James Bevan
Encyclopedia
James Bevan was a Wales
international rugby union
three-quarter who played club rugby for Clifton RFC and Newport. He is best known for being the first Welsh international captain, whilst at Cambridge University.
, Australia, Bevan moved to England after his parents, James and Elizabeth, died when the SS London
sank in a gale in the Bay of Biscay
on 11 January 1866. He attended Hereford Cathedral School
, and played for Abergavenny
before attending university at St John's College, Cambridge
. Bevan played for Cambridge University
, and while with Cambridge was selected to captain the very first Welsh international
, against England.
The Rugby Football Union
insisted that the England vs Wales match be played on 19 February 1881. This was the same day that Swansea
were playing Llanelli
at Neath in a semi-final cup-tie thus depriving Wales of several players. This was Wales's first international, organised before the Welsh Rugby Union
was set up. The players had never played together before, though one player, Major Richard Summers
, was selected for Wales on his performances a couple of years earlier for his school, Cheltenham College, in matches against Cardiff and Newport. No formal invitations to play were sent out to the Welsh XV. Two of those expected to appear didn't turn up, so bystanders, university undergraduates with tenuous Welsh links who had travelled to London to see the match, were called in to play for Wales.
It was a humiliating defeat for the Welsh team and Bevan never played for Wales again (under modern scoring values Wales lost 82-0). A month after the match the WRFU was founded at the Castle Hotel, Neath on 12 March 1881.
Bevan later became an Anglican clergyman.
The James Bevan Trophy
was named in his honour to celebrate 100 years of Test Rugby.
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...
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...
three-quarter who played club rugby for Clifton RFC and Newport. He is best known for being the first Welsh international captain, whilst at Cambridge University.
Rugby career
Born in St Kilda, VictoriaSt Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
, Australia, Bevan moved to England after his parents, James and Elizabeth, died when the SS London
SS London
London was the name of a number of steamships., a London, Brighton and South Coast Railway steamshio, a steamship which sank in the Bay of Biscay in 1866....
sank in a gale in the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
on 11 January 1866. He attended Hereford Cathedral School
Hereford Cathedral School
Hereford Cathedral School is an independent, co-educational day school, with around 520 pupils aged between the ages of 11 and 18. It has four houses, named Langford , Stuart , Somerset and Cornwall Hereford Cathedral School is an independent, co-educational day school, with around 520 pupils aged...
, and played for Abergavenny
Abergavenny RFC
Abergavenny Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club team based in Abergavenny. Today, Abergavenny RFC plays in the Welsh Rugby Union Division Three East league and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons....
before attending university at St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
. Bevan played for Cambridge University
Cambridge University R.U.F.C.
The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club, or CURUFC, is the rugby union club of Cambridge University, and plays Oxford University in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham stadium every December. CURUFC players wear light blue and white hooped jerseys with a red lion crest...
, and while with Cambridge was selected to captain the very first Welsh international
1880-81 Home Nations rugby union matches
The 1880-81 Home Nations rugby union matches were a series of international rugby union friendlies held between the England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales national rugby union teams. This season is most notable for the introduction of Wales as an international rugby union nation, playing their first...
, against England.
The Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
insisted that the England vs Wales match be played on 19 February 1881. This was the same day that 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...
were playing Llanelli
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...
at Neath in a semi-final cup-tie thus depriving Wales of several players. This was Wales's first international, organised before the Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
was set up. The players had never played together before, though one player, Major Richard Summers
Richard Summers
Richard Henry Bowlas Summers was a Welsh rugby union fullback who played club rugby for Haverfordwest and international rugby for Wales...
, was selected for Wales on his performances a couple of years earlier for his school, Cheltenham College, in matches against Cardiff and Newport. No formal invitations to play were sent out to the Welsh XV. Two of those expected to appear didn't turn up, so bystanders, university undergraduates with tenuous Welsh links who had travelled to London to see the match, were called in to play for Wales.
It was a humiliating defeat for the Welsh team and Bevan never played for Wales again (under modern scoring values Wales lost 82-0). A month after the match the WRFU was founded at the Castle Hotel, Neath on 12 March 1881.
Bevan later became an Anglican clergyman.
The James Bevan Trophy
James Bevan Trophy
The James Bevan Trophy is a rugby union trophy which was created in 2007, and named after James Bevan, the Welsh Australian who was the first ever captain of the Wales rugby union team. The trophy was established after a decision on 10 May 2007 by the Welsh and Australian rugby unions to celebrate...
was named in his honour to celebrate 100 years of Test Rugby.
External links
- James Bevan biography Clifton RFC