Eddie Watkins (2 March 1916 – 28 June 1995) 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 ...

dual-code international

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

player who played club rugby under the union code 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 later professional league rugby with

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

. As a union player Watkins was part of the 1939 team which won the Home Nations Championship, and was more famously a member of the

side that beat the 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 1935. In 1939 he joined Wigan and played in three internationals during the war years for Wales league side against England. During the Second World War he served in the

Special Investigation Branch Special Investigation Branch (SIB) was the name given to the detective branches of all three British military police arms: the Royal Navy Police, Royal Military Police and Royal Air Force Police. It was most closely associated with the Royal ...

of the Royal Air Force, and played in two Services internationals.

Rugby union career

Watkins began his club rugby days with

Bedwas Bedwas is a town situated two miles north-east of Caerphilly, south Wales, situated in the Caerphilly (county borough), Caerphilly county borough, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshi ...

before moving to first class side Cardiff. In 1935, Watkins was chosen by Cardiff to face the touring New Zealand team. Cardiff were hoping that a strong pack containing Watkins, Les Spence and Gwyn Williams would give the club an advantage against the All Blacks, but were soundly beaten in an exciting game.Billot (1972), pg 96. Watkins gained his was first cap for Wales in 1935 again against New Zealand. In a memorable game, Wales turned around a losing score-line in the last ten minutes to beat the All Blacks 13–12. Watkins was not selected for Wales throughout 1936, but was back for the final two games of the

1937 Home Nations Championship The 1937 Home Nations Championship was the thirty-third series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the fiftieth series of the northe ...

. It was a poor campaign for Wales and Watkins, with Wales losing all matches during the 1937 campaign. Watkins was reselected for the 1938 Championship, playing all three games. The opening game was against England at the

Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park (), also known as The Arms Park, is primarily a rugby union stadium, and also has a bowling green. It is situated in Cardiff, Wales, next to the Millennium Stadium. The Arms Park was host to the 1958 British Empire and Common ...

, and under the captaincy of Cardiff team-mate Cliff Jones, Watkins was involved in his first Home Nations victory. In 1939 Watkins took part in his last Home Nations campaign, and although missing the game against Ireland, he was still a member of a Wales Championship winning team as

Wilf Wooller Wilfred Wooller (20 November 1912 – 10 March 1997) was a Welsh sportsman (playing cricket, rugby union, and football), cricket administrator, and journalist. He was acclaimed as one of the greatest all-round sportsmen that Wales has ever prod ...

's team lifted the trophy with wins over Ireland and Scotland.

International games played

Wales, rugby unionSmith (1980), pg 472. * 1938, 1939 * 1937, 1938 * 1935 * 1937, 1938, 1939

Rugby league career

In March 1939 Watkins joined professional rugby league team Wigan for a reported fee of £600, making his first appearance for the club on 18 March. During his time with Wigan, he made three appearances for the Wales national rugby league side, his first was played at Odsal against England on 18 October 1941.

Championship final appearances

Eddie Watkins played at in

's 12–5 victory over

Dewsbury Dewsbury is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder, West Yorkshire, River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, ...

in the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

Final second-leg during the 1943–44 season at

Crown Flatt Crown Flatt, currently known as the FLAIR 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 the ...

on Saturday 20 May 1944 ( Jack Cayzer having played at in the first-leg), and played at in the 13–4 victory over

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...

in the

Final during the 1945–46 season at

Maine Road Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest attenda ...

, Manchester on Saturday 18 May 1946.

International games played

Wales, rugby league * 1941, 1943, 1945

Bibliography

* * *

References

External links

Cardiff RFC Season Review 1938 - 1939
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Eddie 1916 births 1995 deaths 20th-century Welsh sportsmen Bedwas RFC players Cardiff RFC players Dual-code rugby internationals Glamorgan Police officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Rugby league players from Caerphilly Rugby union locks Rugby union players from Caerphilly Sportspeople from Caerphilly Wales international rugby union players Wales national rugby league team players Welsh police officers Welsh rugby league players Welsh rugby union players Welsh schoolteachers Wigan Warriors players