Griffith 'Giotto' Griffiths (15 September 1864 – 22 July 1938) 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
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 ...
half-back who played club rugby for
Llanelli
Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. ...
and international rugby 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 ...
.
Rugby career
Griffiths came to note as a rugby player when playing for club team Llanelli. In 1888 Griffiths was part of the Llanelli squad who faced the first touring Southern Hemisphere rugby team, the New Zealand Natives. Griffiths was constant in rushes against the Maoris,Billot (1972), pg 18. and the game was decided by a single long range dropped goal from Llanelli's Harry Bowen. Griffiths was later selected for the Welsh national team, partnered with Newport'sCharlie Thomas, in a match against Ireland as part of the
1889 Home Nations Championship
The 1889 Home Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Three matches were played between 2 February and 2 March. It was contested by Ireland, Scotland and Wales. England were excluded from the Ch ...
. The Welsh team on that day included four Llanelli players, Griffith's team-mates being Tom Morgan, Dan Griffiths and
Ned Roberts
Edward John "Ned" Roberts (1867 – 14 June 1940) Scrum.com was a
, all four playing their final international match. The game was played at St. Helen's and the Wales team was captained for the first time by rugby superstar Arthur 'Monkey' Gould. Wales lost the game by two tries to nil and in the next game Griffiths was replaced by
William Stadden
William James Wood "Buller" Stadden (1861 –30 December 1906) was a Welsh international rugby union half back who played club rugby for Canton, Cardiff and Dewsbury. Stadden won eight caps for Wales over a period of seven years and is mo ...
, and never represented his country again.
International matches played
Wales (rugby union)Smith (1980), pg 466.
*
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...