Eddie Morgan (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Morgan Edward "Eddie" Morgan (18 December 1913–16 April 1978) was a Welsh
international prop who played club rugby for Swansea
and international rugby for both Wales
and the British Lions
.
, but by 1937 he had moved to first class team Swansea. While with Swansea, Morgan gained his first international cap for Wales when he was selected to face England as part of the 1938 Home Nations Championship
. The previous tournament had been a terrible campaign for Wales, losing all three matches. The selectors reacted by bringing in four new caps into the pack, while retaining confidence in veteran backs. Morgan was brought in with Walter Vickery
, Allan McCarley and Fred Morgan, which saw the pack transform the Welsh play, resulting in the first Welsh win over England in five years. Morgan was reselected for the rest of the tournament, which saw Wales losing narrowly away to Scotland, and a win over Ireland.
Morgan was later selected for the British Lions for their 1938 tour of South Africa
, playing in 14 matches and gaining two caps in the first two tests. On his return he gained one final Welsh cap when he played against England in the opening game of the 1939 Home Nations Championship
. Wales lost the game by a single try and Morgan did not represented Wales again.
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 prop who played club rugby for Swansea
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. The team is sometimes known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip...
and international rugby for both Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
and the British Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
.
Rugby playing career
Morgan first played rugby for local club, Abercrave RFCAbercrave RFC
Abercrave Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team from Abercraf, which was founded in 1894. Abercrave currently have a Senior XV who play in the WRU Division Five South West league and is a feeder club for the Ospreys....
, but by 1937 he had moved to first class team Swansea. While with Swansea, Morgan gained his first international cap for Wales when he was selected to face England as part of the 1938 Home Nations Championship
1938 Home Nations Championship
The 1938 Home Nations Championship was the thirty-fourth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the fifty-first series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six...
. The previous tournament had been a terrible campaign for Wales, losing all three matches. The selectors reacted by bringing in four new caps into the pack, while retaining confidence in veteran backs. Morgan was brought in with Walter Vickery
Walter Vickery
Walter Vickery was an international rugby union back row who represented Wales and played club rugby for Aberavon...
, Allan McCarley and Fred Morgan, which saw the pack transform the Welsh play, resulting in the first Welsh win over England in five years. Morgan was reselected for the rest of the tournament, which saw Wales losing narrowly away to Scotland, and a win over Ireland.
Morgan was later selected for the British Lions for their 1938 tour of South Africa
1938 British Lions tour to South Africa
The 1938 British Isles tour to South Africa was the fourteenth tour by a British Isles team and the sixth to South Africa. The tour is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950....
, playing in 14 matches and gaining two caps in the first two tests. On his return he gained one final Welsh cap when he played against England in the opening game of the 1939 Home Nations Championship
1939 Home Nations Championship
The 1939 Home Nations Championship was the thirty-fifth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the fifty-second series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six...
. Wales lost the game by a single try and Morgan did not represented Wales again.