Evan Sloane Richards (23 January 1862 – 19 April 1931) 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

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 ...

forward who played club rugby for

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

, captaining the club through three seasons during the 1880s. Richards' father was Member of Parliament for

Ceredigion Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the West Wales, west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the River Dyfi, Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire t ...

, Evan Matthew Richards.

Education

Richards was educated at

Clifton College Clifton College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. In its early years, unlike mo ...

."Clifton College Register" Muirhead, J.A.O. p62: Bristol; J.W Arrowsmith for Old Cliftonian Society; April, 1948

Rugby career

Richards first came to prominence within rugby as a club player for Swansea. Before being selected to represent the

team, he was made captain of Swansea in the 1883/84 season. The next season Richards was capped for Wales in the opening game of the

1885 Home Nations Championship The 1885 Home Nations Championship was the third series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, but the tournament was not completed. The 1885 Championship was notable for the dis ...

against England. Captained by Newport's

Charlie Newman Charlie Henry 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 Newp ...

, Wales lost the match by three tries and Richards lost his place for the next game. Richards was again Swansea captain in the 1886/87 season, and was awarded his second and final Welsh cap in the Scottish game 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 ...

. Wales were beaten heavily in a one-sided game, and Richards lost his place to Edward Alexander. Richards would captain Swansea in the 1887/88 season, and during 1888, he refereed two matches in the New Zealand Māori's tour of Europe; the matches against Welsh clubs,

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 Newport.

International games played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 471. * 1885 * 1887

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Evan 1862 births 1931 deaths People educated at Clifton College Rugby union forwards Rugby union players from Swansea Swansea RFC players Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players Welsh rugby union referees