Rees Stephens
Encyclopedia
Rees Stephens was a Welsh
international number 8 who played club rugby for Neath
. He won 32 caps for Wales
and was selected to play in the British Lions
on the 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand
. He was the son of a past Welsh rugby international, Glyn Stephens
, who was also president of the Welsh Rugby Union
Born in 1922 in Neath, Stephens played under-14s rugby for Wales and then after being accepted to Llandovery College, he played for Wales Secondary Schools. During the wars, Stephens played scratch rugby for many clubs while working as a miner. Initially a number eight, Stephens would later switch to the second row.
. Stephens had turned out against the French team in the 1945/46 'Victory' internationals, but his first capped games were during the 1947 Five Nations Championship
. The 1947 England game at the Cardiff Arms Park
saw Wales lose 9-6 though Stephens did manage to score a try in the game, one of only two he would manage in his long career. During the 1947/48 season, Stephens lost his position to the returning Les Manfield, but Stephens was back for Wales's final game of the 1948 Championship
game against Ireland. Over the next two years he would drop in and out of the Welsh squad, often through injury sometimes through selection choices, but in 1950 he and Bleddyn Williams
were chosen to represent the British Lions of their tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Australia
1950, 1950
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 number 8 who played club rugby for Neath
Neath RFC
Neath Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The first team is known as the Welsh All Blacks because of the team colours: black with only a white cross pattée as an emblem...
. He won 32 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...
and was selected to play in the British Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
on the 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand
1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
The British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1950 was the first post-war tour made by the Lions; there had not been one since 1938....
. He was the son of a past Welsh rugby international, Glyn Stephens
Glyn Stephens
Glyn Stephens was a Welsh international rugby union prop who played club rugby for Neath. He won 10 caps for Wales and captained his country...
, who was also president of 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...
Born in 1922 in Neath, Stephens played under-14s rugby for Wales and then after being accepted to Llandovery College, he played for Wales Secondary Schools. During the wars, Stephens played scratch rugby for many clubs while working as a miner. Initially a number eight, Stephens would later switch to the second row.
International career
Stephens made his official debut for the senior Wales team against England in 1947 under the captaincy of Haydn TannerHaydn Tanner
Haydn Tanner was a Welsh international rugby union player who also played for the British and Irish Lions and the Barbarians....
. Stephens had turned out against the French team in the 1945/46 'Victory' internationals, but his first capped games were during the 1947 Five Nations Championship
1947 Five Nations Championship
The 1947 Five Nations Championship was the eighteenth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-third series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between 1...
. The 1947 England game at the Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
saw Wales lose 9-6 though Stephens did manage to score a try in the game, one of only two he would manage in his long career. During the 1947/48 season, Stephens lost his position to the returning Les Manfield, but Stephens was back for Wales's final game of the 1948 Championship
1948 Five Nations Championship
The 1948 Five Nations Championship was the nineteenth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-fourth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between...
game against Ireland. Over the next two years he would drop in and out of the Welsh squad, often through injury sometimes through selection choices, but in 1950 he and Bleddyn Williams
Bleddyn Williams
Bleddyn Williams MBE , was a Welsh rugby union centre. He played in 22 internationals for Wales, captaining them five times, winning each time, and captained the British Lions in 1950 for some of their tour of Australia and New Zealand...
were chosen to represent the British Lions of their tour of Australia and New Zealand.
International matches played
Wales 1947, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957 1947, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957 1953 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957 1951British Lions
During the 1950 Lions tour, Stephens was chosen for the opening match against a joint Tasman regional team. During the game he injured his shoulder and would not be fit enough to play until the eleventh game of the tour. Although he played in two Australian tests, Stephens was not deemed to be bit enough to face the New Zealand All Blacks.Australia
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...
1950, 1950