Alexander Frederick Bland (24 November 1866 – 18 October 1947) 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 ...

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 it ...

forward who played 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 ...

. Bland won nine 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 ...

over a period of four years.

International career

Bland was first selected for Wales in a match against Scotland as part of the

1887 Home Nations Championship The 1887 Home Nations Championship was the fifth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 8 January and 12 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Scotland won the championshi ...

. Replacing Cardiff team mate

George Avery Young George Avery Young (June 1866 – 21 January 1900) was an English-born sportsman who played international rugby union for Wales and cricket for Glamorgan. Rugby career Although born in Tynemouth in the North of England, Young moved to Wales wher ...

, Bland was chosen to face England in the opening match of the tournament, under the captaincy of Newport's

Charlie Newman Charlie Newman (28 February 1857 – 28 September 1922) was a Welsh international three-quarter who played club rugby for Newport. He was awarded ten caps for Wales and captained the team on six occasions. An original member of the Newport squa ...

. Although the match was to be played at

Stradey Park Stradey Park (Welsh: ''Parc y Strade'') was a rugby union stadium located near the centre of the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was the home of the Scarlets region and Llanelli RFC rugby teams. The stadium was a combination o ...

Llanelli Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carma ...

, the game was moved to a nearby cricket ground as the English felt the original pitch was still frozen-over. The game ended in a nil-nil draw, the best the Welsh had so far achieved over the English. Bland kept his place for the next two games of the Championship, a loss away to Scotland; where Wales unsuccessfully trialed the four three-quarter system for the first time, and a win over Ireland, played at the neutral ground of

Birkenhead Park Birkenhead Park is a major public park located in the centre of Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. It was designed by Joseph Paxton and opened on 5 April 1847. It is generally acknowledged as the first publicly funded civic park in the world. Th ...

in England. The 1888 Championship was played without England, after the team withdrew when their union fell out with their Scottish counterpart. Bland played in both games, which saw Wales win their first match over Scotland thanks to a

Thomas Pryce-Jenkins Dr. Thomas John Pryce-Jenkins (1 February 1864 – 6 August 1922) was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for London Welsh and county rugby for Middlesex. Pryce-Jenkins represented Wales twice but he is more notable wit ...

try, but in a reversal of fortunes the very next match saw the Welsh lose to Ireland; the first victory for the Irish over Wales. Towards the end of 1888, Bland was selected for the Welsh game to face the touring New Zealand Natives played at St. Helen's Ground,

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of 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 C ...

. The Welsh players experienced a hostile home crowd during the match due to the lack of

players in the squad;Smith (1972), pg 17. but after trialing the four three-quarter system again, were able to beat the Māori opposition by a goal and two tries to nil. Bland played against the same touring Māori team, just seven days later, when his club team, Cardiff, hosted the New Zealanders at the

Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British ...

. A goal from Norman Biggs and a rare joint try from Sydney Nicholls and W.T. MorganSmith (1972), pg 21. was enough to give Cardiff the win. Bland failed to play in either of the two games of the

1889 Home Nations Championship The 1889 Home Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Three matches were played between 2 February and 2 March. It was contested by Ireland, Scotland and Wales. England were excluded from the Ch ...

, but was re-selected for the first game of the 1890 tournament. The opening game to Scotland was the last match for captain

Frank Hill Frank Robert Hill (21 May 1906 – 28 August 1993) was a Scottish football player and manager. Playing career Forfar and Aberdeen Hill was born in Forfar and started his career at Forfar Athletic, joining the club in 1924. He moved to Aberdee ...

, and after losing the game, Welsh hopes were not high for the next encounter against the returning England team. Played at

Crown Flatt Crown Flatt, currently known as the Tetley's Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a rugby league stadium in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of the Dewsbury Rams, who play in the Championship. The ground occupies the site of th ...

in Dewsbury, Wales managed to beat the English for the first time in the national team's history, thanks to a clever try from

William Stadden William James Wood "Buller" Stadden (1861 –30 December 1906) was a Welsh international rugby union half back who played club rugby for Canton, Cardiff and Dewsbury. Stadden won eight caps for Wales over a period of seven years and is mos ...

. Bland's final game was played on

St. David's Day Saint David's Day ( cy, Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant or ; ), or the Feast of Saint David, is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on 1 March, the date of Saint David's death in 589 AD. The feast has been regularly celebrat ...

, 1890 away to Ireland. The game ended in a draw, though it is unknown if Bland was one of the nine players who found themselves in Dublin Court the next day after 'riotous behaviour' following the after match-dinner.Godwin (1987), pg 25.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 463. * 1887, 1890 * 1887, 1888, 1890 * 1888 * 1887, 1888, 1890

References

;Notes ;Sources * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bland, Alexander 1866 births 1947 deaths Cardiff RFC players London Welsh RFC players Rugby union forwards Rugby union players from Haverfordwest Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players