1910 British Lions tour to Argentina
Encyclopedia
The 1910 British Lions
tour to Argentina
is a retrospective term applied to the tour of Argentina made by a side made up of 16 English players and 3 Scots. The organisers of the tour named the team the "English Rugby Union team", but the host country advertised the touring team as the Combined British. The 1910 team has been termed as one of the three "lost lions" tours, and is detailed on the British and Irish Lions official website. For Argentina, this tour marked the start of international rugby union and the test against the Combined British on 12 June 1910 was the first Test in the Argentine national team
's history.
for the fourth time, being the eighth outing of a British touring side at this point. The South African tour was, however, the first official tour, in that it had the official sanction of the four home unions. Concurrently, RV Stanley, more famously known as Major Stanley of Oxford, later an England selector, organised a side to tour Argentina. John Raphael
, the England fullback, was selected as the captain of this team, branded by Stanley as the England Rugby Union team. The hosts referred to the team as the Combined British, perhaps more appropriate given the squad included three Scots.
The Combined British played six matches, winning them all, including a victory over Argentina in their first ever test on 12 June 1910.
Other members of the team were:
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
tour to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
is a retrospective term applied to the tour of Argentina made by a side made up of 16 English players and 3 Scots. The organisers of the tour named the team the "English Rugby Union team", but the host country advertised the touring team as the Combined British. The 1910 team has been termed as one of the three "lost lions" tours, and is detailed on the British and Irish Lions official website. For Argentina, this tour marked the start of international rugby union and the test against the Combined British on 12 June 1910 was the first Test in the Argentine national team
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
's history.
History
In 1910, a British side toured South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
for the fourth time, being the eighth outing of a British touring side at this point. The South African tour was, however, the first official tour, in that it had the official sanction of the four home unions. Concurrently, RV Stanley, more famously known as Major Stanley of Oxford, later an England selector, organised a side to tour Argentina. John Raphael
John Raphael (sportsman)
John Edward Raphael was a Belgian born English sportsman who was capped nine times for England at rugby union and played first-class cricket with Surrey.-Biography:...
, the England fullback, was selected as the captain of this team, branded by Stanley as the England Rugby Union team. The hosts referred to the team as the Combined British, perhaps more appropriate given the squad included three Scots.
The Combined British played six matches, winning them all, including a victory over Argentina in their first ever test on 12 June 1910.
Combined British
Of those representing the Combined British, only four had played international rugby previously. They were:- John RaphaelJohn Raphael (sportsman)John Edward Raphael was a Belgian born English sportsman who was capped nine times for England at rugby union and played first-class cricket with Surrey.-Biography:...
, (Old Merchants Taylors'Old Merchant Taylors' FCThis article concerns the rugby club. For a list of eminent Old Merchant Taylors' please see Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood#Old Merchant Taylors ...
, Oxford UniversityOxford University RFCThe Oxford University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Oxford. The club contests The Varsity Match every year against Cambridge University at Twickenham.-History:...
, SurreySurrey Rugby Football UnionThe Surrey County Rugby Football Union is the union responsible for rugby union in the county of Surrey, England and is one of the constituent bodies of the national Rugby Football Union having been formed in 1879.-Early years of County representative team:...
) played fullback for England (also a notable cricket); - Alexander Palmer, (London HospitalBarts and the London RFCSt Barts and The Royal London RFC is the name given to the modern amalgam of two formerly distinct hospital rugby clubs each with a long history, having both been founded in the 1860s...
, HarlequinsHarlequin F.C.The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
) a New Zealander who played on the wing for England - Barrie (Barzillai Beckerleg) Bennetts, (Penzance RFCPenzance RFCPenzance RFC formed in 1876, was a rugby union club based in Penzance, Cornwall, UK.-1870-1914:The first recorded rugby match in Penzance is from 1870, played in the grounds of Poltair House, Heamoor and organised by W Borlase of Marlborough School...
and Cornwall) played on the wing for England - Anthony Henniker-GotleyAnthony Henniker-GotleyAnthony Henniker-Gotley was a rugby union international who represented England from 1910 to 1911. He also captained that country.-Early life:...
, (Oxford UniversityOxford University RFCThe Oxford University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Oxford. The club contests The Varsity Match every year against Cambridge University at Twickenham.-History:...
, Kent, Blackheath) played at halfback for England
Other members of the team were:
- Harold Gordon Monks (Liverpool Old Boys, Wigan RFC and LancashireLancashire County Rugby Football UnionThe Lancashire County Rugby Football Union is the society responsible for rugby union in the county of Lancashire, England and is one of the constituent bodies of the national Rugby Football Union having been formed in 1881...
) - Horace Evelyn Ward (HarlequinsHarlequin F.C.The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
and MiddlesexMiddlesex Rugby Football UnionMiddlesex Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in Middlesex, England; Middlesex is a historic county of England that has since been divided up and shared between Greater London, Surrey and Hertfordshire though the appellation is still in use when referring to sport, businesses...
) - E.S. Holmwood (Kent)
- William Lovat FraserWilliam Lovat FraserWilliam Lovat Fraser was a Scottish sportsman who played both cricket and rugby union at an international level, representing Scotland in cricket and touring Argentina with the 1910 Combined British rugby union side, an early incarnation of the British and Irish Lions.-Early life:William Lovat...
(Merchistonian FCMerchistonian FCMerchistonian Football Club was a rugby football team based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was for former pupils of Merchiston Castle School. However, as Allan Massie notes, because it was a boarding school, unlike some of the other private schools in Edinburgh, a lot of the former pupils would...
) - Edward Newman FullerEdward Newman FullerEdward Newman Fuller was an English sportsman who played rugby union at an international level, touring Argentina with the 1910 Combined British rugby union side, an early incarnation of the British and Irish Lions.-Early life:...
(Old Merchants Taylors'Old Merchant Taylors' FCThis article concerns the rugby club. For a list of eminent Old Merchant Taylors' please see Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood#Old Merchant Taylors ...
, Cambridge UniversityCambridge 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 Kent) - John Francis Ashby (Cheshire)
- Robert Bertram Waddell (Glasgow Academicals RFCGlasgow Academicals RFCThe Glasgow Academical Football Club is one of the oldest rugby football clubs in Scotland. This history is notable for a number of reasons, including the clubs longevity, its early foundation in the timeline of rugby, and the fact that the club produced many internationals...
) - Henry John Fraser
- Walter Legh Huntingford (United ServicesUnited Services Portsmouth Rugby Football ClubThe United Services Portsmouth RFC is a long established rugby union club that although no longer in the top flight of English rugby has a strong history boasting a number of former international players as well as formerly being a regular feature on the fixture list of touring international teams...
, Blackheath and SurreySurrey Rugby Football UnionThe Surrey County Rugby Football Union is the union responsible for rugby union in the county of Surrey, England and is one of the constituent bodies of the national Rugby Football Union having been formed in 1879.-Early years of County representative team:...
) - Robin Harrison (Northampton RFC, Midlands and the South)
- Whalley S Stranach (Guy’s HospitalGuy's, Kings and St. Thomas' Rugby Football ClubGuy's, Kings and St. Thomas' Rugby Football Club is the name given to the modern amalgam of three formerly distinct hospital rugby clubs each with a long history, having all been founded in the nineteenth century. The teams from Guy's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital were the first to merge...
and Kent and English Trials) - Stanley Herbert Smith (Cumberland)
- Martin TweedMartin TweedMartin Tweed was an eminent medical doctor and sportsman from New Zealand who played rugby union at an international level, touring Argentina with the 1910 Combined British rugby union side, an early incarnation of the British and Irish Lions.-Early life:...
(Guy’s HospitalGuy's, Kings and St. Thomas' Rugby Football ClubGuy's, Kings and St. Thomas' Rugby Football Club is the name given to the modern amalgam of three formerly distinct hospital rugby clubs each with a long history, having all been founded in the nineteenth century. The teams from Guy's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital were the first to merge...
) - Percy Robert DigglePercy Robert DigglePercy Robert Diggle was an English sportsman who played rugby union at an international level, touring Argentina with the 1910 Combined British rugby union side, an early incarnation of the British and Irish Lions.-Early life:...
(Oxford UniversityOxford University RFCThe Oxford University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Oxford. The club contests The Varsity Match every year against Cambridge University at Twickenham.-History:...
and Cumberland) - Peter Denny StrangPeter Denny StrangPeter Denny Strang was an English sportsman who played rugby union at an international level, touring Argentina with the 1910 Combined British rugby union side, an early incarnation of the British and Irish Lions.-Early life:...
(Old Merchants Taylors'Old Merchant Taylors' FCThis article concerns the rugby club. For a list of eminent Old Merchant Taylors' please see Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood#Old Merchant Taylors ...
and SurreySurrey Rugby Football UnionThe Surrey County Rugby Football Union is the union responsible for rugby union in the county of Surrey, England and is one of the constituent bodies of the national Rugby Football Union having been formed in 1879.-Early years of County representative team:...
) - SH Milnes
- Henry Whitehead (Manchester AC, LancashireLancashire County Rugby Football UnionThe Lancashire County Rugby Football Union is the society responsible for rugby union in the county of Lancashire, England and is one of the constituent bodies of the national Rugby Football Union having been formed in 1881...
and North of England)
Results
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match 1 | 26 May | Olímpicos A (Argentina A) | Won | 13-17 | |
| Match 2 | 29 May | Belgrano Belgrano Athletic Club Belgrano Athletic Club is an amateur sports club from the Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. One of Argentina's oldest institutions still in existence, Belgrano is one of the four clubs that founded the Argentine Rugby Union.... |
Won | 0-58 | |
| Match 3 | 2 June | Argentina B | Won | 5-39 | |
| Match 4 | 6 June | Buenos Aires Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires This article is about a Rugby organization. URBA can also refer to the URBA mass transport system.The Buenos Aires Rugby Union , usually referred as URBA, is the governing body that organises and controls the rugby union in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, as well as the Buenos Aires Provincial... |
Won | 0-28 | |
| Match 5 | 12 June | Flores Flores, Buenos Aires Flores is a middle class barrio or district in the centre part of Buenos Aires city, Argentina. Flores was considered a rural area of the Province of Buenos Aires until 1888 when it was integrated to the City.... |
Won | 3-28 | |
| Match 6 | 17 June | Argentinos (Nativos = Argentine born) | Won | 10-41 |