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

WalesSmith (1980), pg 473. * 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896 * 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895 * 1892, 1893, 1894

Bibliography

* * * * *

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