Richard Hughes Jones (27 November 1879 – 24 November 1958) 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

fly-half In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...

who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Club. He won 15 caps 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 ...

and played county rugby for

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

Rugby career

Jones, along with

Dicky Owen Dicky Owen (17 November 1876 - 27 February 1932) was a Welsh international scrum-half who played club rugby for Swansea RFCSmith (1979), pg 132. Owen is seen as one of the greatest Welsh scrum-halves and won 35 caps for Wales between 1901 and ...

, created one of the most devastating half-back pairings to play for Swansea. Known as the 'Dancing Dicks',Smith (1980), pg 133. Jones and Owen replaced the James brothers for Swansea, and would later bring their partnership to the Welsh team. The Welsh selectors tended to choose club pairings at half back, and when Newport's

Lou Phillips Louis Augustus Phillips (24 February 1878 – 14 March 1916) was a Welsh rugby player, who played half-back for Newport RFC, and won four caps for . He was also a talented amateur golfer. Born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Phillips was educate ...

was injured in a match against Scotland, he and his partner

Llewellyn Lloyd George Llewellyn Lloyd (1877 – 1 August 1957) was a Welsh international half-back who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby with Kent. He won 12 caps for Wales and captained the team on one occasion against Scotland. Rugby career L ...

were gradually replaced by Jones and Owen.Smith (1980), pg 131–132. The partnership would last for 15 games, a Welsh record for half-backs that was unbeaten until

Barry John Barry John (born 6 January 1945) is a former Welsh rugby union fly-half who played, during the amateur era of the sport, in the 1960s, and early 1970s. John began his rugby career as a schoolboy playing for his local team Cefneithin RFC befor ...

and

Gareth Edwards Sir Gareth Owen Edwards CBE (born 12 July 1947) is a Welsh former rugby union player who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey". In 2003, in a poll of international ru ...

in 1971.Thomas (1979) pg.32. Jones played for Swansea for 12 seasons and was a member of the 'All White' team that beat the touring

Australians Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. For most Australians, several (or all) ...

in 1908. Jones made his debut against Ireland in 1901. Although dropped for a time between 1902 and 1904, he reestablished himself with some excellent kicking and running against Scotland. Unfortunately for Jones he broke his instep in a club game in 1905 and did not play rugby again until late 1907. His return in 1908 was against France in a

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 ...

decider, Jones scored the winning try to lift the trophy for Wales. Jones scored two other tries in his international career, against Scotland in 1904 and England in 1905. Jones should have also scored against Ireland, which would have given him a try against all the tournament teams, but had a try disallowed in the 1903/04 season in Belfast through poor refereeing.Parry-Jones (1999) p 113. In 1911 Owen and Jones were dropped after a terrible Welsh display against England, in which Jones was constantly harried throughout the game by England's wing-forward, 'Cherry' Pillman.Smith (1980), pg 197. Wales only lost the match 11–6, mainly due to a first minute error by

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge ...

's Benjamin "Ben" Gronow that allowed England to score, but Wales could not get back into the game. The fact that this was the first time a Welsh team had lost to England since 1898 gave the selectors a big enough reason to change personnel for the next few matches. Although Owen would be selected again, Jones suffered a serious accident that ended his playing career.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 468. * 1908 * 1902, 1904, 1905, 1909, 1910 * 1905, 1908, 1909, 1910 * 1901, 1904, 1908, 1909 * 1904, 1909

Personal history

Jones is the great-grandfather of New Zealand comedian

Dai Henwood Dafydd Morgan "Dai" Henwood (born 7 February 1978) is a New Zealand comedian. He is best known for his hosting of several television shows found on Three but also performs stand-up comedy. Life and career Henwood was born in 1978 to father R ...

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Dick 1879 births 1958 deaths Welsh rugby union players Wales international rugby union players Rugby union fly-halves Swansea RFC players Glamorgan County RFC players