Erith Gwyn Nicholls (15 July 1874 – 24 March 1939)Newport RFC player profiles
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 it ...

player who gained 24 caps for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

as a centre. Nicholls was known as the "Prince of Threequarters".Smith (1980), pg 128. Born in Westbury-on-Severn, Nicholls started his rugby career with Cardiff StarParry-Jones (1999), pg 26. before playing in the

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...

first team from 1893. He spent all his playing career with Cardiff, playing 18 seasons for them, apart from half a season with Newport in 1901/2 when he began a laundry business there with fellow Welsh international

Bert Winfield Herbert Benjamin Winfield (5 May 1878 – 21 September 1919) was an English rugby union player who played international rugby for Wales. He was a member of the victorious Welsh team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks in the famous '' Match of t ...

. He captained Cardiff for four seasons; 1898/9 through to 1900/1 and again in 1903/04.

International career

Nicholls gained his first international cap against Scotland on 25 January 1896, a solid if not spectacular debut.Parry-Jones (1999), pg 36. His next few games gained him praise and Nicholls began to get more notice from the local press,Parry-Jones (1999), pg 36-37. Nicholls international career was placed on pause for twelve months during 1897 and 1898 while Wales were excluded from playing because of the Gould Affair.Parry-Jones (1999), pg 37. His 24 caps for Wales were won between 1896 and 1906 and included ten matches as captain. He was captain of the Triple Crown winning side of 1902. Despite announcing his retirement from international rugby at the end of the previous season, he returned in 1905 to captain Wales in the famous '' Match of the Century'', a victory against

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

. He toured Australia with the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isl ...

team of 1899, and was the only Welsh player on this tour.

International matches played for Wales

WalesSmith (1980), pg 469. * 1897, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1902, 1904, 1906 * 1896, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1905, 1906 * 1905 * 1896, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1906 * 1906

Post playing career

In 1909 Nicholls was chosen to officiate the match between England and Scotland at the Richmond Athletic Ground, as part of the Home Nations Championship. It was the only international match that Nicholls refereed and the last to be played at Richmond.

Later life and death

In 1923, Nicholls while on holiday in Weston-super-Mare was involved in a rescue attempt involving two young girls.Parry-Jones (1999), pg 202. The two girls had been swept out to sea by the undertow and a doctor, Edward Holborow, had leapt into the sea to save them. Although the two girls were saved by another swimmer, Dr Holborow found the rough conditions too challenging, and Nicholls attempted to rescue him. Nicholls reached the doctor and got him close to the shore but Holborow was pronounced dead at the scene. Nicholls only managed to reach shore himself and his health never recovered from the ordeal.Parry-Jones (1999), pg 203. On 24 March 1939, Nicholls died in

Dinas Powys Dinas Powys (; also spelt "Dinas Powis" in English) is a small town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. Its name means "fort of the provincial place" and refers to the Iron Age hillfort which overlooks the village. Dinas Powys i ...

. Heart failure was given as the cause of death.Parry-Jones (1999), pg 209. On Boxing Day 1949 the "Gwyn Nicholls Memorial Gates" were officially opened at Cardiff Arms Park by his team mate Rhys Gabe. On 16 November 2005 Gwyn Nicholls was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.

External links

* *

Bibliography

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholls, Gwyn 1874 births 1939 deaths British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales Cardiff RFC players Newport RFC players Rugby union centres Rugby union players from Westbury-on-Severn Wales international rugby union players Wales rugby union captains Welsh rugby union players Welsh rugby union referees World Rugby Hall of Fame inductees