David Gwynn
Encyclopedia
David 'Dai' Gwynn was a Welsh
international rugby union
wing who played club rugby for Swansea
and county rugby for Lancashire. Gwynn played for Wales
on six occasions and was the brother of William Gwynn
, who also played international rugby for Wales.
, this was the first home game played by Wales, and the match at St. Helen's ended in another defeat to Wales at the hands of the English. This was Gwynn's last international match for just over four years, and during this period his brother played for Wales five times and the brothers never played in the same team national team together. When Gwynn was selected again, it was for the 1887 Home Nations Championship
in a game against Scotland. Gwynn found himself on the losing side for a second time and was forced to wait another three years before his was selected to play for his country again. When Gwynn was reselected he was chosen to face England as part of the 1890 Championship
, which saw Wales beat the English for the very first time, thanks to a try
from William Stadden
. This was followed by a draw against Ireland as part of the same tournament.
Gwynn played two final games for Wales, the Scotland and Ireland matches of the 1891 Championship
. Gwynn moved north and played for Oldham
during this period, though continued to turn out for Swansea when he could. He was joined at Oldham by William McCutcheon
who not only played for Swansea, but also represented Lancashire with Gwynn at county level. When Gwynn left the sport of rugby, he became heavily associated with Swansea Cricket Club and umpired for the club.
code to the rugby league
code on the 29th August 1895, David Gwynn would have been approximately 34 years of age. Consequently, he may have been both a rugby union and rugby league footballer for Oldham.
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...
wing who played club rugby for Swansea
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. The team is sometimes known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip...
and county rugby for Lancashire. Gwynn played 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...
on six occasions and was the brother of William Gwynn
William Gwynn
William Gwynn was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea and would later become secretary of the Welsh Rugby Union. Gwynn was an all-round sportsman and as well as his success on the rugby pitch he also player cricket for Swansea, of which he became...
, who also played international rugby for Wales.
Rugby career
Gwynn made his first club appearance for Swansea in 1878 and in 1882 he was part of the third Welsh national team. Under the captaincy of Charles LewisCharles Lewis (rugby player)
Charles Prytherch Lewis was a Welsh international rugby union player, who won five caps between 1882 and 1884.-Life:...
, this was the first home game played by Wales, and the match at St. Helen's ended in another defeat to Wales at the hands of the English. This was Gwynn's last international match for just over four years, and during this period his brother played for Wales five times and the brothers never played in the same team national team together. When Gwynn was selected again, it was for the 1887 Home Nations Championship
1887 Home Nations Championship
The 1887 Home Nations Championship was the fifth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 8 January and 12 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
in a game against Scotland. Gwynn found himself on the losing side for a second time and was forced to wait another three years before his was selected to play for his country again. When Gwynn was reselected he was chosen to face England as part of the 1890 Championship
1890 Home Nations Championship
The 1890 Home Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 1 February and 15 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:...
, which saw Wales beat the English for the very first time, thanks to a try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
from William Stadden
William Stadden
William James Wood "Buller" Stadden was a Welsh international rugby union half back who played club rugby for Cardiff and Dewsbury. Stadden won eight caps for Wales over a period of seven years and is most remembered for scoring the winning try in 1890 to give Wales their first victory over England...
. This was followed by a draw against Ireland as part of the same tournament.
Gwynn played two final games for Wales, the Scotland and Ireland matches of the 1891 Championship
1891 Home Nations Championship
The 1891 Home Nations Championship was the ninth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 3 January and 7 March...
. Gwynn moved north and played for Oldham
Oldham Roughyeds
Oldham Roughyeds is an English professional rugby league club based in Oldham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Championship One. Oldham is one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895....
during this period, though continued to turn out for Swansea when he could. He was joined at Oldham by William McCutcheon
William McCutcheon
William 'Billy' McCutcheon was a Welsh international rugby wing who played club rugby in the union code for Swansea and represented Oldham under the league code...
who not only played for Swansea, but also represented Lancashire with Gwynn at county level. When Gwynn left the sport of rugby, he became heavily associated with Swansea Cricket Club and umpired for the club.
Change of Code
When Oldham converted from the rugby unionRugby 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...
code to the rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
code on the 29th August 1895, David Gwynn would have been approximately 34 years of age. Consequently, he may have been both a rugby union and rugby league footballer for Oldham.