John Griffin (2 August 1859 – 13 July 1895) was an English doctor who became an 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 ...

forward 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 ...

despite having no connections to the country.

Personal background

Griffin was born in Southampton in 1859, the eldest son of Dr. R. W. Waudby Griffin. He was partly educated at St Bartholomew's Hospital before gaining a place at Edinburgh University from which he qualified. During the late 1880s Griffin emigrated to South Africa in an attempt to improve his health, after suffering from

hemoptysis Hemoptysis is the coughing up of blood or blood-stained mucus from the bronchi, larynx, trachea, or lungs. In other words, it is the airway bleeding. This can occur with lung cancer, infections such as tuberculosis, bronchitis, or pneumonia, and ...

. He first spent some time in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

as a

locum tenens A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...

before gaining a more permanent position in

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

, where he set up a practice. After several years his health improved and in 1893 he travelled back to England in charge of

small-pox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) cer ...

patients on board a steamship. On his return to South Africa it was obvious he was suffering from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

and his condition worsened. In 1895 he returned to Southampton to spend his last days at his mother's home where he died on 13 July.

Rugby career

Griffin was awarded his one and only international cap as part of the 1883 Home Nations Championship. Wales had only been playing rugby as an international country for two years when the team played in the 1883 Championship. This was the inaugural tournament and the fixture between Scotland and Wales was the first rugby encounter between the two countries. When Wales arrived in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

the party was a player short for the match, in similar circumstances to the 1882 clash with Ireland,Griffiths (1987), 4:3. and attempts were made to draft a player to fill the missing position. Griffin was at the time studying at Edinburgh University and had played rugby for the University team. Although not Welsh, the fact that he was English, made him the 'least Scottish' person to choose from and was brought into the Welsh squad.Jamie Roberts breathes life for doctors
Telegraph.co.uk Griffin was one of three new caps in the Welsh squad, the others being

Horace Lyne Horace Sampson Lyne MBE (31 December 1860 – 1 May 1949) was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport Rugby Football Club. He won five caps for Wales. After retiring from play, he became the longest serving pr ...

and John Arthur Jones, all three playing in the pack. Wales lost the game by three goals to one and Griffin returned to his studies and did not represent Wales again. As part of the first

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

tour to South Africa in 1889, the British side played three tests against the

South African __NOTOC__ South African may relate to: * The nation of South Africa * South African Airways * South African English * South African people * Languages of South Africa * Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ...

team. The first test was held in

, and the game was refereed by Griffin.Griffiths (1987), 10:6.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 466. * 1883

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, John 1859 births 1895 deaths English rugby union players Wales international rugby union players Rugby union forwards Rugby union players from Southampton People educated at Epsom College Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital English rugby union referees 19th-century English medical doctors 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in England