Frank Matthew Mills (18 March 1873 – 18 February 1925) 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 ...

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 ...

forward who played club rugby for

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

and

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

and won 13 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 ...

. He is best remembered as being one of the Wales squad that won the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

for the first time in 1893.

Rugby career

Although Mills originally played for

Mountain Ash Mountain ash may refer to: * ''Eucalyptus regnans'', the tallest of all flowering plants, native to Australia * Mountain-ashes or rowans, varieties of trees and shrubs in the genus ''Sorbus'' See also * Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf Mountai ...

, he came to note as a rugby player when he represented first-class club Swansea, which he joined in 1892. His first season at Swansea also saw him selected for Wales, coming into the pack with fellow new caps,

Wallace Watts Wallace Howard Watts (25 March 1870 – 29 April 1950) was an English-born international rugby union player who played club rugby for Newport and international rugby for Wales. Watts was part of the 1893 Wales team which won the country's firs ...

and

Arthur Boucher Arthur Boucher (29 June 1870 – 25 April 1948) was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport. Boucher was an adaptable player, who although selected mainly as a forward, often played at centre. He was strong, ...

. Although Watts and Boucher were Newport players, Mills' international career would mirror theirs; playing 11 games with Boucher and 12 with Watts. His debut Wales campaign was a poor one for the country. Mills played in all three games of the

1892 Home Nations Championship The 1892 Home Nations Championship was the tenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 2 January and 5 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. England took the 1892 Champion ...

, and Wales lost all of them. Despite this, the selectors kept faith with the team and in particular the forwards, which paid dividends the next season when Wales, under the captaincy of Arthur 'Monkey' Gould won the Triple Crown for the first time in their history. Mills played in all three games, in a pack which was recognised for its weight, strength and scrummaging tactics. Mills was reselected for the

1894 Home Nations Championship The 1894 Home Nations Championship was the twelfth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 6 January and 17 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Table Results ...

, but a mixture of poor pitch conditions and Welsh in-fighting resulted in two loses and just a single win. At the end of the 1894 season, Mills is recorded playing at least one match for

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

, alongside Swansea team-mate

Billy Bancroft William James Bancroft (2 March 1871 – 3 March 1959) was a Welsh international fullback, who played club rugby for Swansea, and a county cricketer for Glamorgan, for whom he was the first professional player in 1895. Bancroft was seen as o ...

.GENUK Newspaper extracts
Western Mail 4 April 1894. The next season Mills had switched clubs from the Whites of Swansea to the Blues of Cardiff, but retained his position in the Welsh squad. By playing in all three games of the 1895 Championship Mills had represented Wales in 12 consecutive international games, and his final game for Wales was the opening match of the 1896 tournament, which saw England run seven tries passed the Welsh without reply. The Welsh selectors lost faith in the pack, bringing in five new caps for the next game. Mills was one of those players replaced and never represented Wales again.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 469. * 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896 * 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895 * 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895

Bibliography

* * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Frank Matthew 1873 births 1925 deaths Cardiff RFC players Welsh rugby union players British funeral directors Mountain Ash RFC players Glamorgan County RFC players Rugby union forwards Rugby union players from Mountain Ash, Wales Swansea RFC players Wales international rugby union players