Onllwyn Brace
Encyclopedia
Onllwyn Brace was a Welsh
international scrum-half who played club rugby for Newport and Aberavon
. He won nine caps for Wales
and would captain the team twice in the early 1960s. Brace was an exciting, unorthodox scrum-half, who epitomised the Welsh flair scrum-half, though his uneven international appearances point towards unhappiness in his match play from the Welsh selectors.
and captained the team during two seasons 1958/59 and 1960/61. He was one of 21 former Llanelli captains to parade in front of the supporters before the final match at Llanelli's first home ground, Stradey Park
.
Brace made his international debut for Wales against England on 21 January 1956 in a game at the Twickenham
. Wales won the match 8–3, and Brace faced England's Mike Smith, of whom he had made an excellent half-back partnership at Oxford University. Brace would play in all four matches of the 1956 Five Nations Championship
which Wales won, losing only to Ireland in the tournament. Brace played nine games for Wales, and captained the country twice, on both occasions against Ireland in 1960 and 1961.
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 scrum-half who played club rugby for Newport and Aberavon
Aberavon RFC
Aberavon RFC is a rugby union club located in the Welsh town of Port Talbot, although the club's name refers to the older settlement of Aberavon which lies on the western side of the town...
. He won nine caps 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...
and would captain the team twice in the early 1960s. Brace was an exciting, unorthodox scrum-half, who epitomised the Welsh flair scrum-half, though his uneven international appearances point towards unhappiness in his match play from the Welsh selectors.
Rugby career
Brace first played rugby for Aberavon but moved to Newport after the club tried to play him in the unfamiliar role of outside-half to Cliff Ashton. As a Newport player, Brace was chosen to face the touring New Zealand in 1954. Brace later played for LlanelliLlanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
and captained the team during two seasons 1958/59 and 1960/61. He was one of 21 former Llanelli captains to parade in front of the supporters before the final match at Llanelli's first home ground, Stradey Park
Stradey Park
Stradey Park was a rugby union stadium located near the centre of the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was the home of the Scarlets region and Llanelli RFC rugby teams. The stadium was a combination of seating and standing with a total capacity of 10,800...
.
Brace made his international debut for Wales against England on 21 January 1956 in a game at the 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...
. Wales won the match 8–3, and Brace faced England's Mike Smith, of whom he had made an excellent half-back partnership at Oxford University. Brace would play in all four matches of the 1956 Five Nations Championship
1956 Five Nations Championship
The 1956 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-seventh series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the sixty-second series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
which Wales won, losing only to Ireland in the tournament. Brace played nine games for Wales, and captained the country twice, on both occasions against Ireland in 1960 and 1961.