Rees Thomas (1882–14 June 1926) 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 ...

back row player who was utilised usually as a flanker or Number 8. Thomas played club rugby for

Pontypool Pontypool ( ) is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire in South Wales. , it has a population of 29,062. Locat ...

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 ...

. He won eight caps 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 played between 1909 and 1913, representing Wales during two Triple Crown winning seasons.

Rugby career

Thomas was first selected to play for Wales in a friendly game against France in 1909 as a prop forward. He was reselected for the next game which was against Ireland in the final match of the

1909 Home Nations Championship The 1909 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-seventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 16 January and 20 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Although not offic ...

. The win over Ireland sealed a perfect tournament for Wales and made Thomas a Triple Crown tournament winner in his first competitive game. Thomas was not called upon for the 1910 Championship, but was back in the Wales team for the 1911 tournament. It was during the 1911 competition that Thomas scored his only points for Wales when he scored a try in the game against Scotland. A record eight tries were scored against Scotland by Wales, and Thomas was the only person not playing 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 ...

to score for the Welsh team in that game.Griffiths (1987), pg 4:15. Wales won all four of the games of the 1911 Championship giving Thomas his second Triple Crown win. Thomas played in two games of the 1912 Championship, both under the captaincy of

Dicky Owen Dicky Owen (17 November 1876 - 27 February 1932) was a Welsh international scrum-half who played club rugby for Swansea RFCSmith (1979), pg 132. Owen is seen as one of the greatest Welsh scrum-halves and won 35 caps for Wales between 1901 and 1 ...

. The first was a loss to England at

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

, followed by a more convincing display and a win at St Helen's over Scotland. At the end of 1912, Thomas was selected to represent Monmouthshire against the touring South African team. Thomas was one of three capped players in the Monmouthshire team, the others were Newport's Reg Plummer and Abertillery's

Jim Webb James Henry Webb Jr. (born February 9, 1946) is an American politician and author. He has served as a United States senator from Virginia, Secretary of the Navy, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Counsel for the United States ...

.Billot (1974), pg 77. Although the South African's won 16–0, Thomas was chosen to play for Wales when they faced the same touring South African team. Wales lost to the South Africans at

Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park (), also known as The Arms Park, is primarily a rugby union stadium, and also has a bowling green. It is situated in Cardiff, Wales, next to the Millennium Stadium. The Arms Park was host to the 1958 British Empire and Common ...

, their first defeat in Cardiff since 1899.Griffiths (1987), pg 4:16. This was followed by a defeat by England on the same pitch a month later, which was Thomas last game for his country, and was seen as the end of the First Golden Age of Welsh rugby.

International matches

WalesSmith (1980), pg 472. * 1912, 1913 * 1909, 1911 * 1909 * 1912 * 1911, 1912

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Rees 1882 births 1926 deaths Monmouthshire County RFC players Pontypool RFC players Rugby union flankers Rugby union players from Monmouthshire Talywain RFC players Wales international rugby union players Welsh miners Welsh rugby union players People from Caldicot, Monmouthshire