William Joseph Jenkins (18 May 1885 - 23 December 1956) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

international forward who played club rugby for Canton RFC and

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 ...

. He won four caps for

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 ...

ending on the losing side just once.

Personal history

Jenkins was born in Cardiff in 1885. His younger brother Eddie became a football player of note in the association game winning a single cap for

in 1925. Outside of rugby Jenkins worked in the building trade.

Rugby career

Jenkins joined Cardiff in the 1909–10 season, but it wasn't until 1912 that he was selected to play for Wales. He turned out on 9 March 1912 against Ireland at the Balmoral Showgrounds, in a match Wales lost 12–5. Two weeks later he played his second game for Wales, this time at

Rodney Parade Rodney Parade is a stadium in the city of Newport, South Wales. It is located on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre. The ground is on Rodney Road, a short walk from the city's central bus and railway stations via Newport Bri ...

against France. Although Wales won the game, eight members of the Welsh team played their last

Five Nations Championship The Six Nations Championship (known as the Six Nations, branded as Guinness M6N) is an annual international rugby union competition by the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It is the oldest sports tournament contes ...

game. Jenkins was one of the seven players to survive this cull and he was chosen to play in two matches the next season in the

1913 Five Nations Championship The 1913 Five Nations Championship was the fourth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the thirty-fir ...

. Jenkins was also selected to play for invitational touring team, the

Barbarians A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

. He played twice for the Barbarians, a war-time match against the SA Services in 1915 and later against

Neath Neath (; ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,2 ...

in 1921.

International matches played

Wales * 1912 * 1912, 1913 * 1913

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Billy Welsh rugby union players Rugby union flankers 1885 births 1956 deaths Cardiff RFC players Barbarian F.C. players Wales international rugby union players Rugby union players from Cardiff Canton RFC players