Jack Matthews (21 June 1920 – 18 July 2012) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

physician and

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 ...

international centre who played first-class club rugby for

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 ...

and Newport. Along with

Bleddyn Williams Bleddyn Llewellyn Williams MBE (22 February 1923 – 6 July 2009), was a Welsh rugby union centre. He played in 22 internationals for Wales, captaining them five times, winning each time, and captained the British Lions in 1950 for some of the ...

, Matthews formed a centre partnership which is regarded as one of the finest in the game. He was also a devastating tackler, once described as "a cross between a bulldozer and a brick wall". Matthews won 17 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 ...

and six with the British Lions, though his career was curtailed by the Second World War. Matthews was a general practitioner by profession and travelled with the 1980 Lions on their tour of South Africa as the team doctor.

Early history

Born in

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...

, South Wales in 1920, Matthews attended Bridgend County School before matriculating to the

Welsh National School of Medicine The Cardiff University School of Medicine ( cy, Ysgol Feddygaeth Prifysgol Caerdydd) is the medical school of Cardiff University and is located in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Founded in 1893 as part of the University College of South Wales and Monmouth ...

. From a youth he was a keen sportsperson, and in 1937 he won the Welsh AAA junior 220 yards title.Hignal (2007) p. 112 A year later, after spending three seasons in the Welsh Secondary Schools rugby team, he played in a senior Wales trial, at just eighteen years old. In 1939 he came second in the Senior Men's AAA 100 yards and third in the 220 yards.

Second World War

With the outbreak of the Second World War, Matthews applied to join the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

, but was required to train as a doctor at the Welsh School of Medicine. Matthews was later commissioned into the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps ...

, an RAF trainee and later Matthew's centre partner for Wales, played with Matthews for the first time whilst stationed in South Wales. The duo were part of a South Wales team that faced an Ack Ack XV in 1942. Williams was later switched to and trained as a

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of gliding ...

pilot, attached to the

Glider Pilot Regiment The Glider Pilot Regiment was a British airborne forces unit of the Second World War, which was responsible for crewing the British Army's military gliders and saw action in the European theatre of World War II, European theatre in support of All ...

. Whilst stationed at RAF St Athan air base in the Vale of Glamorgan in 1943, Matthews fought future world champion

Rocky Marciano Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969; ), better known as Rocky Marciano (, ), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955, and held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956. He is the onl ...

in an amateur

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

match. Marciano famously ended his career having won every professional match he fought in, but Matthews held him to a draw in a 4 rounder.

Rugby career

Before winning his first cap, Matthews took part in five Victory Internationals for Wales, including the win over France in which he was captain.Hignal (2007) p. 113 Matthews played 17

Tests Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

for

and six for the

British & Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

on their 1950 tour of New Zealand and Australia. He was the team doctor for the

1980 British Lions tour to South Africa In 1980 the British and Irish Lions rugby union team toured South Africa (including one game in Windhoek, South West Africa, the future Namibia). The tour was not a success for the Lions, as they lost the first three tests before salvaging some ...

, and was a medical doctor by profession. Matthews played

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

for Wales and Cardiff – forming one of the greatest midfield pairings Wales has ever had with

Personal life

After the war, Matthews married Valerie and the couple went on to have two sons, Peter and Robin. Valerie died in 1996.

Later life

Matthews continued his connection with sport after retiring from playing rugby. He maintained links with boxing, becoming the medical officer to the Welsh Boxing Association. He was also chosen to be the medical doctor for the 1980 British Lions tour of South Africa. Despite his close links with rugby, Matthews showed an uncompromising stance in his views on how the game should be played. In 2004, he publicly criticised Sir

Clive Woodward Sir Clive Ronald Woodward (born 6 January 1956) is an English former rugby union player and coach. He was coach of the team from 1997 to 2004, managing them to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He also coached the 2005 British & Irish Lio ...

's coaching methods before the

2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand In 2005, the British & Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing seven matches against first and second division teams from the National Provincial Championship, one match against the New Zealand Ma ...

. In the

1981 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1981 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

, he was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) for services to rugby football. In 2009, Matthews suffered a severe stroke that left him speechless. He died in July 2012, aged 92.

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Jack 1920 births 2012 deaths Rugby union players from Bridgend Alumni of Cardiff University 20th-century Welsh medical doctors Rugby union centres Welsh rugby union players Wales international rugby union players Wales rugby union captains Cardiff RFC players Newport RFC players Barbarian F.C. players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales British Army personnel of World War II Royal Army Medical Corps officers Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Ysgol Brynteg