Nathaniel Walters
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel "Danny" Walters (23 May 1875 - 22 February 1956) was a Welsh
rugby union
forward who played club rugby for Llanelli
and international rugby for Wales
.
which was played away from home against England. Walters was one of seven new caps for Wales for the game, including Doctor Teddy Morgan
on the wing. Joining Walters in the pack were international debuts for Will Osborne
, Will Joseph
, Arthur Harding
and Dai "Tarw" Jones. Adding to the unfamiliarity of the forwards was the fact that of the eight men, only Jehoida Hodges
and George Boots
played for the same club as each other. Under the captaincy of Gwyn Nicholls
, the Welsh were victorious by a single point, thanks to a penalty goal from John Strand-Jones
. Despite the win, Walters was the only member of the Welsh pack to lose his place for the next game, being replaced by Harry Jones
of Penygraig
. Although Walter did not play any further international matches, the Wales team won all three Home Nations matches that season, making Walters a Triple Crown
winning player.
Walters continued to play for Llanelli long after his international career came to an end, and captained his club's first team through three seasons; 1901–02, 1902–03 and 1906-07. In 1906, Walters led Llanelli against Paul Roos
touring South African team at Stradey Park
.
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...
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 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...
and international rugby 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...
.
Rugby career
Walters was awarded his one and only international cap while representing his home team of Llanelli. He was chosen for the opening game of the 1902 Home Nations Championship1902 Home Nations Championship
The 1902 Home Nations Championship was the twentieth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 11 January and 15 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
which was played away from home against England. Walters was one of seven new caps for Wales for the game, including Doctor Teddy Morgan
Teddy Morgan
Edward "Teddy" Morgan was a Welsh international rugby union player. He was a member of the winning Wales team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks and is remembered for scoring the winning try...
on the wing. Joining Walters in the pack were international debuts for Will Osborne
Will Osborne
William Osborne was a Welsh international rugby forward who played rugby union for Mountain Ash and Glamorgan Police. Osborne played in six international matches, becoming a Triple Crown winner when he played for Wales in all three matches of the 1902 Home Nations Championship...
, Will Joseph
Will Joseph
Will Joseph was a Welsh international rugby union player. He was a member of the winning Welsh team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks. He played club rugby for Swansea and county rugby for Glamorgan....
, Arthur Harding
Arthur Harding
Arthur Flowers Harding was an English-born international rugby union player who played for and captained the Wales national team. Often called 'Boxer' Harding, he was a member of the winning Wales team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks in a game considered one of the greatest in the history of...
and Dai "Tarw" Jones. Adding to the unfamiliarity of the forwards was the fact that of the eight men, only Jehoida Hodges
Jehoida Hodges
Joseph Jehoida Hodges was a Welsh international rugby union player. He was a member of the winning Welsh team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks...
and George Boots
George Boots
John George Boots was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby with Monmouthshire. He won 16 caps for Wales....
played for the same club as each other. Under the captaincy of Gwyn Nicholls
Gwyn Nicholls
Erith Gwyn Nicholls was a Welsh rugby union player who gained 24 caps for Wales as a centre. Nicholls was known as the "Prince of Threequarters"....
, the Welsh were victorious by a single point, thanks to a penalty goal from John Strand-Jones
John Strand-Jones
John Strand-Jones was a Welsh rugby union player, who represented the Wales national rugby union team on five occasions in 1902 and 1903.-Life:...
. Despite the win, Walters was the only member of the Welsh pack to lose his place for the next game, being replaced by Harry Jones
Harry Jones (rugby player)
Harry Jones was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Penygraig and county rugby for Glamorgan. Jones played in just two international matches, but became a Triple Crown winner when he represented Wales during the 1902 Home Nations Championship.-Rugby career:Although...
of Penygraig
Penygraig RFC
Penygraig Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Penygraig, Wales. Penygraig RFC formed in 1877, one of the earlier rugby clubs to emerge, and by 1890's were a strong voice in the Welsh Rugby Union, one of four clubs from the Rhondda Valley that held WRU representation.-Early...
. Although Walter did not play any further international matches, the Wales team won all three Home Nations matches that season, making Walters a 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...
winning player.
Walters continued to play for Llanelli long after his international career came to an end, and captained his club's first team through three seasons; 1901–02, 1902–03 and 1906-07. In 1906, Walters led Llanelli against Paul Roos
Paul Roos (rugby player)
Paul Johannes Roos was one of the first South African Springbok rugby union captains and led the first South African rugby team to tour overseas – to Britain in 1906...
touring South African team at Stradey Park
Stradey Park
Stradey Park was a rugby union stadium located near the centre of the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was the home of the Scarlets region and Llanelli RFC rugby teams. The stadium was a combination of seating and standing with a total capacity of 10,800...
.