Leonard Grist Blyth (20 November 1920 – 24 June 1995) 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 ...

flanker who played club rugby for

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

. He captained Swansea and played in three international games 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 ...

which saw him become a Grand Slam winner.

Rugby career

Blyth was captain of Swansea during the 1951/52 season and led his team against the touring South Africans on 15 December 1951. Seven days later, Blyth was awarded his first international cap when he was chosen as a flanker to face the

South Africans The population of South Africa is about 58.8 million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religions. The South African National Census of 2022 was the most recent census held; the next will be in 2032. In 2011, Statistics Sout ...

for the Welsh national team. Wales were narrowly beaten and Blyth found himself selected for the opening game of the

1952 Five Nations Championship The 1952 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-third series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-eighth series of the northern hemisphere rugb ...

. Blyth played against England and Scotland before losing his position for the last two matches. Nevertheless, Wales won the tournament and Blyth became a Grand Slam winner. After the end of his international career, Blyth still played against international opposition, including Swansea's 6–6 draw against the 1953 touring New Zealand side.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), p. 463. * 1952 * 1952 * 1951

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blyth, Len Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players Rugby union flankers 1920 births 1995 deaths Swansea RFC players Rugby union players from Swansea Gorseinon RFC players