Benjamin Tuke
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Burland Tuke was an Irish
rugby union
halfback. Tuke played club rugby for Bective Rangers
and played international rugby for Ireland
. Tuke played in nine internationals, most notably in all three matches of Ireland's first Triple Crown
winning Championship
in 1894.
, brought in at half back alongside Robert Gibson Warren as a replacement for Alaster McDonnell. Warren and Tuke played competently at half, but despite a strong display were unable to muster the team to victory. The defeat left Ireland bottom of the Championship. Despite the loss, the Irish selectors kept faith with Tuke and he was reselected for the 1891 Championship
. Ireland had a terrible season, which was not helped by inconsistency at the half back position. With Warren having retired at the end of the previous season, Tuke was partnered with McDonnell for the opening loss against England, and then with Edwin Cameron
in the next game a home defeat to Scotland
. In the final game, Tuke was replaced, but the end result was yet another defeat.
The 1892 Home Nations Championship
saw Tuke regain his place in the opening Irish match, again against England. The game ended with another Irish loss, and Tuke was dropped, not just from the 1892 Championship, but also the following year's tournament. In 1894
, Tuke was back in the Ireland squad, with the club now adopting the Welsh
four three-quarter tactic for the first time. There was far more consistency in the Ireland team during the tournament, with only three player changes throughout the entire campaign. Tuke was partnered at half back with Walter Stewart Brown, and they both kept their places throughout all three games of the Championship. The first game was against England, Tuke's fourth encounter with the same side, but this time the Irish were victorious. Tuke had a solid game and set up the winning try
, when he fed Lucius Gwynn
who fell short of the English line, but through the bodies Lytle emerged with the ball to score. The second match, played at home against Scotland, saw a narrow Irish win from a single converted try; this left the final game of the tournament, a home encounter with Wales, as the Championship decider. The game was played at the Ballynafeigh ground, which resembled a morass, leading the Welsh officials to lodge a complaint to the International Rugby Board
. The game still went ahead and Ireland won by a single penalty goal, giving Ireland their very first Triple Crown Championship.
Tuke played in just one more championship, in 1895
. After the success of the previous season, Ireland slumped to their pre-1894 form, losing all three matches. Tuke played in the first two games of the season, but was dropped for the game against Wales and never played for his country again.
In 1896, Tuke moved to Coventry
, joining Coventry R.F.C.
, and also turned out for the Midlands County team.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
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...
halfback. Tuke played club rugby for Bective Rangers
Bective Rangers
Bective Rangers is a rugby union club in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1881.The Club is affiliated to the Leinster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union and play in Division 2 of the All Ireland League....
and played international rugby for 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...
. Tuke played in nine internationals, most notably in all three matches of Ireland's first Triple Crown
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
winning 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....
in 1894.
Rugby career
Tuke first came to note as a rugby player when he joined Bective Rangers, the club team with which he would spend his entire international career. Tuke played his first international game in the final Ireland match 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:...
, brought in at half back alongside Robert Gibson Warren as a replacement for Alaster McDonnell. Warren and Tuke played competently at half, but despite a strong display were unable to muster the team to victory. The defeat left Ireland bottom of the Championship. Despite the loss, the Irish selectors kept faith with Tuke and he was reselected for the 1891 Championship
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...
. Ireland had a terrible season, which was not helped by inconsistency at the half back position. With Warren having retired at the end of the previous season, Tuke was partnered with McDonnell for the opening loss against England, and then with Edwin Cameron
Edwin Cameron
Edwin Cameron is a South African Rhodes scholar and current Constitutional Court justice. Cameron served as a Supreme Court of Appeal judge from 2000 to 2008. He was the first senior South African official to state publicly that he was living with HIV/AIDS...
in the next game a home defeat to 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 the final game, Tuke was replaced, but the end result was yet another defeat.
The 1892 Home Nations 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....
saw Tuke regain his place in the opening Irish match, again against England. The game ended with another Irish loss, and Tuke was dropped, not just from the 1892 Championship, but also the following year's tournament. In 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:...
, Tuke was back in the Ireland squad, with the club now adopting the Welsh
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...
four three-quarter tactic for the first time. There was far more consistency in the Ireland team during the tournament, with only three player changes throughout the entire campaign. Tuke was partnered at half back with Walter Stewart Brown, and they both kept their places throughout all three games of the Championship. The first game was against England, Tuke's fourth encounter with the same side, but this time the Irish were victorious. Tuke had a solid game and set up the winning try
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...
, when he fed Lucius Gwynn
Lucius Gwynn
Lucius Henry Gwynn was an Irish rugby union player and cricketer...
who fell short of the English line, but through the bodies Lytle emerged with the ball to score. The second match, played at home against Scotland, saw a narrow Irish win from a single converted try; this left the final game of the tournament, a home encounter with Wales, as the Championship decider. The game was played at the Ballynafeigh ground, which resembled a morass, leading the Welsh officials to lodge a complaint to 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...
. The game still went ahead and Ireland won by a single penalty goal, giving Ireland their very first Triple Crown Championship.
Tuke played in just one more championship, in 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...
. After the success of the previous season, Ireland slumped to their pre-1894 form, losing all three matches. Tuke played in the first two games of the season, but was dropped for the game against Wales and never played for his country again.
In 1896, Tuke moved to Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, joining Coventry R.F.C.
Coventry R.F.C.
Coventry Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the city of Coventry, England. The club enjoyed national success during the 1960s and the 1970s, with many of its players playing for their countries....
, and also turned out for the Midlands County team.