Frank Villenueve Nicholson (15 October 1878 – c. 1970) was an Australian

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

veteran 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 its m ...

player, a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

and national representative who made two test appearances in 1903–1904, captaining the side on one occasion.

Early life

Nicholson was born in Villeneuve, Queensland, a place renamed from ''Humberstone'' by his father (also named Frank) who started the first sawmill in the area in 1877, founding the small town.

Career

Nicholson, a

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

, played thirteen times for

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

between 1900 and 1904 with twelve of these matches played against

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. The Howell reference claims that Nicholson's rugby career was interrupted by enlistment in the

. He claimed two international rugby caps for Australia. He appeared for Queensland against the touring

New Zealanders New Zealanders ( mi, Tāngata Aotearoa), colloquially known as Kiwis (), are people associated with New Zealand, sharing a common history, culture, and language (New Zealand English). People of various ethnicities and national origins are citiz ...

in Brisbane in August 1903 and two weeks later made his international debut against the same tourists in Sydney, on 15 August 1903. In 1904, he captained Queensland in the inter-state series and played alongside his brother

Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...

who scored a try in that match. Later that season he had the honour of captaining Australia in a Test match against a touring British Lions side. Australia lost the match 17–0. Nicholson was selected in a 1905 squad that toured New Zealand but he did not play in any matches of the tour.Howell p 25 He left Australia in 1905 going to Philadelphia to study dentistry. In 1906, he reintroduced Rugby per

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 ...

code to

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

while attending

University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine The University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine (often referred to as Penn Dental Medicine or simply Penn Dental) is the dental school of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), an Ivy League university located in Philadelphia. It is one ...

(Class of 1910). Upon his return in 1911 he became a selector and coach of the Queensland state side.

Bibliography

* Howell, Max (2005) ''Born to Lead - Wallaby Test Captains'', Celebrity Books, Auckland NZ

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Frank Australian rugby union players Australian rugby union captains Australia international rugby union players 1878 births Year of death missing Rugby union players from Queensland Rugby union props