Joseph Booth (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Joe" Booth was a Welsh
-born rugby union
forward who originally played club rugby for Pontymister
and international rugby for Wales
. Booth later joined West Hartlepool R.F.C.
and represented Durham at county level.
. Wales had just been readmitted into the International Rugby Board
after a year of exile due to the events of the Gould Affair. The re-formed Welsh team had seven new caps, with five first time internationals brought into the pack, Booth being one of them. Played away at Limerick, and now captained by Swansea's
Billy Bancroft
, Wales made an excellent start to the tournament by winning the match 11-3. Despite the victory, Booth was replaced for the next match by Rhondda
policeman Dai Evans
, and never represented Wales again. In the autumn of 1898 Booth moved to England, but unlike many of his fellow players did not switch to the professional league
code, but instead joined union club West Hartlepool. While at Hartlepool, Booth was also selected to play for Durham County, playing nine games over five seasons.
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...
-born 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 originally played club rugby for Pontymister
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:...
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...
. Booth later joined West Hartlepool R.F.C.
West Hartlepool R.F.C.
West Hartlepool Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club who play in the National League 3 North league after gaining promotion by winning the 2010 / 2011 North 1 East league.-History:...
and represented Durham at county level.
Rugby career
Booth was the first player to be capped for Pontymister while representing the club, when he was chosen to play for Wales in the country's first match of 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....
. Wales had just been readmitted into the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
after a year of exile due to the events of the Gould Affair. The re-formed Welsh team had seven new caps, with five first time internationals brought into the pack, Booth being one of them. Played away at Limerick, and now captained by Swansea's
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...
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....
, Wales made an excellent start to the tournament by winning the match 11-3. Despite the victory, Booth was replaced for the next match by Rhondda
Rhondda
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...
policeman Dai Evans
Dai Evans
David "Dai" Evans was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Penygraig and international rugby for Wales.Evans was born in Maenclochog, Pembrokeshire, but came to the Rhondda Valley to find work...
, and never represented Wales again. In the autumn of 1898 Booth moved to England, but unlike many of his fellow players did not switch to the professional league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
code, but instead joined union club West Hartlepool. While at Hartlepool, Booth was also selected to play for Durham County, playing nine games over five seasons.