Harry Phillips
Encyclopedia
Henry 'Harry' Thomas Phillips (22 June 1903 – 16 December 1978) was a Welsh
international rugby union
lock who played club rugby for Cross Keys
and Newport and international rugby for Wales
. Phillips was a collier
by profession before becoming a police officer, and was the nephew of former international Wales player Harry Day
.
, and began his rugby career with local team Cross Keys RFC, before moving to first class team Newport. He played rugby with Newport from 1923, and was given various roles within the pack, though he played mainly second row and prop. In 1926, Phillips faced his first international opposition when he was part of the Newport team that played the touring Māoris. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, a score which the Māori captain, Wattie Barclay, believed his team was fortunate to achieve.
In 1927, Phillips was given his first international call-up, when he was selected for the opening game of the 1927 Five Nations Championship
. Under the captaincy of Bernard Turnbull
, Phillips' debut was against England at Twickenham
which Wales lost 9-11. Phillips played in all the matches of the 1927 Championship which saw poor Welsh results, with only a single win, over France. Despite the poor run of results, Phillips was reselected for the Wales game against the New South Wales Waratahs
, who he had faced just a month earlier with Newport. The Wales team included eight new caps, which the far tighter Waratahs were able to defeat, finishing the match 18-8 winners.
Phillips played in all four games of the 1928 Championship
, which was as miserable a campaign as 1927. The Welsh won just once, the first ever victory over Scotland at Murrayfield. Although a historic win, this was the start of a poor run of results for Scotland who finished the tournament with just a single win too. Worse for Wales was the loss to France. Wales had beaten France in the previous twelve encounters, and this was the first time Wales had lost to the French team. This final game of the tournament saw five Welsh players represent Wales for the last time, Phillips was one of them.
Phillips continued representing Newport after the end of his international career, and in the 1929/30 season he was given the captaincy of the Newport first team. He left Newport in 1931.
1927 1927, 1928
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...
lock who played club rugby for Cross Keys
Cross Keys RFC
Cross Keys RFC is a rugby union club located in the Welsh village of Crosskeys. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.- History :...
and Newport and international rugby 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...
. Phillips was a collier
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
by profession before becoming a police officer, and was the nephew of former international Wales player Harry Day
Harry Day (rugby player)
Henry "Harry" Thomas Day was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport and Cardiff. Day was awarded five caps for Wales, and was most notable for being part of the 1893 Welsh Triple Crown winning team...
.
Rugby career
Phillips was born in CrosskeysCrosskeys
Crosskeys is a small village in Caerphilly county borough in Wales.- Location :Crosskeys is seven miles north west of Newport, just past Risca off the A467 road. Located near to the confluence of the Ebbw River and the Sirhowy River, it was originally called Pont-y-cymer...
, and began his rugby career with local team Cross Keys RFC, before moving to first class team Newport. He played rugby with Newport from 1923, and was given various roles within the pack, though he played mainly second row and prop. In 1926, Phillips faced his first international opposition when he was part of the Newport team that played the touring Māoris. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, a score which the Māori captain, Wattie Barclay, believed his team was fortunate to achieve.
In 1927, Phillips was given his first international call-up, when he was selected for the opening game of the 1927 Five Nations Championship
1927 Five Nations Championship
The 1927 Five Nations Championship was the thirteenth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the fortieth series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
. Under the captaincy of Bernard Turnbull
Bernard Turnbull
Bernard Turnbull was a Welsh international centre who played club rugby for Cardiff and was capped six times for Wales. Turnbull has been described as a dogged and unimaginative centre, but with the ability to finish off the work of others. Turnbull captained Wales on one occasion in 1927.-Rugby...
, Phillips' debut was against England at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
which Wales lost 9-11. Phillips played in all the matches of the 1927 Championship which saw poor Welsh results, with only a single win, over France. Despite the poor run of results, Phillips was reselected for the Wales game against the New South Wales Waratahs
1927-28 Waratahs tour of the British Isles, France and Canada
Between July 1927 and March 1928 the New South Wales Waratahs, the top Australian representative rugby union side of the time, conducted a world tour encompassing Ceylon, Britain, France and Canada on which they played five Tests and twenty-six minor tour matches....
, who he had faced just a month earlier with Newport. The Wales team included eight new caps, which the far tighter Waratahs were able to defeat, finishing the match 18-8 winners.
Phillips played in all four games of the 1928 Championship
1928 Five Nations Championship
The 1928 Five Nations Championship was the fourteenth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the forty-first series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
, which was as miserable a campaign as 1927. The Welsh won just once, the first ever victory over Scotland at Murrayfield. Although a historic win, this was the start of a poor run of results for Scotland who finished the tournament with just a single win too. Worse for Wales was the loss to France. Wales had beaten France in the previous twelve encounters, and this was the first time Wales had lost to the French team. This final game of the tournament saw five Welsh players represent Wales for the last time, Phillips was one of them.
Phillips continued representing Newport after the end of his international career, and in the 1929/30 season he was given the captaincy of the Newport first team. He left Newport in 1931.
International matches played
Wales (rugby union) 1927, 1928 1927, 1928 1927, 1928 New South Wales WaratahsNew South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super 15 Super Rugby competition...
1927 1927, 1928