John "Jack" Rhapps (15 July 1876 – 23 January 1950) was a Welsh 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 Penygraig, and international rugby 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 ...

. Rhapps later "Went North", when he turned professional, joining

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team

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

, and along with Anthony Starks they became the World's first dual-code rugby internationals. Rhapps was born in the Penylan pub in Aberaman,Smith (1980), pg 108 near

Aberdare Aberdare ( ; ) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and River Cynon, Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tydf ...

, but came to the Rhondda Valley to find work. A collier by profession, Rhapps was one of the first 'Rhondda forwards', an aggressive style of forward player who was expected to play a more physical style of game.Parry-Jones (1999), pg 36.

Rugby career

Rhapps played just a single game for Wales, when he was selected to face England as part of the 1897 Home Nations Championship. Rhapps joined a fairly inexperienced pack, which contained two other Rhondda players, Penygraig teammate Dai Evans and Llwynypia's Dick Hellings. The game ended in the largest win for Wales over the English to that date, but Wales failed to complete the competition after withdrawing from the

International Rugby Board World Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international competit ...

after the events of the Gould Affair. Although Wales were readmitted in 1898, Rhapps had ended his international rugby union career by switching to the rugby league code in 1897 when he joined Salford.Bale, John; Maguire, Joseph ''The Global Sports Arena: Athletic Talent Migration in an Interdependent World'', Routledge (1994) pg 30 Rhapps was successful during his time as a professional, playing as a Forward in

's 8–16 defeat by Swinton in the 1900 Challenge Cup Final during the 1899–1900 season at Fallowfield Stadium,

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, in front of a crowd of 17,864, and he won a

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playing as a forward for Other Nationalities (RL) while at Salford in the 9–3 victory over England at

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on Tuesday 5 April 1904, in the first ever international rugby league match. and gained the nickname "The Lion of Salford".

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 471. * 1897 Other Nationalities * 1904

Bibliography

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References

1876 births 1950 deaths 19th-century Welsh sportsmen 20th-century Welsh sportsmen Dual-code rugby internationals Other Nationalities rugby league team players Penygraig RFC players Rugby league forwards Rugby league players from Rhondda Cynon Taf Rugby union forwards Rugby union players from Rhondda Cynon Taf Salford Red Devils players Wales international rugby union players Welsh miners Welsh rugby league players Welsh rugby union players {{Wales-rugbyunion-bio-stub