Dai Westacott
Encyclopedia
David "Dai" Westacott was a Welsh
international rugby union
forward who played club rugby for Cardiff
. Westacott played a single international game for Wales
, in 1906, and faced the Original All Blacks as part of the Glamorgan county team in 1905.
as an extra back, New Zealand won 9-0. Despite turning out for Glamorgan on the 21 December, Westacott was not part of the Cardiff side to face the tourists just five days later
After cometing in all 30 games of the 1904/05 season for Cardiff, and facing the All Blacks for Glamorgan, Westacott was selected for his one and only international cap for the Wales team in the 1906 Home Nations Championship
. Wales had won the Triple Crown
the previous season, and had already defeated both England and Scotland in the 1906 campaign; so a win over Ireland would give the team back to back Championships. The Welsh selectors changed the team foramtion by dropping Billy Trew
from centre and bringing in an extra forward. Three new Welsh caps were brought into the pack, Westacott, Cardiff team mate Jack Powell
and Llanelli's
Tom Evans
. The Irish played an incredible game, and even though they finished the game with only thirteen men on the field due to injuries, were still able to beat Wales by a five point margin. Westacott was dropped for the next Wales international and never represented his country again.
Despite the fact that Westacott was no longer part of the Wales team, he continued playing for Cardiff, and in 1908 was part of the senior XV to face the 1908 touring
Australian team
. The game ended in the Australian's biggest loss of the tour, with Cardiff winning 24-8. Westacott was at the centre of an on-pitch incident, after Australian lock Albert Burge
, was sent off after 'brutally' kicking Westacott who was prone on the ground. Westacott continued to play for Cardiff until the 1909/10 season.
Westacott's son, also David "Dai" Westacott, like his father, played for Cardiff RFC. Dai played 45 games for the Cardiff senior team during the seasons 1929 to 1932, though was never capped internationally.
, Westacott joined the British Army
. As a private he was posted to the Gloucestershire Regiment in the 61st Division. As part of the 144th Brigade, Westacott was part of a British advance on German positions at Springfield Farm on 27 August 1917. After taking the bunker positions around the farm, Westacott was killed in action the following day, and he is commemorated at Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke in Belgium.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
international rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
forward who played club rugby for Cardiff
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
. Westacott played a single international game for Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
, in 1906, and faced the Original All Blacks as part of the Glamorgan county team in 1905.
Rugby career
Westacott first came to note as a rugby player when he was selected for his school side, Grangetown National. In 1903 Westacott joined his city's premier rugby club, Cardiff. Westacott played seven seasons at Cardiff, turning out for 120 games for his club. In 1905 Westacott was selected for the Glamorgan county side to face the first touring New Zealand team. Wales had just beaten New Zealand in a match dubbed the "Game of the Century" by the British press. Several of the Welsh internationals who had face the All Blacks, reneged on a promise to turn out for the Glamorgan team, so several positions needed to be hastily filled. Westacott was one of five Cardiff players to join the Glamorgan squad, none had been part of the victorious Welsh team of five days earlier. Despite some early pressure from Glamorgan, and excellent work from GibbsReggie Gibbs
Reginald "Reggie" Arthur Gibbs was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Penarth and Cardiff. He was capped 16 times for his country and captained his team on one occasion...
as an extra back, New Zealand won 9-0. Despite turning out for Glamorgan on the 21 December, Westacott was not part of the Cardiff side to face the tourists just five days later
After cometing in all 30 games of the 1904/05 season for Cardiff, and facing the All Blacks for Glamorgan, Westacott was selected for his one and only international cap for the Wales team in the 1906 Home Nations Championship
1906 Home Nations Championship
The 1906 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-fourth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 13 January and 17 March...
. Wales had won the Triple Crown
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
the previous season, and had already defeated both England and Scotland in the 1906 campaign; so a win over Ireland would give the team back to back Championships. The Welsh selectors changed the team foramtion by dropping Billy Trew
Billy Trew
Billy Trew was a Welsh international centre, outside half and wing who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Football Club. He won 29 caps for Wales and is seen as one of the key players of the first Golden Age of Welsh rugby union...
from centre and bringing in an extra forward. Three new Welsh caps were brought into the pack, Westacott, Cardiff team mate Jack Powell
Jack Powell (rugby player born 1882)
John "Jack" Anderson Powell was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff and London Welsh...
and Llanelli's
Llanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
Tom Evans
Tom Evans (rugby player)
Thomas "Tom" Henry Evans was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Llanelli. Evans played in eighteen international games for Wales, and in 1908 was part of the Welsh team that faced touring Australian team...
. The Irish played an incredible game, and even though they finished the game with only thirteen men on the field due to injuries, were still able to beat Wales by a five point margin. Westacott was dropped for the next Wales international and never represented his country again.
Despite the fact that Westacott was no longer part of the Wales team, he continued playing for Cardiff, and in 1908 was part of the senior XV to face the 1908 touring
1908-09 Australia rugby union tour of Britain
The 1908-09 Australia rugby union tour of the British Isles was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the Australia national rugby union team against invitational and national teams from England and Wales, as well as several games against sides from North America...
Australian team
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
. The game ended in the Australian's biggest loss of the tour, with Cardiff winning 24-8. Westacott was at the centre of an on-pitch incident, after Australian lock Albert Burge
Albert Burge
Albert Bentley "Son" Burge was an Australian rugby union lock who played with the Souths rugby union club in Sydney and at the age of nineteen was selected for the Australian national team in two Tests against New Zealand in 1907....
, was sent off after 'brutally' kicking Westacott who was prone on the ground. Westacott continued to play for Cardiff until the 1909/10 season.
Westacott's son, also David "Dai" Westacott, like his father, played for Cardiff RFC. Dai played 45 games for the Cardiff senior team during the seasons 1929 to 1932, though was never capped internationally.
Military career
With the outbreak of the First World WarWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Westacott joined the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. As a private he was posted to the Gloucestershire Regiment in the 61st Division. As part of the 144th Brigade, Westacott was part of a British advance on German positions at Springfield Farm on 27 August 1917. After taking the bunker positions around the farm, Westacott was killed in action the following day, and he is commemorated at Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke in Belgium.