John Graham Willcox (born 16 February 1937 in Sutton Coldfield) is a rugby union international who represented
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 ...
from 1961 to 1964, and the
British Lions in 1962.
[John Willcox Profile on scrum.com](_blank)
/ref> He also captained his country.
Early life
John Willcox was born on 16 February 1937 at Sutton Coldfield to confectioner's agent Arthur Willcox (1891-1967) and Helen Patience (1905-1971), née Davies; he had a wealthy upbringing. His sister was the eventer Sheila Willcox
Sheila Mary Willcox (12 March 1936 – 9 June 2017) was a British-born eventer who won several national and international three-day events, including the Badminton Horse Trials and the European Championships. She won Badminton three consecutive y ...
. He played rugby as a full-back.
Rugby union career
His club team was Harlequins.
Willcox made his international debut on 11 February 1961 at Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road Stadium ( ga, Bóthar Lansdún, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for ...
in the 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 ...
vs 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 ...
match.
Of the 19 matches he played for his national side he was on the winning side on 6 occasions.
He played his final match for England on 21 March 1964 at Murrayfield
Murrayfield is an affluent area to the west of Edinburgh city centre in Scotland. It is to the east of Corstorphine and north of Balgreen and Roseburn. The A8 road runs east–west through the south of the area. Murrayfield is often con ...
in the Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
vs 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 ...
match.
He took part in the 1962 British Lions tour to South Africa
In 1962 the British Lions rugby union team toured Southern and Eastern Africa. Overall the tourists played twenty-five matches, winning sixteen, losing five and drawing four.
The Lions were unsuccessful in the test series against , losing by ...
, playing in three test matches.
After he retired from playing, he was for many years the rugby coach and a teacher at Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the English public school tradition located in the village of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1802 as a boys' school, it is situated in the groun ...
.
References
1937 births
Living people
English rugby union players
England international rugby union players
Harlequin F.C. players
Rugby union fullbacks
British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England
Rugby union players from Sutton Coldfield
Lancashire County RFU players
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