Leslie "Les" Anthony (21 November 1921 – 24 October 2010) was a Welsh

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 ...

, and professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) 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 ...

, and at club level for

Cwmllynfell RFC Cwmllynfell RFC are a Welsh rugby union club based in Cwmllynfell in South Wales. Cwmllynfell RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys. Club honours * West Wales Champions: 1958-59,1959–60,1961–62 * WWR ...

and

Neath RFC Neath Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Castell-Nedd) is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the WRU Championship. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The team is known as the All Blacks because of the team colours: black with onl ...

(

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

), as a

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

, i.e. number 1 or 3, and club level rugby league (RL) for

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...

( Heritage № 530).Robert Gate (1986). "Gone North - Volume 1". R. E. Gate.

Background

Les Anthony was born in

Rhiwfawr Rhiwfawr is a village of just under 100 houses in the Swansea Valley, in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. Location Most of the village is high upon a ridge overlooking Cwmtwrch and most of the houses are over above sea level. The maj ...

, Wales. he was worked as a collier and

sheet metal Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process. Sheet metal is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and it can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes. Thicknesses can vary significantly; ex ...

worker, and he died aged 88. Up to his death, he had been the third oldest living

player, behind; Jack Matthews and

Handel Greville Handel Greville (13 September 1921 – 20 June 2014) was a Welsh international rugby union fly-half who played club rugby for a large selection of clubs but most notably for Llanelli. He won just a single international cap for Wales against the ...

, and the oldest living Wales

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

, in front of;

Emlyn Davies Emlyn Price Davies (15 January 1922 – 6 September 2016) was a Welsh international rugby union prop who played club rugby for Swansea and Aberavon and county rugby for Glamorgan. He was capped for Wales national rugby union team on two occas ...

Playing career

International honours

Les Anthony won

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

s for

(RU) while at Neath RFC in 1938 against England, Scotland, and France.

Notable tour matches

Les Anthony played

, alongside hooker;

Cliff Williams Clifford Williams (born 14 December 1949) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and backing vocalist of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. He started his professional music career in 1967 and had previously been in the English g ...

and

; Les Davies, in

's 15-22 defeat by the New Zealand Army Touring XV ("The Kiwis") at

The Gnoll The Gnoll ( cy, Y Gnol) in Neath, Wales is a sports ground, with a capacity of 6,000 (formerly 15,000). It is used primarily for rugby union and rugby league, although it has also been used previously for association football and cricket. The stad ...

Neath Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a po ...

during 1945.

Club career

Neath RFC

Les Anthony played in

's victory in the Welsh Club Championship during the 1946–47 season,

ed by

, this was Neath RFC's first post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

victory, and their sixth of ten overall.

Oldham RLFC

He made his début for

on Saturday 28 August 1948, and he played his last match for Oldham during the 1953–54 season.

References

External links

Search for "Anthony" at rugbyleagueproject.org
* (archived by archive.is
Les Anthony's obituary at neathrugby.co.ukSearch for "Leslie Anthony" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.ukSearch for "Les Anthony" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthony, Leslie 1921 births 2010 deaths Footballers who switched code Neath RFC players Oldham R.L.F.C. players Rugby league players from Neath Port Talbot Rugby union players from Neath Port Talbot Rugby union props Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby league players Welsh rugby union players