Eric Excell Ford (21 July 1904 – c. 1986) was a

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 ...

player who represented

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Ford, a

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

, was born in

Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () or () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, Launceston has a population of 87,645. Material was copied ...

and claimed a total of 7 international rugby caps for Australia. His brother Jack was also an Australian rugby union representative player. The elder brother of perhaps the more famous Jack Ford, Eric Ford was himself a star for both

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and Australia in his own right.

Family and early life

Eric Ford was the son of a publican father who died when Eric was only six years of age, when the family had to move to Sydney. He began his early football career playing

Australian Rules Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

but switched to rugby when he and his brothers Jack and Percy went to St. Joseph's College at Hunters Hill in Sydney. They all had the unique benefit of learning the game from the remarkable Brother Henry.

Rugby career

On leaving school, with his brothers, he joined the Glebe-Balmain Club and was a member of the club's 1925 Sydney Premiership winning team. He was first selected for New South Wales in 1926. Troubled by frequent knee problems throughout his career, he nevertheless played on without demur and in 1929 won the New South Wales Rugby Union Sprint Championship. Eric Ford was selected for the

1927–28 Waratahs tour of the British Isles, France and Canada Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

and appeared in all five internationals. Like brother Jack, he was an intuitive 'reader' of the game, coupled with a fine positional sense which allowed him to always be on hand to finish in fine style any break which had been made. He was good under the high ball and had splendid hands. He played his last two Tests in 1929 when the Australians won all three games against 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 ...

. Eric Ford, a modest man and quiet achiever, additionally played 68 first grade games for his club and featured in two premiership finals.

Recognition

Quiet and reserved, he was one of the great achievers in the famous 1927-28 Waratah tour to Great Britain, France and North America, with a total of 15 tries from 21 matches, equalled only by the great

Cyril Towers Cyril Towers (30 July 1906 – 9 June 1985) was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative centre who made 57 appearances for the Wallabies, played in 19 Test matches and captained the national side on three occasions ...

References

Published sources

* Howell, Max (2006) ''Born to Lead - Wallaby Test Captains (2005)'' Celebrity Books, New Zealand Australian rugby union players Australia international rugby union players 1904 births 1986 deaths People educated at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill Rugby union players from Tasmania Rugby union wings Sportspeople from Launceston, Tasmania {{Australia-rugbyunion-bio-stub