Jack Elliott (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
John "Jack" Elliott (13 August 1871-30 March 1938) was a Welsh
rugby union
scrum-half who played club rugby for Cardiff
and international rugby for Wales
, winning three caps.
Although born in the North-East of England, Elliott was living in Cardiff
, the Welsh capital by the time he was a young man. He became the director of the Mountstuart Dry Dock at Cardiff Docks
and was a property owner.
, before switching to local rivals Cardiff. He was first selected to represent Wales when he was brought in at centre to replace Welsh sporting legend and team captain, Arthur 'Monkey' Gould, in the final game of the 1894 Home Nations Championship
. Elliott was paired at centre with fellow Cardiff team mate Dai Fitzgerald
and completed an all Cardiff threequarter along with Tom Pearson
and Norman Biggs
. Wales lost the game by a single penalty goal on a boggy Belfast pitch, and the next season Elliott was replaced by Gould.
Elliott was given the captaincy of Cardiff for the 1896-97 season and four years after his previous international cap was called back into the Welsh team for the 1898 Championship
. Elliot played in both Welsh games of the tournament, this time brought in at his more familiar position of scrum-half alongside Selwyn Biggs
. Wales won the first game against Ireland, and Elliott was reselected for the final game of the tournament, against England. The next year, Elliott and Biggs were replaced by the Swansea brothers David
and Evan James
.
After retiring from playing rugby, Elliott continued his connection with the sport by becoming a first class referee. He was also a keen golf
er and in 1935 was the captain of Royal Porthcawl Golf Club
.
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...
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...
scrum-half who played club rugby for 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...
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...
, winning three caps.
Although born in the North-East of England, Elliott was living in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, the Welsh capital by the time he was a young man. He became the director of the Mountstuart Dry Dock at Cardiff Docks
Cardiff Docks
Cardiff Docks is a port in south Cardiff, Wales. At its peak, the port was one of the largest dock systems in the world with a total quayage of almost...
and was a property owner.
Rugby career
Elliott began his rugby career playing for LlandaffLlandaff RFC
Llandaff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Llandaff, a district of Cardiff in Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Rugby Union Division Four East and is a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues.....
, before switching to local rivals Cardiff. He was first selected to represent Wales when he was brought in at centre to replace Welsh sporting legend and team captain, Arthur 'Monkey' Gould, in the final game of the 1894 Home Nations Championship
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:...
. Elliott was paired at centre with fellow Cardiff team mate Dai Fitzgerald
Dai Fitzgerald
David "Dai" Fitzgerald was a Welsh rugby centre who played club rugby under the union code for Cardiff and later switched to professional rugby league team Batley...
and completed an all Cardiff threequarter along with Tom Pearson
Tom Pearson (rugby player)
Thomas William Rory Pearson was a Welsh international wing who played club rugby for Cardiff and Newport and county rugby with Middlesex. He won 13 caps for Wales and captained the team on one occasion, against England. Pearson was an all-round sportsman, representing Wales not only in rugby, but...
and Norman Biggs
Norman Biggs
Norman Witchell Biggs was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Cardiff and county rugby for Glamorgan. Both Biggs and his brother Selwyn played international rugby for Wales, though they never played together in the same match for Wales...
. Wales lost the game by a single penalty goal on a boggy Belfast pitch, and the next season Elliott was replaced by Gould.
Elliott was given the captaincy of Cardiff for the 1896-97 season and four years after his previous international cap was called back into the Welsh team for the 1898 Championship
1898 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....
. Elliot played in both Welsh games of the tournament, this time brought in at his more familiar position of scrum-half alongside Selwyn Biggs
Selwyn Biggs
Selwyn Hanam Biggs was a Welsh international rugby union fly-half who played club rugby for Cardiff and county rugby for Glamorgan. Both Biggs and his brother Norman played international rugby for Wales, though they never played in the same match for Wales together. Biggs was described at the time...
. Wales won the first game against Ireland, and Elliott was reselected for the final game of the tournament, against England. The next year, Elliott and Biggs were replaced by the Swansea brothers David
David James (rugby player)
David James was a Welsh international rugby union half back who played club rugby for Swansea. While playing with Swansea, James was paired with his brother, Evan James and together they were nicknamed the 'Swansea gems' and the 'Curly haired marmasets'.- Rugby career :James was first capped for...
and Evan James
Evan James (rugby player)
Evan James was a Welsh rugby half back who played club rugby for Swansea under the rugby union code, and professional rugby league for Broughton Rangers. While playing with Swansea, James was paired with his brother, David James and together they were nicknamed the 'Swansea gems' and the 'Curly...
.
After retiring from playing rugby, Elliott continued his connection with the sport by becoming a first class referee. He was also a keen golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er and in 1935 was the captain of Royal Porthcawl Golf Club
Royal Porthcawl Golf Club
Royal Porthcawl Golf Club is a golf club located to the north of Porthcawl and bordering the Bristol Channel, in Wales.The club has hosted many prestigious tournaments including The Amateur Championship on six occasions, the Walker Cup in 1995, the Curtis Cup in 1964, the British Masters in 1961,...
.