Nigel Kevin Watts (21 October 1919 – February 17, 1995) was an Australian

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.

Playing career

Watts was a schoolboy rugby union start from St. Josephs College, who went on to star for the Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union club before embarking on a brief rugby league career at

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

during World War II. As he had never played Rugby League before, the residential-rule did not apply to Watts, who was a resident of Bondi at the time. Watts was in the Australian Army during his time at the Saints, although after he was discharged from the Army, he moved to a captain/coach role in the

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...

competition in 1946. He represented a combined South Coast Division representative team that defeated the touring

Great Britain national rugby league team The Great Britain national rugby league team represents Great Britain in rugby league. Administered by the Rugby Football League (RFL), the team is nicknamed The Lions. For most of the 20th century, the Great Britain team toured overseas, ...

15–12 at

Wollongong, New South Wales Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

on 2 June 1946.

Death

Watts died in Sydney on 17 February 1995 SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Death Notice 20 February 1995

References

St. George Dragons players 1919 births 1995 deaths Rugby league players from Sydney Country New South Wales rugby league team players Rugby league centres Australian military personnel of World War II Australian rugby league players {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1910s-stub