Joseph Jehoida HodgesNewport 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 resistanceSmith (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 tacklerSmith (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. Wales Rugby1905

International games played

WalesSmith (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