Arthur Flowers Harding (8 August 1878 – 15 May 1947) was an English-born international

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player who played for and captained the

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

national team. Often called 'Boxer' Harding, he was a member of the Wales team for the famous ''

Match of the Century Match of the Century has referred to many events in various sports: Contract bridge * Bridge Battle of the Century, Lenz vs Culbertson, 1931–1932 Chess * The World Chess Championship 1972, between Bobby Fischer and defending champion Boris Spass ...

'', who beat the 1905 touring

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

in a game considered one of the greatest in the history of rugby union. He played club rugby for

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

and

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club () 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, after gaining promotion from ...

and county rugby for Middlesex.

Club career

As an early forward, Harding was a surprisingly nimble player with a good running and passing style along with an excellent kicking ability.Thomas (1979), pg 35. After being chosen to represent Wales in 1902 while playing for Cardiff he moved to England to play for London Welsh in the early part of the 1902/03 season. During the 1903/04 season Harding was chosen to captain London Welsh, a position he held for three seasons.

International career

1905 Wales squad, Harding, middle row, far right

Wales

Harding made his international debut for Wales against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

at Blackheath in January 1902, while still in his first season for Cardiff. When he first joined the Welsh team he played alongside

George Boots John George Boots (1874–1928) was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby with Monmouthshire. He won 16 caps for Wales. Boots was seen as a consistent player with a superb positional sense ...

from whom he learned much about improving his game.Thomas (1979), pg 35. Harding played in all three 1902 Triple Crown games which saw Wales win the championship. After representing Wales for their fourth Triple Crown in 1905, Harding was chosen to face the ''Original All Blacks'' in the ''

'' on the New Zealander's first tour of Britain. The fact that Harding had faced the New Zealand side earlier in the tour, when they crushed Harding's Middlesex County, may have played a part in the Welsh tactics that disrupted the All Black's loose-head scrummaging.

International games played

1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1908 *

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907 *

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

1905 *

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1908 *

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

Smith (1980), pg 467.

British Isles

In 1904 Harding was one of two Welsh forwards chosen to tour AustralasiaSmith (1980), pg 148. under the captaincy of Bedell-Sivright. By 1908 Harding himself was chosen to captain a British Isles team on a 26 match tour of

Australia and New Zealand Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different contexts, ...

.Smith (1980), pg 175. Although the Australia leg of the tour was successful, the British and Irish team were outclassed by a very strong All Black team, drawing the second test but losing heavily in the first and third tests.

Later career and death

After the end of his international career, Harding emigrated to

Wanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest nav ...

, New ZealandThomas (1979), pg 35. becoming a station-master at

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori language, Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast List of regions in New Zealand, region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The populat ...

for several years.Mangan J.A., ''Pleasure, Profit, Proselytism British Culture and Sport at Home and Abroad 1700–1914'', Frank Cass. London pg. 138 Harding lived in New Zealand until his death in 1947.

Bibliography

* *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Arthur Flowers 1878 births 1947 deaths British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales Cardiff RFC players English rugby union players London Welsh RFC players People educated at Christ College, Brecon Rugby union players from Market Rasen Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players Wales rugby union captains Rugby union forwards British emigrants to New Zealand