Samuel Walker (21 April 1912 – 20 January 1972) was an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
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 ...
prop. Walker played club rugby for
Instonians
Instonians is a sports club based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, that incorporates rugby union, men's and ladies' hockey and cricket sections. There is also a golf society that plays under the Instonians name.
Instonians Rugby Football, Cricke ...
and played international rugby for
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 ...
Walker came to note as a rugby player when he represented Instonians. During the 1934/35 season, he was also selected to play for invitational tourists, the
Barbarians
A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less c ...
. He won his first international cap when he was selected for the Irish national team during the
1934 Home Nations Championship
The 1934 Home Nations Championship was the thirtieth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the forty-seventh series of the nort ...
. he won 15 caps for his country between 1934 and 1938, and captained the team in his final international game, against Wales, at Swansea.
In 1938 he was selected to captain the British Isles team on their tour of South Africa. He is recognised as an able captain, who managed to sustain good morale in a British team that was devastated by injuries.Griffiths (1990), pg 56 He also fostered an open style of play that resulted in exciting and free scoring matches, which delighted the South African spectators. Walker showed excellent fitness himself during the tour, and was able to lead the British team out for 17 invitational games and all three Tests against the South African national team. On the tour he usually played his favoured role as prop, alongside
Bunner Travers
William 'Bunner' Travers (2 December 1913 – 4 June 1998) Scrum.com was a international