James Watts (March 1878 – 2 February 1933) 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 ...

player 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. ...

. He won eleven 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 was part of the first

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 ...

winning side in 1908.

Rugby career

Watts, a steelworker by profession, played the majority of his rugby career for first-class Welsh team Llanelli and in the 1903–04 season was given the captaincy of the first team. Despite this accolade, Watts was not selected for the Wales national team until the

1907 Home Nations Championship The 1907 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-fifth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 12 January and 16 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Although not official ...

. His first international was against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, played at home at St. Helen's, and the match ended in a Welsh win. Watts was reselected for the remaining two games of the Championship, an away loss to

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, and a crushing home win over

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 ...

. Watts had joined the Wales team during their first 'Golden Age', and the loss to Scotland would be the only international defeat of his 11-match career. Watts was back in the Wales team for the

1908 Home Nations Championship The 1908 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-sixth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 18 January and 21 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Although not officia ...

, and played in all three matches of the series and the very first international encounter between Wales and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

played in preparation for France joining the competition in 1910. Wales won all three Championship games, winning the tournament and taking 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 ...

; and in beating France at the

Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British E ...

the team also took the first Grand Slam title. At the start of the 1908/09 season, the very first touring Australian team arrived in Britain. Llanelli were the seventh British team to face the tourist, who to that point were unbeaten. Under the captaincy of Tom Evans, Watts was part of the Llanelli team that faced the

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) ...

Stradey Park Stradey Park (Welsh: ''Parc y Strade'') was a rugby union stadium located near the centre of the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was the home of the Scarlets region and Llanelli RFC rugby teams. The stadium was a combination of s ...

; Llanelli winning a memorable match 8–3. Two months later Watts was part of the Wales team to face the same touring Australians, Wales winning thanks to a second-half penalty kick from

Bert Winfield Herbert Benjamin Winfield (5 May 1878 – 21 September 1919) was an English rugby union player who played international rugby for Wales national rugby union team, Wales. He was a member of the victorious Welsh team who beat the 1905 touring All B ...

. Watts' final international campaign was the

1909 Home Nations Championship The 1909 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-seventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 16 January and 20 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Although not offici ...

, which began with narrow wins over England and Scotland. The third game was the last 'unofficial' encounter with the French team, which saw Wales score eleven tries. ten of the tries came from the three-quarters positions, with Watts scoring the other try, his first international points. Watts final match for his country was the Championship decider against Ireland. An 18-5 win, and his second international try, gave Wales a second Grand Slam win and made Watts a double Triple Crown winner.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), p. 473. * 1908, * 1907, 1908 * 1908, 1909 * 1907, 1908, 1909 * 1907, 1908, 1909

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, James 1878 births 1933 deaths Llanelli RFC players Rugby union forwards Rugby union players from Carmarthen Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players