Hopkin Davies
Encyclopedia
Hopkin Davies was a Welsh
international rugby union
forward who played club rugby for Swansea
and was capped for the Wales
international team on four occasions.
matches against Ireland and England. Wales had just returned from a year out of international rugby due to the Gould Affair and Davies was one of five new caps brought into a vastly changed pack to face Ireland. Davies was one of only two Swansea players in the squad, along with the Wales captain Billy Bancroft
, with Cardiff
providing almost half the team. The game finished 11-3 to Wales, and Davies was reselected for the last game of the tournament, against England. Wales lost the match 14-7 and the next season saw another major overhaul of the forward positions, with Davies losing his place.
In took another three seasons for Davies to be reselected for Wales again, but in the second Welsh match of the 1901 Championship
, he was brought into the pack as a replacement for Pontymister's
William Willams
. Although the team had won the opening game of the tournament against England, doubts were raised in the press over the cohesion of the Welsh pack, and this proved founded when Wales collapsed towards the end of the match to allow a Scottish victory. Davies played in one more match for Wales, in the final game of the 1901 season, facing Ireland at his club's ground, St. Helen's. Wales won a tight game, but Davies was dropped for the next Championship and did not represent 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 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...
forward 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 was capped for the 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...
international team on four occasions.
Rugby career
Very little is recorded of Davies' personal life or playing career, though he was recorded as being a Swansea player at the time of his selection for the Welsh national team. Davies was brought into the Welsh squad to play in both the 1898 Home Nations Championship1898 Home Nations Championship
The 1898 Home Nations Championship was the sixteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Five matches were played between 5 February and 2 April. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
matches against Ireland and England. Wales had just returned from a year out of international rugby due to the Gould Affair and Davies was one of five new caps brought into a vastly changed pack to face Ireland. Davies was one of only two Swansea players in the squad, along with the Wales captain 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....
, with Cardiff
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...
providing almost half the team. The game finished 11-3 to Wales, and Davies was reselected for the last game of the tournament, against England. Wales lost the match 14-7 and the next season saw another major overhaul of the forward positions, with Davies losing his place.
In took another three seasons for Davies to be reselected for Wales again, but in the second Welsh match of the 1901 Championship
1901 Home Nations Championship
The 1901 Home Nations Championship was the nineteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 5 January and 16 March...
, he was brought into the pack as a replacement for Pontymister's
Risca RFC
Risca Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in Risca, Monmouthshire. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.-Club history:...
William Willams
William Henry Williams (rugby player)
William Henry "Buller" Williams was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Pontymister RFC; and represented Wales...
. Although the team had won the opening game of the tournament against England, doubts were raised in the press over the cohesion of the Welsh pack, and this proved founded when Wales collapsed towards the end of the match to allow a Scottish victory. Davies played in one more match for Wales, in the final game of the 1901 season, facing Ireland at his club's ground, St. Helen's. Wales won a tight game, but Davies was dropped for the next Championship and did not represent Wales again.