Wallace Howard Watts (25 March 1870 – 29 April 1950) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
-born 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 who played club rugby for
Newport and international rugby 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 ...
. Watts was part of the 1893 Wales team which won the country's first
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 ...
. From 1892 Watts played for county team Gloucestershire.
[Alcock (1997)]
Rugby career
Watts first played for Newport in the 1889/90 season, but it took until the
1892 Home Nations Championship
The 1892 Home Nations Championship was the tenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 2 January and 5 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
England took the 1892 Champion ...
for him to be chosen for the Welsh national team. Although an Englishman by birth, the rules of nationality were more lax during the period, with three years residency required to represent your adopted country. Watts was one of three new caps in the pack for his first game, alongside
Arthur Boucher
Arthur Boucher (29 June 1870 – 25 April 1948) was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport. Boucher was an adaptable player, who although selected mainly as a forward, often played at centre. He was strong, ...
and
Frank Mills
Frank Mills (born June 27, 1942) is a Canadian pianist and recording artist, best known for his solo instrumental hit "Music Box Dancer".
Early life and education
Mills was born in Montreal, Quebec. He was raised in Verdun, Quebec and started pl ...
, but the campaign was disastrous for the Welsh losing all three games in the tournament, collecting the wooden spoon.
The
next year
"Next Year" is a song released as the last single from the third Foo Fighters' album ''There Is Nothing Left to Lose''.
History
A shorter version (running at just 3:21 compared to the original's 4:36) was released as a single in 2000 and wa ...
saw a complete turnaround in Welsh fortunes when, under the captaincy of
Arthur Gould the team won all three games, taking the Triple Crown. Watts played in all three games and continued to represent Wales over the next three Championships, but never to the level of success as in 1893. His final game was the first match of the
1896 Championship, a massive 25-0 loss.
In 1896, Watts moved to London and began playing for London exiles
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, ...
, though he still represented Newport whenever he returned to Wales.
Wallace Watts biography
Newport RFC He played for London Welsh until 1911, into his forties. He became Honorary Secretary of the club during the 1912/13 season.[Jones (1985), pg 318.] Watts' son, DRW Watts, a civil engineer and MD of George Wimpey Construction subsequently became Chairman of London Welsh in the late 1960s.
International matches played
Wales[Smith (1980), pg 473.]
* 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896
* 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895
* 1892, 1893, 1894
Bibliography
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Wallace
1870 births
1950 deaths
People from Stroud
English rugby union players
Wales international rugby union players
Welsh rugby union players
Rugby union forwards
Newport RFC players
London Welsh RFC players
Rugby union players from Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County RFU players