wales. Once a mining town, it retains such characteristics. Situated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in the Rhondda Fawr valley. Treorchy is also one of the 16 ...

was selected. Evans played club rugby for neighbouring team Penygraig, and was the first international cap for the club. Evans was one of five new caps to be brought into the pack for the 1896 game against Scotland, after Wales had suffered a heavy defeat away to England. Wales beat Scotland 6-0, and Evans was reselected to face Ireland for the last game of the tournament. Played 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 ...

, the new Welsh forward play was no match for the Irish kick-and-rush tactics which saw Ireland win 4-8. Despite the defeat, Evans was back for the only match of the 1897 Championship, in a tournament disrupted by Wales leaving the

International Rugby Board World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international ru ...

due to The Gould Affair. The one game Wales played was against England, and Evans played in a pack with Rhondda players

Dick Hellings Richard Hellings (1 December 1874 – 9 February 1938) was an English-born Welsh rugby union forward who played international rugby for Wales and club rugby for Llwynypia. Hellings was noted for his strength built from years cutting coal as a ...

and

Jack Rhapps John "Jack" Rhapps (15 July 1876 – 23 January 1950) was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Penygraig, and international rugby for Wales. Rhapps later "Went North", when he turned professional, joining rugby l ...

. The game ended with the largest win for Wales over England. When Wales were accepted back into the International Rugby Board in 1898, Evans found his place in the Welsh team taken by Joseph Booth; but he was reinstated for his last appearance in the final match of the tournament against England. Evans' reintroduction by the selectors was seen by the English press as an attempt to intimidate the England team.Parry-Jones (1999), pg 47. Whether this was intentional or not, the result ended in an English victory, and the end of Evans' international career, being replaced by Jere Blake the next season. He died in 1912, at the age of 39 from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

.Jenkins (1991), pg 51.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 465. * 1897, 1898 * 1896 * 1896

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Dai 1872 births 1912 deaths 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Cardiff RFC players Glamorgan Police RFC players Penygraig RFC players Rugby union forwards Rugby union players from Pembrokeshire Tuberculosis deaths in Wales Wales international rugby union players Welsh miners Welsh police officers Glamorgan Police officers Welsh rugby union players