Arthur Gould
Encyclopedia
Arthur Joseph "Monkey" Gould (10 October 1864 – 2 January 1919) was a Welsh
international rugby union
centre and full back who was most associated as a club player with Newport Rugby Football Club. He won 27 caps
for Wales
, 18 as captain, and is considered the first superstar of Welsh rugby. Gould led Wales to the country's very first Home Nations Championship
and Triple Crown
titles in 1893; defining himself as a great player and captain in the match against England during the same tournament. Towards the end of his career Gould was at the centre of a controversy which saw Wales withdraw from international rugby for 12 months.
Gould was the most capped Welsh centre until Steve Fenwick
of Bridgend beat the record at Lansdowne Road
on 15 March 1980. He played 27 times for Wales, twice at full back and 25 at centre, ending his career against England on 9 January 1897. This last game was played in front of 17,000 supporters at Rodney Parade
; Wales won 11–0. It was the 18th time Gould had captained Wales and this record stood until broken by Ieuan Evans
in 1994.
A superb all round player and even-time sprinter with swerve, Gould could side-step and kick with either foot. He never ceased to practise to develop his fitness and skills. He was considered the outstanding player of his time.
in 1864. His father, Joseph, had moved to Newport from Oxford
to work in the brass foundry business, and was himself an ardent sportsman playing for the local cricket team.
His five brothers were all notable rugby players and athletes. Gould's brother Bob
was a forward who captained Newport during the 1886–87 season and played 11 times for Wales, once as captain versus Scotland
in 1887. A younger brother, Bert
, was a centre who played three times for Wales including in the same Welsh team as Gould that won the Triple Crown
for the first time in 1893. His other brothers were Harry, Gus and Wyatt
, and all three played rugby for Newport. Wyatt captained Newport in 1905–06 and Harry was present in the first season 1875–76. There was at least one of the six brothers in the Newport team for the club's first 29 seasons and Wyatt played until 1907. Wyatt also represented Great Britain in the 400m hurdles in the 1908 Summer Olympics
at White City
, London
.
From a young age Gould was known to all as 'Monk', taken from his childhood nickname 'Monkey' because of his youthful passion for climbing trees. Gould, like his brother Wyatt, was a keen athlete and made money during his years as a rugby player by entering track and field
meets. He finished third in the AAA 120 yard Hurdles
in 1887 and 1893.
. The Newport groundsman, John Butcher, had been sent by the club to collect the regular full back who hadn't shown for the game. Gould saw Butcher waiting outside the full back's home and approached the groundsman to discover that the player was at a funeral. Butcher offered Gould the position instead and he successfully persuaded the club to play him. Gould had a 'fairy-tale' start for his club, running in two tries, against his captain's wishes, as Charlie Newman
kept shouting for Gould to "Kick, kick!". Gould was never dropped from the Newport First XV from that day. In his fourth season he was moved up to play as a three-quarter. Gould played for Newport RFC for sixteen years, from 1882–1898.
As there were no professional rugby players in Wales, Gould and his brother Bob, travelled Britain working as public works contractors. During this time he entered open athletic meets and played for varying English rugby teams including the Southampton Trojans and from 1887 was a regular member of the Richmond
team. In 1885, Gould was invited to play for the newly formed Welsh exiles team London Welsh. Until this time there had already been in existence a London Scottish F.C.
(founded 1878), to look after the interests of Scottish players working or studying in London, but it took another seven years for the Welsh team to be formed. The very first game, a trial match, was played on 21 October 1885 at Putney, and three days later the first team took to the field at the Saracerns Ground in Walthamstow against London Scottish. Gould played at half-back, and was joined by Martyn Jordan
, Thomas Judson
, Rowley Thomas
, Charles Taylor
and T. Williams
; all of whom were or would become Wales international players. During the 1885/86 season London Welsh were invited to make up an 'exiles' team, along with players from London Scottish
, to face a London XV in a charity match at The Oval
. Gould was one of six Welsh players selected to play in front of an impressive crowd of 8,000 and in the presence of the Prince of Wales
.
Despite his strong associations with Newport, between 1885 and 1890 Gould played no more than a handful of games for the Welsh side, playing almost all his club rugby in England.
In June 1890, Gould left Britain to complete a works contract in the West Indies, but returned to Newport in time to begin the 1891/92 season, in which the club failed to lose a single match, now known as the team's 'invincible' season. Gould captained Newport in 1893–94, losing only 3 games, and again during the 1894–95 season when the club lost only to Llanelli, 6–8, in an away game. During the 1893-94 season Gould scored 37 tries during 24 games, a club record that stands over a hundred years later.
No accurate records are available until 1886, but from 1887–1898 Gould scored 136 tries
and dropped 42 goals for Newport.
, played against England
. Under the captaincy of Newport team-mate Charlie Newman, Gould was brought in at full back, at the time his preferred club position. This was the fourth encounter with England, and only the eighth Welsh international rugby game, and Wales lost the match by a goal and four tries
to a goal and a try. Both Welsh tries came from London Welsh wing Jordan, and some accounts credit the goal conversion to Charles Taylor
, though it is now generally acknowledged to Gould. Gould was re-selected for the second game of the tournament, a draw away to Scotland, which saw both teams play brothers at back and forwards positions; George and Richard Maitland for Scotland and Gould and Bob for Wales.
The next season Gould had switched from full back at Newport, to the threequarter position; and this tactic was accepted by Wales, with Gould coming in at centre in place of Cardiff's
Frank Hancock
. The 1896 Championship
began with another Welsh loss to England, but the second game, against Scotland was an historic rugby match despite ending in another Welsh defeat. In 1884, Cardiff are acknowledged as being the first club to adopt the four threequarter system, dropping the ninth forward to include a second centre in the threequarter positions. Hancock along with Tom Williams
were the first two double centres, when the tactic was employed to enable both men to play at once. The four threequarter system began slowly spreading throughout Wales, a nation noted for its more exciting back play. Newport was reluctant to adopt this style of play, mainly due to Gould's excellent kicking and covering abilities, which allowed the club to continue with the advantage of the extra forward. The 1886 Scotland encounter saw Wales become the first country to trial the four threequarter system when they brought in Hancock as captain, playing at centre alongside Gould. The experiment was a sporting disaster, with the Welsh forwards being poorly chosen to cope with the nine Scottish forwards. Hancock reacted by regrouping the team at half-time and readopting the standard formation, bringing Harry Bowen
from full back into the pack, and pushing Gould from centre into Bowen's vacant position. The system was deemed a failure and Hancock never represented Wales again, though the whole affair had a negative effect on Gould, who is said to have provoked an abhorrence to the four threequarter system for the rest of his career. Gould even went as far as persuading the Welsh selectors to revert to the old formation. The next time Wales trialed the system was in the 1888 encounter with the touring New Zealand Natives, a match in which Gould was unavailable to play.
The next season saw Wales complete their first full Home Nations Championship, with Gould playing as the lone centre in all three games. It was a fairly successful Championship for the Welsh, with a draw, a win and a loss, leaving them second in the table. Of note during the series, was Bob Gould's captaincy in the second match, against Scotland, and Gould's first ever international dropped goal, gaving Wales the win over Ireland, which made up for him missing a dropped goal by just a yard in the draw against England. Due to work commitments, Gould only played in one of the two Wales games of the 1888 Home Nations Championship
, the first victory over Scotland, thanks to a single try from Thomas Pryce-Jenkins
. In the second game, played away to Ireland, George Bowen
was given the centre position in the last match Wales would play with a three threequarter system. Gould then missed the first Welsh international against an overseas touring side, when the New Zealand Natives were beaten at St. Helen's in Swansea, and was still absent two months later for the opening game of the 1889 Championship
, but returned for the clash with Ireland. On his return Gould was given the captaincy of the Welsh team, and found himself playing alongside Llanelli
centre Tom Morgan
. It was not the best of starts for Gould's captaincy, losing by two tries to nil at home, but would be the first of 18 caps in which Gould would lead out his country, a record that stood for almost a century.
, partnered at centre for the three games with Dickie Garrett
, a coal tipper who played for Penarth
. Gould lost the team captaincy for the first match to Frank Hill
, a game which Wales lost to Scotland 5-1; though Gould scored the only Welsh points of the match with his first international try. The game is also notable for being the first appearance of Welsh sporting legend Billy Bancroft
, the Swansea all-round sportsman would take over the captaincy from Gould on his retirement, and was Gould's full back for his next 18 international games. Gould regained the captaincy for the next game, an encounter with England at Crown Flatt
in Dewsbury, and from that point held the captaincy whenever he represented Wales. The encounter was an historic day for Wales, with the country's first win over England, a single try from Buller Stadden
giving Wales the victory. The campaign ended in a disappointing away draw with Ireland, which saw the introduction of Tom Graham
, a Newport forward who would become Gould's club captain during the 1891/92 'invincible' season.
Gould misses the entire 1891 campaign
as he and his brother Bob, had gone to the West Indies to conduct civil engineering work. On Gould's return he regained his international place and the captaincy for the 1892 Championship
and was rejoined at centre by Garrett. This was a dire campaign for the Welsh team, losing all three matches for the first time in the country's history. There was little consistency for Gould at centre, with three different partners in each of the matches; Garret against England, Conway Rees
at home to Scotland and in the Irish encounter, his younger brother Bert. The 1892 Championship is often best remembered for the unpleasant aftermath of the Wales vs. Scotland encounter, which was played in Swansea
at St. Helen's. Wales had lost the game 7-2, and some members of the crowd attacked the match referee Jack Hodgson at the end of the game, upset at some of his decisions. The assailants by-passed the police and the referee had to be rescued by some of the Welsh players. Gould himself was struck on the chin, and it was reported that Hodgson only reached the Mackworth Hotel as Gould accompanied him on the coach.
The 1893 Home Nations Championship
was in stark contrast to the previous year for the Welsh, with Wales winning not only the Championship for the first time, but also winning the Triple Crown
and Gould being the first Welsh captain to lead his team to these achievements. The first match of the campaign was against England. Played at the Cardiff Arms Park
, the pitch had been kept from freezing over the night before by 500 braziers being employed across the playing field. This led to a slippery ground, with conditions further hampered by a strong wind. The English team played the first half with the wind behind them and their nine-man scrum dominated the smaller Welsh pack. At half time Wales were 7-0 down, with tries from Frederick Lohden and Howard Marshall
and a conversion from England captain A.E. Stoddart
. The second half started poorly for Wales, with Marshall scoring a second try from excellent English forward pressure. The game turned not long after Marshall's try. The English forwards could not maintain the pace they had set in the first half of the game, and began to slow. Then Welsh forward Charles Nicholl
broke through a line-out with the ball, transferred it to Hannan, who passed to Gould at the half way line. Gould evaded both Alderson and Lockwood before outpacing Field to score beneath the posts. Bancroft converted. A near identical move resulted in Conway Rees then releasing Cardiff wing Norman Biggs
who scored with a run from the half-way line, though this time the conversion missed. The Welsh backs continually exposed the three threequarter system, as once the Welsh backs broke through the pack there was little cover to prevent run away scores. With the score at 7-9 to England, Marshall extended the lead with his third try of the match. This gave England an 11-7 lead with only ten minutes remaining. The game swung again when Percy Phillips
took a swift heeled ball and passed to Gould. Gould broke through the English defence and scored, though again Bancroft missed the conversion. With further Welsh pressure, a penalty was awarded to Wales on the English 25 yard line, but at a wide angle. Accounts differ as to what happened; some say that Gould tried to place the ball for Bancroft, but failed on the frozen ground, other state that Bancroft defied his captain to take the penalty as a drop kick, while other accounts mention Bancroft and Gould arguing on the pitch before Bancroft's attempt. Whichever event, Bancroft kicked the penalty, the first penalty to be scored in an international match. It was the final score of the game and Wales were victorious, by twelve points to eleven.
At the final whistle the pitch was invaded by Welsh fans and Gould was carried shoulder-high back to the Angel Hotel, cheered all the way by supporters. It was a defining moment for the Welsh style of play and the next season England adopted the four threequarter system.
Gould continued to captain the Wales team through victory over Scotland, with tries coming from Bert Gould, Biggs and McCutcheon
; all resulting after presicion handling from the backs. This left the final encounter with Ireland, played at Stradey Park
in Llanelli
, as the deciding match for a Welsh Triple Crown. A crowd of 20,000 watched an unconvincing display from Wales, which was won by a single try from Bert Gould. Despite the poor performance, the crowd was enthusiastic and celebrated the Welsh victory.
began with a poor loss for the defending champions, in a game which saw Welsh in-fighting give the result to their opponents, England. Gould had requested before the game started that he wanted the pack to heel the ball back quickly in the scrums, to give the backs quick ball to allow them to run at the English. Frank Hill decided that this was the wrong option and put all his might into wheeling the scrums instead, which worked against the efforts of Jim Hannan
, who was desperately trying to follow his captain's wishes. The next two matches, Gould was partnered by Dai Fitzgerald
in a win over Scotland, but was unavailable for the encounter with Ireland and was replaced by Jack Elliott
from Cardiff RFC.
By 1895 the only backs remaining from the 1893 Championship-winning team were Bancroft and Gould. Gould was now partnered with Owen Badger
, who kept his place for the whole campaign. With the other teams adopting the Welsh style of play, Wales lost their advantage, and the livelier English forwards outplayed their Welsh counterparts to give England victory in the opening game of the 1895 Championship
. This was followed by a narrow loss to Scotland at Raeburn Place and a narrow win over Ireland at the Cardiff Arms Park.
1896
was Gould's last full international tournament. The Championship started badly, with a crushing defeat by England, in a game that saw Wales reduced to 14 men after Badger broke his collar-bone in the first 15 minutes. In the second game Wales beat Scotland 6–0, with a try each for Gould and Cliff Bowen
. The final game of the Championship was an away loss to Ireland, in which Gould scored his last international points with a dropped goal. At the end of 1896 Gould decided to retire from rugby.
In 1897, Gould was enticed out of retirement for one last Championship. By now Gould was a household name throughout Britain, as much due to his personality and good looks as his brilliant centre play; and a testimonial fund had been started with contributions being made by the public. This caused a stir from the other Home Unions as it was seen as an attempt to pay Gould for playing, and as such was professionalism. As the arguments continued, Gould played his final international game, a solid 11–0 win over England. Wales played no further matches that season after the events behind Gould's testimonial fund caused Wales to leave the International Rugby Board
, in a situation now referred to as "The Gould Affair".
journalist W.J. Townsend Collins, to write in the paper:
Welsh shipbroker, W.J. Orders, organised a collection fund on the floor of the Cardiff
Coal Exchange and floated a public testimonial
of one shilling
. The national response was massive and within weeks the total was into hundreds of pounds. This drew the Welsh Football Union
into a confrontation with the International Football Rugby Board
, as rule 2 on professionalism stated that no player is allowed to receive money from his club or any member of his club for services rendered to football. The fund being raised by the people of Wales could be seen as a professional fee to Gould making him henceforth ineligible to play for his country. The WFU argued that the money raised was not given by the club but an outpouring of thanks from the Welsh public to a national hero.
By April 1896 the Welsh Football Union had sanctioned a subscription of 1000 shillings from funds for the Gould testimonial. The Rugby Football Union
complained and the IFRB reacted by informing the WFU that only a gift of plate up to the value of a hundred pounds sterling could be given to Gould, with the rest of the fund being donated to charity; or Wales would lose their international fixtures. The WFU stood down and withdrew their subscription. The reaction in Wales was one of anger, with the people feeling that the WFU had bowed to English pressure and had been bullied into a decision against the people's wishes. There was also a feeling from other national unions, that the monies may be given to Gould after he had retired from rugby.
In February 1897 the WFU wrote to the IFRB and withdrew their membership, in a move that was seen as an act of hurt pride but also as a manoeuvre to appease the Welsh supporters. The WFU then reinstated their subscription to Gould. On Easter Monday
1897 a banquet was arranged at Drill Hall in Newport. Civic and sporting worthies were in attendance to witness Sir John Llewellyn
, president of the WFU, present Gould with the title deeds of a gift house, Thornbury in Clytha Park, Newport
. The 250 guests, which included D. A. Thomas, were joined by a reed and string orchestra, the band of the Fourth Battalion of the South Wales Borderers and galleries packed by members of the public.
From February 1897 Wales could not field an international team until the IRFB, supported by the RFU, recommended that Wales be readmitted into the organisation in February 1898. The WFU agreed that they would in future abide by all IRFB by-laws and Gould was not allowed to play in any future international games. Gould accepted the ruling but returned to rugby as a referee and Welsh international selector.
Gould died at the age of 54. He became ill at work and was rushed home, he died of an internal haemorrhage
. His funeral was reported as the biggest ever seen in Wales, until almost 30 years later when David Lloyd George
died. Gould was buried at St Woolos Cemetery
, Newport.
In June 2007 he was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
; 15 of Gould's family were in attendance including his granddaughter Mary Hailes, niece Helen Chubb and nephew Fraser Gould (daughter and son of brother Edward Wyatt Gould).
In Royal Gwent Hospital
in Newport, the Arthur Gould Memorial Bed was donated, inscribed: "To the memory of Arthur Gould – Greatest of Rugby Football Players"; though the donation was lost when the portion of the hospital the bed resided in was demolished.
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 and full back who was most associated as a club player with Newport Rugby Football Club. He won 27 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
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...
, 18 as captain, and is considered the first superstar of Welsh rugby. Gould led Wales to the country's very first Home Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
and 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...
titles in 1893; defining himself as a great player and captain in the match against England during the same tournament. Towards the end of his career Gould was at the centre of a controversy which saw Wales withdraw from international rugby for 12 months.
Gould was the most capped Welsh centre until Steve Fenwick
Steve Fenwick
Steven Paul Fenwick is a former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 80s, who at representative level has played rugby union for Wales, and at club level has played for Bridgend RFC, playing at Centre, i.e...
of Bridgend beat the record at Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
on 15 March 1980. He played 27 times for Wales, twice at full back and 25 at centre, ending his career against England on 9 January 1897. This last game was played in front of 17,000 supporters at Rodney Parade
Rodney Parade
Rodney Parade is a stadium in the city of Newport, south Wales. Located on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre it is primarily used for rugby matches and is the home ground of Newport RFC and the Newport Gwent Dragons regional team.-History:...
; Wales won 11–0. It was the 18th time Gould had captained Wales and this record stood until broken by Ieuan Evans
Ieuan Evans
Ieuan Evans is a former rugby union footballer who played on the wing for Wales. He is regarded as one of the best Welsh wingers of all time, despite playing through a disappointing era of Welsh rugby. A prolific try scorer at International level, Evans is listed 19th in the world on the all-time...
in 1994.
A superb all round player and even-time sprinter with swerve, Gould could side-step and kick with either foot. He never ceased to practise to develop his fitness and skills. He was considered the outstanding player of his time.
Early years
Gould was born into a sporting family in NewportNewport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
in 1864. His father, Joseph, had moved to Newport from Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
to work in the brass foundry business, and was himself an ardent sportsman playing for the local cricket team.
His five brothers were all notable rugby players and athletes. Gould's brother Bob
Bob Gould (rugby player)
Bob Gould was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport Rugby Football Club. He won 11 caps for Wales and captained them for one match...
was a forward who captained Newport during the 1886–87 season and played 11 times for Wales, once as captain versus 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...
in 1887. A younger brother, Bert
Bert Gould
George Herbert 'Bert' Gould was a Welsh international rugby union centre who played club rugby for Newport Rugby Football Club and won three caps for Wales...
, was a centre who played three times for Wales including in the same Welsh team as Gould that won the 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...
for the first time in 1893. His other brothers were Harry, Gus and Wyatt
Wyatt Gould
Edward Wyatt Gould was a Welsh rugby union player who also represented Britain at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Gould captained his club side, Newport RFC, for a single season, and is best known as the younger brother of Welsh rugby superstar Arthur "Monkey" Gould-Rugby:Gould came from a notable...
, and all three played rugby for Newport. Wyatt captained Newport in 1905–06 and Harry was present in the first season 1875–76. There was at least one of the six brothers in the Newport team for the club's first 29 seasons and Wyatt played until 1907. Wyatt also represented Great Britain in the 400m hurdles in the 1908 Summer Olympics
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
at White City
White City, London
White City is a district in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, to the north of Shepherd's Bush. Today, White City is home to the BBC Television Centre and BBC White City, and Loftus Road stadium, the home of football club Queens Park Rangers FC....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
From a young age Gould was known to all as 'Monk', taken from his childhood nickname 'Monkey' because of his youthful passion for climbing trees. Gould, like his brother Wyatt, was a keen athlete and made money during his years as a rugby player by entering track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
meets. He finished third in the AAA 120 yard Hurdles
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
in 1887 and 1893.
Club history
At the age of fourteen Gould captained the Newport Junior team, and later played a few games for the Third XV, Newport Rugby Club's second reserve side, and was the replacement for the regular full back. Gould was drafted into the First XV, the senior team, as an emergency full back at the age of eighteen. On the 18 November 1882 Newport had a fixture against Weston-super-Mare at Rodney ParadeRodney Parade
Rodney Parade is a stadium in the city of Newport, south Wales. Located on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre it is primarily used for rugby matches and is the home ground of Newport RFC and the Newport Gwent Dragons regional team.-History:...
. The Newport groundsman, John Butcher, had been sent by the club to collect the regular full back who hadn't shown for the game. Gould saw Butcher waiting outside the full back's home and approached the groundsman to discover that the player was at a funeral. Butcher offered Gould the position instead and he successfully persuaded the club to play him. Gould had a 'fairy-tale' start for his club, running in two tries, against his captain's wishes, as Charlie Newman
Charlie Newman
Charlie Newman was a Welsh international three-quarter who played club rugby for Newport. He was awarded ten caps for Wales and captained the team on six occasions. An original member of the Newport squad he captained the team in the 1882/83 season.-Personal life:Newman was born Newport in 1857 to...
kept shouting for Gould to "Kick, kick!". Gould was never dropped from the Newport First XV from that day. In his fourth season he was moved up to play as a three-quarter. Gould played for Newport RFC for sixteen years, from 1882–1898.
Richmond F.C.
Richmond Football Club is a rugby union club from Richmond, London. It is a founding member of the Rugby Football Union, and is one of the oldest football clubs...
team. In 1885, Gould was invited to play for the newly formed Welsh exiles team London Welsh. Until this time there had already been in existence a London Scottish F.C.
London Scottish F.C.
London Scottish Football Club is a rugby union club in England. It is a member of both the Rugby Football Union and the Scottish Rugby Union.-History:...
(founded 1878), to look after the interests of Scottish players working or studying in London, but it took another seven years for the Welsh team to be formed. The very first game, a trial match, was played on 21 October 1885 at Putney, and three days later the first team took to the field at the Saracerns Ground in Walthamstow against London Scottish. Gould played at half-back, and was joined by Martyn Jordan
Martyn Jordan
Martyn Jordan was an English-born international rugby union player who played club rugby for London Welsh and Newport and international rugby for Wales...
, Thomas Judson
Thomas Judson
Thomas Haigh Judson was an English-born international rugby union player who played club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales...
, Rowley Thomas
Rowley Thomas
Rowland 'Rowley' Lewis Thomas was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for London Welsh, of whom he was a founding member, and county rugby for Middlesex...
, Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor (rugby player)
Engineer Captain Charles Gerald Taylor LVO was a Royal Navy officer and Wales international rugby union player who played club rugby for Blackheath. He was the first Welsh international to be killed in action during World War I...
and T. Williams
T. Williams
T. Williams was a rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea and London Welsh and played international rugby for Wales. Very little is known of Williams and he is often confused with his contemporary Tom Williams who also played for Wales around the same period, and who also had...
; all of whom were or would become Wales international players. During the 1885/86 season London Welsh were invited to make up an 'exiles' team, along with players from London Scottish
London Scottish F.C.
London Scottish Football Club is a rugby union club in England. It is a member of both the Rugby Football Union and the Scottish Rugby Union.-History:...
, to face a London XV in a charity match at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
. Gould was one of six Welsh players selected to play in front of an impressive crowd of 8,000 and in the presence of the Prince of Wales
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
.
| Gould's scoring record at Newport 1891 - 1897 | |||
| Season | Tries | Drop goals | Points |
| 1891–92 | 31 | 7 | 121 |
| 1892–93 | 37 | 4 | 127 |
| 1893–94 | 17 | 8 | 83 |
| 1894–95 | 15 | 1 | 49 |
| 1895–96 | 17 | 5 | 71 |
| 1896–97 | 7 | 9 | 57 |
Despite his strong associations with Newport, between 1885 and 1890 Gould played no more than a handful of games for the Welsh side, playing almost all his club rugby in England.
In June 1890, Gould left Britain to complete a works contract in the West Indies, but returned to Newport in time to begin the 1891/92 season, in which the club failed to lose a single match, now known as the team's 'invincible' season. Gould captained Newport in 1893–94, losing only 3 games, and again during the 1894–95 season when the club lost only to Llanelli, 6–8, in an away game. During the 1893-94 season Gould scored 37 tries during 24 games, a club record that stands over a hundred years later.
No accurate records are available until 1886, but from 1887–1898 Gould scored 136 tries
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
and dropped 42 goals for Newport.
1885–1889
Gould was first capped for Wales for the opening game of the 1885 Home Nations Championship1885 Home Nations Championship
The 1885 Home Nations Championship was the third series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Four matches were played between 3 January and 21 February 1885. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales...
, played against England
England 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...
. Under the captaincy of Newport team-mate Charlie Newman, Gould was brought in at full back, at the time his preferred club position. This was the fourth encounter with England, and only the eighth Welsh international rugby game, and Wales lost the match by a goal and four tries
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
to a goal and a try. Both Welsh tries came from London Welsh wing Jordan, and some accounts credit the goal conversion to Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor (rugby player)
Engineer Captain Charles Gerald Taylor LVO was a Royal Navy officer and Wales international rugby union player who played club rugby for Blackheath. He was the first Welsh international to be killed in action during World War I...
, though it is now generally acknowledged to Gould. Gould was re-selected for the second game of the tournament, a draw away to Scotland, which saw both teams play brothers at back and forwards positions; George and Richard Maitland for Scotland and Gould and Bob for Wales.
The next season Gould had switched from full back at Newport, to the threequarter position; and this tactic was accepted by Wales, with Gould coming in at centre in place of Cardiff's
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
Frank Hancock
Frank Hancock
Francis Escott "Frank" Hancock was an English-born rugby union centre who played club rugby for Somerset and Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Hancock is best known as being the sport's first fourth threequarter player, which changed the formation of rugby union play that lasts to the...
. The 1896 Championship
1886 Home Nations Championship
The 1886 Home Nations Championship was the fourth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Five matches were played between 2 January and 13 March 1886. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales...
began with another Welsh loss to England, but the second game, against Scotland was an historic rugby match despite ending in another Welsh defeat. In 1884, Cardiff are acknowledged as being the first club to adopt the four threequarter system, dropping the ninth forward to include a second centre in the threequarter positions. Hancock along with Tom Williams
Tom Williams (Welsh rugby player)
Thomas Williams was a Welsh rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff and Pontypridd and international rugby for Wales. A solicitor by profession, Williams would later become a national selector for the Welsh Rugby Union...
were the first two double centres, when the tactic was employed to enable both men to play at once. The four threequarter system began slowly spreading throughout Wales, a nation noted for its more exciting back play. Newport was reluctant to adopt this style of play, mainly due to Gould's excellent kicking and covering abilities, which allowed the club to continue with the advantage of the extra forward. The 1886 Scotland encounter saw Wales become the first country to trial the four threequarter system when they brought in Hancock as captain, playing at centre alongside Gould. The experiment was a sporting disaster, with the Welsh forwards being poorly chosen to cope with the nine Scottish forwards. Hancock reacted by regrouping the team at half-time and readopting the standard formation, bringing Harry Bowen
Harry Bowen
David Henry "Harry" Bowen was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales...
from full back into the pack, and pushing Gould from centre into Bowen's vacant position. The system was deemed a failure and Hancock never represented Wales again, though the whole affair had a negative effect on Gould, who is said to have provoked an abhorrence to the four threequarter system for the rest of his career. Gould even went as far as persuading the Welsh selectors to revert to the old formation. The next time Wales trialed the system was in the 1888 encounter with the touring New Zealand Natives, a match in which Gould was unavailable to play.
The next season saw Wales complete their first full Home Nations Championship, with Gould playing as the lone centre in all three games. It was a fairly successful Championship for the Welsh, with a draw, a win and a loss, leaving them second in the table. Of note during the series, was Bob Gould's captaincy in the second match, against Scotland, and Gould's first ever international dropped goal, gaving Wales the win over Ireland, which made up for him missing a dropped goal by just a yard in the draw against England. Due to work commitments, Gould only played in one of the two Wales games of the 1888 Home Nations Championship
1888 Home Nations Championship
The 1888 Home Nations Championship was the sixth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Three matches were played between 4 February and 10 March. It was contested by Ireland, Scotland and Wales. England was excluded from the Championship due to their refusal to join the...
, the first victory over Scotland, thanks to a single try from Thomas Pryce-Jenkins
Thomas Pryce-Jenkins
Dr. Thomas John Pryce-Jenkins was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for London Welsh and county rugby for Middlesex...
. In the second game, played away to Ireland, George Bowen
George Bowen (rugby player)
George Einon Bowen was a Welsh international rugby union half back who played club rugby for Swansea and Llanelli. Bowen won four caps for Wales and also played cricket for Glamorgan. Later in his life he became the Mayor of Kidwelly.Bowen was first selected for Wales on 26 February 1887 in a...
was given the centre position in the last match Wales would play with a three threequarter system. Gould then missed the first Welsh international against an overseas touring side, when the New Zealand Natives were beaten at St. Helen's in Swansea, and was still absent two months later for the opening game of the 1889 Championship
1889 Home Nations Championship
The 1889 Home Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Three matches were played between 2 February and 2 March. It was contested by Ireland, Scotland and Wales...
, but returned for the clash with Ireland. On his return Gould was given the captaincy of the Welsh team, and found himself playing alongside 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...
centre Tom Morgan
Tom Morgan (rugby player)
Tom Morgan was a Welsh international rugby union centre who played club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales...
. It was not the best of starts for Gould's captaincy, losing by two tries to nil at home, but would be the first of 18 caps in which Gould would lead out his country, a record that stood for almost a century.
1890–1893
Gould played all three matches of the 1890 Home Nations Championship1890 Home Nations Championship
The 1890 Home Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 1 February and 15 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:...
, partnered at centre for the three games with Dickie Garrett
Dickie Garrett
Richard 'Dickie' Garrett was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Penarth and international rugby for Wales. Garrett was a collier by trade and in 1908 was killed when he was crushed by a coal truck....
, a coal tipper who played for Penarth
Penarth RFC
Penarth Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based since 1924 at The Athletic Field, Lavernock Road, in Penarth, in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales.-Origins and early history:...
. Gould lost the team captaincy for the first match to Frank Hill
Frank Hill (rugby player)
Frank Hill was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff. Hill won 15 caps for Wales over a period of ten years and was given the team captaincy on four occasions....
, a game which Wales lost to Scotland 5-1; though Gould scored the only Welsh points of the match with his first international try. The game is also notable for being the first appearance of Welsh sporting legend Billy Bancroft
Billy Bancroft
Billy Bancroft was a Welsh international fullback who played club rugby for Swansea and a county cricketer for Glamorgan, becoming their first professional player in 1895....
, the Swansea all-round sportsman would take over the captaincy from Gould on his retirement, and was Gould's full back for his next 18 international games. Gould regained the captaincy for the next game, an encounter with England at Crown Flatt
Crown Flatt
Crown Flatt, known as the Tetley's Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a rugby league stadium on Owl Lane in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Dewsbury rugby league club...
in Dewsbury, and from that point held the captaincy whenever he represented Wales. The encounter was an historic day for Wales, with the country's first win over England, a single try from Buller Stadden
William Stadden
William James Wood "Buller" Stadden was a Welsh international rugby union half back who played club rugby for Cardiff and Dewsbury. Stadden won eight caps for Wales over a period of seven years and is most remembered for scoring the winning try in 1890 to give Wales their first victory over England...
giving Wales the victory. The campaign ended in a disappointing away draw with Ireland, which saw the introduction of Tom Graham
Tom Graham
Thomas 'Tom' Cooper Graham was an England-born rugby union international forward who played club rugby for Newport. He won 12 caps for Wales and was seen as intelligent, mobile forward player...
, a Newport forward who would become Gould's club captain during the 1891/92 'invincible' season.
Gould misses the entire 1891 campaign
1891 Home Nations Championship
The 1891 Home Nations Championship was the ninth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 3 January and 7 March...
as he and his brother Bob, had gone to the West Indies to conduct civil engineering work. On Gould's return he regained his international place and the captaincy for the 1892 Championship
1892 Home Nations Championship
The 1892 Home Nations Championship was the tenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 2 January and 5 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
and was rejoined at centre by Garrett. This was a dire campaign for the Welsh team, losing all three matches for the first time in the country's history. There was little consistency for Gould at centre, with three different partners in each of the matches; Garret against England, Conway Rees
Conway Rees
John Conway Rees was a Welsh international rugby union player.-Life:Rees was born in Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales. He was educated at Llandovery College and Jesus College, Oxford and was the first Welshman to captain Oxford University RFC. He introduced the four three quarters system,...
at home to Scotland and in the Irish encounter, his younger brother Bert. The 1892 Championship is often best remembered for the unpleasant aftermath of the Wales vs. Scotland encounter, which was played in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
at St. Helen's. Wales had lost the game 7-2, and some members of the crowd attacked the match referee Jack Hodgson at the end of the game, upset at some of his decisions. The assailants by-passed the police and the referee had to be rescued by some of the Welsh players. Gould himself was struck on the chin, and it was reported that Hodgson only reached the Mackworth Hotel as Gould accompanied him on the coach.
1893 Home Nations Championship
The 1893 Home Nations Championship was the eleventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 17 January and 11 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales...
was in stark contrast to the previous year for the Welsh, with Wales winning not only the Championship for the first time, but also winning the 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...
and Gould being the first Welsh captain to lead his team to these achievements. The first match of the campaign was against England. Played 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...
, the pitch had been kept from freezing over the night before by 500 braziers being employed across the playing field. This led to a slippery ground, with conditions further hampered by a strong wind. The English team played the first half with the wind behind them and their nine-man scrum dominated the smaller Welsh pack. At half time Wales were 7-0 down, with tries from Frederick Lohden and Howard Marshall
Howard Marshall (rugby player)
Dr. Howard Marshall OBE was an English rugby union half-back who played club rugby for Blackheath and Richmond and was a member of the first official British Isles tour in 1891...
and a conversion from England captain A.E. Stoddart
Andrew Stoddart
Andrew Ernest Stoddart was an English cricketer and rugby union player. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1893.-Cricket career:...
. The second half started poorly for Wales, with Marshall scoring a second try from excellent English forward pressure. The game turned not long after Marshall's try. The English forwards could not maintain the pace they had set in the first half of the game, and began to slow. Then Welsh forward Charles Nicholl
Charles Nicholl
Charles "Boomer" Bowen Nicholl was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cambridge University and Llanelli...
broke through a line-out with the ball, transferred it to Hannan, who passed to Gould at the half way line. Gould evaded both Alderson and Lockwood before outpacing Field to score beneath the posts. Bancroft converted. A near identical move resulted in Conway Rees then releasing Cardiff wing Norman Biggs
Norman Biggs
Norman Witchell Biggs was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Cardiff and county rugby for Glamorgan. Both Biggs and his brother Selwyn played international rugby for Wales, though they never played together in the same match for Wales...
who scored with a run from the half-way line, though this time the conversion missed. The Welsh backs continually exposed the three threequarter system, as once the Welsh backs broke through the pack there was little cover to prevent run away scores. With the score at 7-9 to England, Marshall extended the lead with his third try of the match. This gave England an 11-7 lead with only ten minutes remaining. The game swung again when Percy Phillips
Percy Phillips (rugby player)
Henry Percy Phillips OBE was a Welsh rugby union international fly-half who played club rugby for Newport. He won six caps for Wales and played in all three games of the 1893 Home Nations Championship which saw Wales lift the Triple Crown for the first time in the country's history.Outside rugby,...
took a swift heeled ball and passed to Gould. Gould broke through the English defence and scored, though again Bancroft missed the conversion. With further Welsh pressure, a penalty was awarded to Wales on the English 25 yard line, but at a wide angle. Accounts differ as to what happened; some say that Gould tried to place the ball for Bancroft, but failed on the frozen ground, other state that Bancroft defied his captain to take the penalty as a drop kick, while other accounts mention Bancroft and Gould arguing on the pitch before Bancroft's attempt. Whichever event, Bancroft kicked the penalty, the first penalty to be scored in an international match. It was the final score of the game and Wales were victorious, by twelve points to eleven.
At the final whistle the pitch was invaded by Welsh fans and Gould was carried shoulder-high back to the Angel Hotel, cheered all the way by supporters. It was a defining moment for the Welsh style of play and the next season England adopted the four threequarter system.
Gould continued to captain the Wales team through victory over Scotland, with tries coming from Bert Gould, Biggs and McCutcheon
William McCutcheon
William 'Billy' McCutcheon was a Welsh international rugby wing who played club rugby in the union code for Swansea and represented Oldham under the league code...
; all resulting after presicion handling from the backs. This left the final encounter with Ireland, played 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...
in Llanelli
Llanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
, as the deciding match for a Welsh Triple Crown. A crowd of 20,000 watched an unconvincing display from Wales, which was won by a single try from Bert Gould. Despite the poor performance, the crowd was enthusiastic and celebrated the Welsh victory.
1894–1897
The 1894 Championship1894 Home Nations Championship
The 1894 Home Nations Championship was the twelfth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 6 January and 17 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:...
began with a poor loss for the defending champions, in a game which saw Welsh in-fighting give the result to their opponents, England. Gould had requested before the game started that he wanted the pack to heel the ball back quickly in the scrums, to give the backs quick ball to allow them to run at the English. Frank Hill decided that this was the wrong option and put all his might into wheeling the scrums instead, which worked against the efforts of Jim Hannan
Jim Hannan
James John Hannan is an American retired professional baseball player who pitched in Major League Baseball from 1962-71. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, and Washington Senators....
, who was desperately trying to follow his captain's wishes. The next two matches, Gould was partnered by Dai Fitzgerald
Dai Fitzgerald
David "Dai" Fitzgerald was a Welsh rugby centre who played club rugby under the union code for Cardiff and later switched to professional rugby league team Batley...
in a win over Scotland, but was unavailable for the encounter with Ireland and was replaced by Jack Elliott
Jack Elliott (rugby player)
John "Jack" Elliott was a Welsh rugby union scrum-half who played club rugby for Cardiff and international rugby for Wales, winning three caps....
from Cardiff RFC.
Owen Badger
Owen Badger was a Welsh international rugby centre who played rugby union for Llanelli and was capped four times for Wales. He later switched codes, playing professional rugby league for Swinton.-Rugby career:...
, who kept his place for the whole campaign. With the other teams adopting the Welsh style of play, Wales lost their advantage, and the livelier English forwards outplayed their Welsh counterparts to give England victory in the opening game of the 1895 Championship
1895 Home Nations Championship
The 1895 Home Nations Championship was the thirteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 5 January and 16 March...
. This was followed by a narrow loss to Scotland at Raeburn Place and a narrow win over Ireland at the Cardiff Arms Park.
1896
1896 Home Nations Championship
The 1896 Home Nations Championship was the fourteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 4 January and 14 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:...
was Gould's last full international tournament. The Championship started badly, with a crushing defeat by England, in a game that saw Wales reduced to 14 men after Badger broke his collar-bone in the first 15 minutes. In the second game Wales beat Scotland 6–0, with a try each for Gould and Cliff Bowen
Cliff Bowen
Clifford "Cliff" Alfred Bowen was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played for club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales...
. The final game of the Championship was an away loss to Ireland, in which Gould scored his last international points with a dropped goal. At the end of 1896 Gould decided to retire from rugby.
In 1897, Gould was enticed out of retirement for one last Championship. By now Gould was a household name throughout Britain, as much due to his personality and good looks as his brilliant centre play; and a testimonial fund had been started with contributions being made by the public. This caused a stir from the other Home Unions as it was seen as an attempt to pay Gould for playing, and as such was professionalism. As the arguments continued, Gould played his final international game, a solid 11–0 win over England. Wales played no further matches that season after the events behind Gould's testimonial fund caused Wales to leave the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
, in a situation now referred to as "The Gould Affair".
International matches played
Wales| Gould's international appearances for Wales | |||||||||||||
| 1885 1885 Home Nations Championship The 1885 Home Nations Championship was the third series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Four matches were played between 3 January and 21 February 1885. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales... |
1886 1886 Home Nations Championship The 1886 Home Nations Championship was the fourth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Five matches were played between 2 January and 13 March 1886. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales... |
1887 1887 Home Nations Championship The 1887 Home Nations Championship was the fifth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 8 January and 12 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.... |
1888 1888 Home Nations Championship The 1888 Home Nations Championship was the sixth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Three matches were played between 4 February and 10 March. It was contested by Ireland, Scotland and Wales. England was excluded from the Championship due to their refusal to join the... |
1889 1889 Home Nations Championship The 1889 Home Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Three matches were played between 2 February and 2 March. It was contested by Ireland, Scotland and Wales... |
1890 1890 Home Nations Championship The 1890 Home Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 1 February and 15 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:... |
1891 1891 Home Nations Championship The 1891 Home Nations Championship was the ninth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 3 January and 7 March... |
1892 1892 Home Nations Championship The 1892 Home Nations Championship was the tenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 2 January and 5 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.... |
1893 1893 Home Nations Championship The 1893 Home Nations Championship was the eleventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 17 January and 11 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales... |
1894 1894 Home Nations Championship The 1894 Home Nations Championship was the twelfth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 6 January and 17 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:... |
1895 1895 Home Nations Championship The 1895 Home Nations Championship was the thirteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 5 January and 16 March... |
1896 1896 Home Nations Championship The 1896 Home Nations Championship was the fourteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 4 January and 14 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:... |
1897 1897 Home Nations Championship The 1897 Home Nations Championship was the fifteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Four matches were played between 9 January and 13 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales... |
|
| England England 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... |
X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
| 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... |
X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||
| 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... |
X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
The Gould Affair
In 1896 Gould had played more first class matches, scored more tries and dropped more goals than any other player on record. This led to South Wales ArgusSouth Wales Argus
The South Wales Argus is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Newport, south Wales. The Argus is distributed in Newport and the historic area of Monmouthshire....
journalist W.J. Townsend Collins, to write in the paper:
Welsh shipbroker, W.J. Orders, organised a collection fund on the floor of the Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
Coal Exchange and floated a public testimonial
Testimonial
In promotion and of advertising, a testimonial or show consists of a written or spoken statement, sometimes from a person figure, sometimes from a private citizen, extolling the virtue of some product. The term "testimonial" most commonly applies to the sales-pitches attributed to ordinary...
of one shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
. The national response was massive and within weeks the total was into hundreds of pounds. This drew the Welsh Football 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...
into a confrontation with the International Football Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
, as rule 2 on professionalism stated that no player is allowed to receive money from his club or any member of his club for services rendered to football. The fund being raised by the people of Wales could be seen as a professional fee to Gould making him henceforth ineligible to play for his country. The WFU argued that the money raised was not given by the club but an outpouring of thanks from the Welsh public to a national hero.
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...
complained and the IFRB reacted by informing the WFU that only a gift of plate up to the value of a hundred pounds sterling could be given to Gould, with the rest of the fund being donated to charity; or Wales would lose their international fixtures. The WFU stood down and withdrew their subscription. The reaction in Wales was one of anger, with the people feeling that the WFU had bowed to English pressure and had been bullied into a decision against the people's wishes. There was also a feeling from other national unions, that the monies may be given to Gould after he had retired from rugby.
In February 1897 the WFU wrote to the IFRB and withdrew their membership, in a move that was seen as an act of hurt pride but also as a manoeuvre to appease the Welsh supporters. The WFU then reinstated their subscription to Gould. On Easter Monday
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures...
1897 a banquet was arranged at Drill Hall in Newport. Civic and sporting worthies were in attendance to witness Sir John Llewellyn
John Talbot Dillwyn Llewellyn
Sir John Talbot Dillwyn-Llewellyn, 1st Baronet was a Welsh Conservative Member of Parliament who was notable for his links to Welsh sports.-Background and education:...
, president of the WFU, present Gould with the title deeds of a gift house, Thornbury in Clytha Park, Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
. The 250 guests, which included D. A. Thomas, were joined by a reed and string orchestra, the band of the Fourth Battalion of the South Wales Borderers and galleries packed by members of the public.
From February 1897 Wales could not field an international team until the IRFB, supported by the RFU, recommended that Wales be readmitted into the organisation in February 1898. The WFU agreed that they would in future abide by all IRFB by-laws and Gould was not allowed to play in any future international games. Gould accepted the ruling but returned to rugby as a referee and Welsh international selector.
Later life
After retiring from rugby, Gould became a brewery representative around Newport. He was still a very popular figure and would be followed during his work by fans, and his image was still worth money, appearing on merchandise such as cigarette cards and matchboxes.Gould died at the age of 54. He became ill at work and was rushed home, he died of an internal haemorrhage
Bleeding
Bleeding, technically known as hemorrhaging or haemorrhaging is the loss of blood or blood escape from the circulatory system...
. His funeral was reported as the biggest ever seen in Wales, until almost 30 years later when David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
died. Gould was buried at St Woolos Cemetery
St Woolos Cemetery
St Woolos Cemetery is the main cemetery in the city of Newport, Wales situated one mile to the west of the Church in Wales cathedral known by the same name. It contains four chapels, and various ornate memorials dating back to the early Victorian period, and was the first municipally constructed...
, Newport.
In June 2007 he was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
The Welsh Sports Hall of Fame is a charitable organization created to commemorate the sporting achievements and preserve the artifacts of Welsh athletes. It was established in 1980 from the memorabilia collection of Welsh radio announcer G. V. Wynne-Jones...
; 15 of Gould's family were in attendance including his granddaughter Mary Hailes, niece Helen Chubb and nephew Fraser Gould (daughter and son of brother Edward Wyatt Gould).
In Royal Gwent Hospital
Royal Gwent Hospital
The Royal Gwent Hospital is the principal hospital in the city of Newport and the ancient county of Monmouthshire. It is located on Cardiff Road near the city centre...
in Newport, the Arthur Gould Memorial Bed was donated, inscribed: "To the memory of Arthur Gould – Greatest of Rugby Football Players"; though the donation was lost when the portion of the hospital the bed resided in was demolished.