Fred Birt
Encyclopedia
Fred Birt was a Welsh
international, rugby union
centre who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby with Monmouthshire
. He won seven caps for Wales
but is most notable for his outstanding performance against the 1912 touring South African team for Newport. He was also a member of the Wales bowls team.
side. The Springboks match took place on 24 October and Birt was central to the result. The Springboks played 27 games on the tour and only lost three, the first was to Newport. In the first half Birt kicked a drop goal, and the South African Meintjies shook his hand after he did so. In the second half the Springboks came back, scoring a try, but failed to complete the conversion leaving Newport still a point ahead. Newport won the game when after the Welsh kicked the ball towards the South African posts that van der Hoff failed to smother; Birt pounced on the loose ball and not only scored a try, but also completed the conversion. Newport won 9-3, all none points scored by Fred Birt.
Birt's first international appearance for Wales was in a win against England on 28 January 1911. In the game at St Helens
and under the captaincy of Billy Trew
, Birt scored his first points for Wales with a penalty goal. Birt scored his only other Welsh points with a drop goal against Scotland in 1912, and ended his international career a year later against England.
1911, 1912, 1913 Ireland
1912, Scotland
1911, 1912 South Africa
1912
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...
centre who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby with Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire County RFC
Monmouthshire County RFC is a Welsh rugby union club that manages an invitational team, known as Monmouthshire that originally played rugby at county level...
. He won seven caps 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...
but is most notable for his outstanding performance against the 1912 touring South African team for Newport. He was also a member of the Wales bowls team.
Rugby career
Birt had an early connection with the game of rugby, and as a youth was a ball boy for Welsh rugby legend, Arthur Gould at Newport. He joined the club as a senior and was a member of the First XV in the 1906/07 season. In 1912 Birt was part of the Newport team that faced the touring South African1912-13 South Africa rugby union tour
The 1912–13 South Africa rugby union tour was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the South Africa national rugby union team against England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and France. The tour also took in several matches against British and Irish club, county and invitational teams...
side. The Springboks match took place on 24 October and Birt was central to the result. The Springboks played 27 games on the tour and only lost three, the first was to Newport. In the first half Birt kicked a drop goal, and the South African Meintjies shook his hand after he did so. In the second half the Springboks came back, scoring a try, but failed to complete the conversion leaving Newport still a point ahead. Newport won the game when after the Welsh kicked the ball towards the South African posts that van der Hoff failed to smother; Birt pounced on the loose ball and not only scored a try, but also completed the conversion. Newport won 9-3, all none points scored by Fred Birt.
Birt's first international appearance for Wales was in a win against England on 28 January 1911. In the game at St Helens
St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground
St. Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground is a spectator venue in Swansea, Wales. It is used for both rugby and cricket.It is owned and operated by the City and County of Swansea council and is also used to host the local annual Guy Fawkes night fireworks display.-History:Since the ground opened in...
and under the captaincy of 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...
, Birt scored his first points for Wales with a penalty goal. Birt scored his only other Welsh points with a drop goal against Scotland in 1912, and ended his international career a year later against England.
International matches played
Wales EnglandEngland national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
1911, 1912, 1913 Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
1912, Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
1911, 1912 South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
1912