James Bridie (19 September 1857 – third ¼ 1893) was a Scottish-born

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 ...

Centre who played club

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 Newport and county rugby for

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 ...

Rugby career

Bridie was born in

Greenock Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...

in 1857 and was educated in Madras College, St. Andrews, before moving to Wales. In the 1881 census he was described as a rope agent and was living in the centre of Cardiff with his wife Marion. Although playing for several south-eastern Welsh clubs, he is most notable as a Newport player. During the 1885/1886 season, Bridie had found work in

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

, and left behind his connections with Welsh rugby. Still wishing to continue playing rugby he joined local club Manningham FC. After just playing one game for Manningham he turned out for bitter rivals

, before switching back to Manningham FC.Collins (1998), pg 56. The Manningham supporters, created a chant based on the derogatory nursery rhyme, Taffy was a Welshman; despite the fact that Bridie was deemed not to be Welsh by the Scottish rugby fraternity. :: Bridie was a Welshman :: Bradford was a thief. :: Bradford came to our house, :: and now we are in grief.

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridie, James 1857 births 1893 deaths Bradford F.C. players Cardiff RFC players Greenock Wanderers RFC players Manningham F.C. players Monmouthshire County RFC players Newport RFC players Penarth RFC players People educated at Madras College Rugby union players from Greenock Rugby union scrum-halves Scottish rugby union players Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players