Dick Thomas
Encyclopedia
Edward John Richard 'Dick' Thomas (14 October 1883-7 July 1916) was a Welsh
international rugby union
back who played club rugby for Mountain Ash
.
clubs, Ferndale
and Penygraig
before moving to Mountain Ash, the team he would captain during the 1904/05 season. He faced his first international opposition when he was chosen to represent Glamorgan
, an invitational county team that faced the touring South Africans in 1906. Glamorgan played well but lost 6-3 though if Bert Winfield
had completed his kicks the Welsh would have won. Thomas would gain his first cap later that year, when a Welsh team was formed to face the same South African team. Thomas, along with the other newly capped players, John Dyke
and John Jenkins
were judged not to show great ability, but were far superior to the other non-capped players available. Wales lost the game, which saw the end of many great Welsh players.
Unlike Dyke and Jenkins, Thomas was reselected for his country again, but he needed to wait until the 1908 Home Nations Championship
, when he was chosen to face France at the Cardiff Arms Park
. Under the captaincy of Teddy Morgan
Wales were victorious, as they were two weeks later when Thomas won his third cap against Ireland in Belfast. Thomas's last game was the following year in a match against Scotland. Billy Trew
not only led the team but scored the winning try
which Jack Bancroft
converted.
.
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...
back who played club rugby for Mountain Ash
Mountain Ash RFC
Mountain Ash RFC is a Welsh rugby union team from the town of Mountain Ash, in the Cynon Valley, South Wales. Mountain Ash RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues.-Early history:...
.
Rugby career
Thomas first played rugby for local RhonddaRhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
clubs, Ferndale
Ferndale RFC
Ferndale RFC are a rugby union club based in the Upper Rhondda Fach, Wales. First formed in 1882, and disbanded in 1921, the club reformed in 1989. They currently play their home games at Greenwood Park, Ferndale formerly playing their home matches at Blaenllechau Park...
and Penygraig
Penygraig RFC
Penygraig Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Penygraig, Wales. Penygraig RFC formed in 1877, one of the earlier rugby clubs to emerge, and by 1890's were a strong voice in the Welsh Rugby Union, one of four clubs from the Rhondda Valley that held WRU representation.-Early...
before moving to Mountain Ash, the team he would captain during the 1904/05 season. He faced his first international opposition when he was chosen to represent Glamorgan
Glamorgan County RFC
Glamorgan County RFC is a Welsh rugby union club that manages an invitational team, known as Glamorgan that originally played rugby at county level...
, an invitational county team that faced the touring South Africans in 1906. Glamorgan played well but lost 6-3 though if Bert Winfield
Bert Winfield
Herbert Benjamin 'Bert' Winfield was an English rugby union player who played international rugby for Wales. He was a member of the winning Welsh team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks and captained Wales against Ireland in 1908...
had completed his kicks the Welsh would have won. Thomas would gain his first cap later that year, when a Welsh team was formed to face the same South African team. Thomas, along with the other newly capped players, John Dyke
John Dyke (rugby player)
John Charles Meredith Dyke is a former international rugby union fullback. Dyke made his debut for Wales on 1 December 1906 versus South Africa and was selected for the 1908 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia...
and John Jenkins
Jack Jenkins (rugby player)
John "Jack" Charles Jenkins was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport and London Welsh. He won just a single cap for Wales in 1907 but faced both New Zealand and South Africa at county level with Middlesex and Monmouthshire.-Personal history:Jenkins was born...
were judged not to show great ability, but were far superior to the other non-capped players available. Wales lost the game, which saw the end of many great Welsh players.
Unlike Dyke and Jenkins, Thomas was reselected for his country again, but he needed to wait until the 1908 Home Nations Championship
1908 Home Nations Championship
The 1908 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-sixth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 18 January and 21 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
, when he was chosen to face France 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...
. Under the captaincy of Teddy Morgan
Teddy Morgan
Edward "Teddy" Morgan was a Welsh international rugby union player. He was a member of the winning Wales team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks and is remembered for scoring the winning try...
Wales were victorious, as they were two weeks later when Thomas won his third cap against Ireland in Belfast. Thomas's last game was the following year in a match against Scotland. Billy Trew
Billy Trew
Billy Trew was a Welsh international centre, outside half and wing who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Football Club. He won 29 caps for Wales and is seen as one of the key players of the first Golden Age of Welsh rugby union...
not only led the team but scored 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...
which Jack Bancroft
Jack Bancroft
Jack Bancroft , born John Bancroft, was a Welsh cricketer, and rugby union international. He was a right-handed batsman and a wicket-keeper who played for Glamorgan. Bancroft also played rugby for Swansea RFC...
converted.
International games played
Wales 1908 1908 1909 1906Later life
During World War I, Thomas was posted to France as a member of the 38th (Welsh) Infantry Division, 16th Battalion, and as a Company Sergeant Major was killed in action in the taking of Mametz Woods. He is commemorated at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. Another Welsh international died in the same military action, wing player Johnnie WilliamsJohnnie Williams
Johnnie Williams was a Welsh international wing who played club rugby for Cardiff Rugby Club. A three times Triple Crown winner, out of seventeen appearances for Wales he was on the losing side only twice....
.