Edward Morgan (22 May 1880 – 1 September 1949) 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 ...

player. He was a member of the victorious

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 ...

team who beat the 1905 touring

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

in the famous '' Match of the Century'' and is remembered for scoring the game's winning try. He played club rugby for

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club () was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons, after gaining promotion from ...

and

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

Career

Morgan became a general practitioner in Sketty, Swansea before moving to a new practice in East Anglia. While at Sketty, another international rugby player joined his practice in the early 1920s, D Bertram, who would go on to be capped 11 times for Scotland. Morgan died on 1 September 1949 in North Walsham. In 2008, Morgan was celebrated by the local council when it was decided to raise a

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

at his birthplace to commemorate his life.

Rugby career

Wales

Morgan moved to London from Newport in 1902 to take up a post at Guy's Hospital, and played with

. It was while playing in London that Morgan earned his first international cap, for Wales against England. Morgan's career with Wales saw him score 14 tries from the wing, but his best-remembered was that scored against the Original All Blacks in the '' Match of the Century'' at Cardiff Arms Park on 16 December 1905. In the monumental match between the unbeaten All Blacks and the Triple Crown-winning Welsh team, Morgan is believed to have led his team in singing the Welsh national anthem in response to the New Zealanders' haka. This was the first time a national anthem had been sung at a sporting event. The strongly contested game was decided by a single score. In the twenty-fifth minute, Welsh scrum half Dicky Owen released the ball to Cliff Pritchard, who received the ball at ankle level before darting forward. Having run past Bob Dean, Pritchard released to Rhys Gabe who in turn found Morgan. Morgan dummied George Gillett and touched the ball down in the corner.Parry-Jones (1999), pg 152. After the match Morgan expressed disagreement with the referee's controversial decision to disallow a try claimed by New Zealand player

Bob Deans Robert George Deans (19 February 1884 – 30 September 1908) was a New Zealand and Canterbury rugby union footballer. In 1905, Deans entered New Zealand rugby folklore for his disallowed try against Wales in the famous '' Match of the Century''. ...

. A contemporary reporter stated "Morgan sprinted across from the left wing, and helped Winfield to save what otherwise would have been a try by tackling Deans before be grounded the ball, and, though a splendid effort was made by the centre threequarter to straggle over, timely reinforcements came to Morgan, and the ball was grounded between two and three feet from the line, though Deans considers he grounded the ball in goal. But the incident has been the subject of different accounts, with Cliff Pritchard, Rhys Gabe and Welsh captain Gwyn Nicholls claiming to have been among the tacklers and in a good position to see that the ball was grounded short of the line.Davis J. C
Old Welsh Rugby Heroes Foregather at the Microphone
'' The Referee'', Sydney, 13 February 1936, at TroveThomas (1979), pg39.Parry-Jones (1999), pg 156.

International games played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 467. * 1902, 1904, 1905, 1906 * 1908 * 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906 * 1905 * 1902, 1904, 1905, 1906 * 1906

British Isles

In 1904 Morgan was one of the Welsh players chosen to tour AustralasiaSmith (1980), pg 148. under the captaincy of Bedell-Sivright. Morgan would captain the British team against both Australia and New Zealand during this tour.

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Teddy 1880 births 1949 deaths Welsh rugby union players Wales international rugby union players 20th-century Welsh medical doctors Wales rugby union captains Rugby union players from Aberdare Newport RFC players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales Swansea RFC players Glamorgan County RFC players London Welsh RFC players Rugby union wings People educated at Christ College, Brecon Welsh cricketers Glamorgan cricketers Guy's Hospital RFC players