Joseph Jehoida Hodges
Newport Gwent Dragons player profiles
(15 July 1876 – 13 September 1930) 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. He was a member of the winning Welsh team who beat the 1905 touring 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 ...
in the famous '' Match of the Century''. He played club rugby for London Welsh
London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons, ...
and Newport RFC
Newport Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Casnewydd) is a Welsh rugby union club based in the city of Newport, South Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Premier Division. Until 2021 Newport RFC were based at Rodney Parade situated on t ...
.
Hodges, along with fellow Welsh internationals George Boots
John George Boots (1874–1928) was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby with Monmouthshire. He won 16 caps for Wales.
Boots was seen as a consistent player with a superb positional sense ...
, and later George Travers is recognised with adopting forward formation play in scrums and line outs. Although forwards were responsible for these areas of play, there was little defined tactics or specialisation before the early twentieth century. Hodges helped bring tactical formations and therefore a level of specialisation to forward play. He was described as a hard working and an excellent all-round player who could fill in at most positions,[Smith (1980), pg 115.] even on the wing.[Parry-Jones (1999), pg 102.]
International career
Wales
Hodges made his debut 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 ...
against England in 1899, after only his second season playing for Newport. Hodges played in three 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 ...
winning campaigns, provided forward resistance[Smith (1980), pg 152.] against the famous 1905 All Black 'loose head' and was part of Wales' first away win to Scotland. The later included a full on fist fight between the packs.
One of Hodges most impressive moments in a Welsh shirt was in the 1903 match against England. Welsh winger Tom Pearson had taken a heavy blow to the ribs by England's notoriously heavy tackler[Smith (1980), pg 143.] Gamlin, and was forced to retire. Hodges showed his famous adaptability when moved to the wing to cover Pearson's position and scored three tries in a 21-5 victory for the Welsh.
International games played
Wales[Smith (1980), pg 467.]
* 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 ...
1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906
* 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 ...
1899, 1900, 1902, 1903, 1905, 1906
* New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
1905
* 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 ...
1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906
Later career and death
After leaving club rugby Hodges became a publican, first at the Salvation Hotel in Newport and then at the Park Hotel, Waunlwyd. Hodges died on 13 September 1930; his body was returned to his birth town of Risca where he was buried on 17 September at Cromwell Road cemetery. His coffin was borne by former Welsh internationals.
Bibliography
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodges, Jehoida
1876 births
1930 deaths
Newport RFC players
Rugby union forwards
Rugby union players from Risca
Wales international rugby union players
Welsh miners
Welsh rugby union players