Frank Stephens (23 March 1899 – 11 March 1971) was an English-born Welsh

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 ...

and professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s. He played invitational level rugby union (RU) for

Crawshays RFC Crawshays Welsh RFC is a Welsh invitational rugby union team. In 1922 Captain Geoffrey Crawshay was invited by the Engineer Commander of Devonport Services, SF Coopper, to bring a team of Welsh rugby union players to play Devonport Services R. ...

, and at club level for

Bargoed RFC Bargoed Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the town of Bargoed in South Wales. They are members of the Welsh Rugby Union and are a feeder club for Newport Gwent Dragons. The club holds the record for the number of points achieved in o ...

and

Cardiff RFC Cardiff Rugby Football Club () is a rugby union club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876Parry-Jones (1989), pg 59 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, shortly after which relocating to Ca ...

, and representative level rugby league (RL) 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 ...

and Other Nationalities, and at club level for

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 ...

Batley Batley is a market town in the Kirklees district, in West Yorkshire, England, south-west of Leeds, north-west of Wakefield and Dewsbury, south-east of Bradford and north-east of Huddersfield, in the Heavy Woollen District. In 2011, the popu ...

and

Rochdale Hornets The Rochdale Hornets are a professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, competing in the League 1, the third tier of European rugby league. The Rochdale Hornets are one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs tha ...

, as a or . Frank Stephens played for Wigan against Dewsbury in the first rugby league

Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...

Final to be held at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1929.

Biography

Frank Stephens was born in

Drybrook Drybrook is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England. Location It lies in the north-west edge of the Royal Forest, bordering with Herefordshire, about from Cinderford, and about from Mitcheldean. ...

, Gloucestershire but brought up in Blackwood,

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

. Prior to his Wigan rugby league career he had played rugby union for

Bargoed Bargoed () is a town and community (Wales), community in the Rhymney Valley, Wales, one of the South Wales Valleys. It lies on the Rhymney River in the county borough of Caerphilly (county borough), Caerphilly. It straddles the Historic counties o ...

, and subsequently joined

in 1923. During this period he also played for Captain Crawshay's Welsh XV select tours from 1922 to 1925. His rugby league career started when invited to sign for Wigan RFC in 1925.

Playing career

International honours

Frank Stephens won a

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

for Other Nationalities (RL) while at Wigan in the 20–27 defeat by England at

Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

on Wednesday 20 March 1929, and won

s for

(RL) while at Wigan in the 34–8 victory over New Zealand at Taff Vale Park,

Pontypridd Pontypridd ( , ), Colloquialism, colloquially referred to as ''Ponty'', is a town and a Community (Wales), community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, approximately 10 miles north west of Cardiff city centre. Geography Pontypridd comprises the ...

on Saturday 4 December 1926, the 12–20 defeat by England at

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

on Wednesday 11 January 1928, the 15–39 defeat by England at

White City Stadium White City Stadium in London, England, was built for the 1908 Summer Olympics. It hosted the finish of the first modern marathon and swimming, speedway, boxing, show jumping, athletics, stock car racing, concerts and a match at the 1966 FIFA W ...

, Sloper Road,

Grangetown, Cardiff Grangetown ( Welsh: usually ''Grangetown'', also Trelluest) is a district and community in the south of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is one of the largest districts in the south of the city and is bordered by Riverside, Canton and Butetow ...

on Wednesday 14 November 1928, and the 10–26 defeat by Australia at

on Saturday 18 January 1930.

County honours

Frank Stephens played in

's 14–18 defeat by

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

in the non-

County Championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

match during the 1926–27 season at Taff Vale Park,

on Saturday 30 April 1927,Irvin Saxton (publish date tbc) "History of Rugby League – № 32 – 1926–27". Rugby Leaguer ISBN n/a and represented Glamorgan and Monmouthshire (RL) while at Wigan against

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

at Taff Vale Park,

on Saturday 12 November 1927, against

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

at Recreation Ground?,

Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and civil parish in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. It is a port on the north-west coast, and lies outside the Lake District National parks of England and Wales, National Park. ...

on Saturday 20 October 1928, against

at Welsh White City Stadium, Sloper Road,

on Saturday 21 December 1929, and against

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

Parkside, Hunslet Parkside was a rugby league stadium in Hunslet, Leeds, England. It was home to Hunslet F.C. (1883), Hunslet F.C. rugby league club and the source of their nickname, the Parksiders. Hunslet R.L.F.C., Hunslet now play at the South Leeds Stadium wh ...

on Thursday 27 February 1930.

Championship final appearances

Frank Stephens played at in

's 22–10 victory over

Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

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 during the 1925–26 season at

Knowsley Road Knowsley Road is a former football stadium in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside. It was the home ground of St. Helens from 1890 until its closure in 2010. St Helens Town FC played their home fixtures at Knowsley Road from 2002 until 2010. For ...

, St. Helens on Saturday 8 May 1926.

County League appearances

Frank Stephens played in

's victory in the Lancashire League during the 1925–26 season.

Challenge Cup Final appearances

Frank Stephens played at in

's 13–2 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 1928–29 Challenge Cup Final during the 1928–29 season at

on Saturday 4 May 1929.

County Cup Final appearances

Frank Stephens played at in

's 11–15 defeat by Swinton in the

1925–26 Lancashire Cup The 1925–26 Lancashire Cup was the eighteenth tournament in the history of this regional rugby league competition, and another new name was added to the trophy. This time it was the turn of Swinton Lions, Swinton, one of the founding members o ...

Final during the 1925–26 season at

The Cliff A cliff is a vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliff, The Cliff or The Cliffs may also refer to: Buildings *Cliff Brewery, a former brewery near Ipswich, England *Cliff Palace, largest cliff dwelling in North America *The Cliffs, a histo ...

, Broughton on Wednesday 9 December 1925, and played at in the 5–4 victory over

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census had a population of 62,400. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, ...

in the 1928–29 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1928–29 season at

The Willows, Salford The Willows was a rugby league stadium in Weaste, City of Salford, Salford, England. It had a final capacity of 11,363 with 2,500 seats. History In 1900, Salford agreed a 14-year lease on of land belonging to the Willows Estate Company, named ...

on Saturday 24 November 1928,

Genealogical information

Frank Stephens' marriage to Edna (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Morris) was registered during first ¼ 1928 in

district. They had children; Enid L. Stephens
birth registered
during second ¼ 1928 in

district), Ronald A. Stephens
birth registered
during third ¼ 1929 in

district), and Marjorie Stephens
birth registered
during first ¼ 1932 in

district).

References

External links

Statistics at wigan.rlfans.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Frank 1899 births 1971 deaths Bargoed RFC players Batley Bulldogs players Cardiff RFC players Crawshays RFC players English people of Welsh descent English rugby league players English rugby union players Glamorgan and Monmouthshire rugby league team players Monmouthshire rugby league team players People from Forest of Dean District Rochdale Hornets players Rugby league props Rugby league second-rows Rugby league players from Gloucestershire Rugby union players from Gloucestershire Wales national rugby league team players Welsh rugby league players Wigan Warriors players 20th-century English sportsmen