James Edward Nelson

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(16 September 1921 – 13 June 2014)JIMMY NELSON OBE - RIP
/ref> was a rugby union international who represented

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

from 1947 to 1954.Jimmy Nelson Profile on scrum.com
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Early life and career

James Edward Nelson was born on 16 September 1921 in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

. He became a qualified accountant

Rugby union career

Nelson played his senior rugby for the Malone club. Nelson made his international debut on 6 December 1947 at

Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium (, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for the Aviva Stadium on ...

in the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

match and went on to play a further fifteen times for Ireland In 1950 he toured Australasia with the British Lions and he played in 19 games, including the four test matches. Of the twenty test matches he played for his national side and the Lions, he was on the winning side on eleven occasions. He played his final match for Ireland on 23 January 1954 at

Colombes Colombes () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. In 2019, Colombes was the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 53rd largest city in France. ...

in the

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

match. He also played nine games for the

Barbarian A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

s and captained the side against Cardiff in 1951 and also South Africa in 1952. He went on to serve on the Barbarians' committee from 1963 to 1967 and in 1982 was president of the IRFU.www.barbarianfc.co.uk official site
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References

1921 births 2014 deaths Irish rugby union players Ireland international rugby union players Rugby union locks British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Ireland Barbarian F.C. players Malone RFC players Ulster Rugby players Officers of the Order of the British Empire Rugby union players from Belfast {{Ireland-rugbyunion-bio-stub