Percy Jones (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Percy Jones was a Welsh
international rugby union
forward who played club rugby for Pontypool
and Newport. He was awarded eight caps for Wales
and faced the touring with South Africans
. Jones was one of the 'Terrible Eight' who clashed with the Irish forwards during the 1914 Five Nations Championship
.
and although Wales lost the game, he was reselected a few months later to face England in the 1913 Five Nations Championship
. Under the captaincy of Tommy Vile
, Wales lost on home soil for the first time against England since 1895. The selectors kept faith with Jones, and played in two of the next three games of the tournament, which saw wins for Wales and Jones against Scotland and France.
In 1914, Jones was selected to play in all four matches of that years Championship. Wales only lost one game, narrowly against eventually Grand Slam
champions England. Jones was best known during this campaign for the build up to the match against Ireland. The match was to be played at the Balmoral Showgrounds in Belfast
on 14 March, and the Welsh team had travelled out to Ireland the day before. Jones and fellow Newport team mate Harry Uzzell
decided to visit a local theatre in the night before the match. There they were met by some of the Irish players, where they were approached by Ireland's Walter Tyrell who challenged Jones to a physical contest on the pitch the next day. What appeared to start as good natured banter turned into a full-blooded contest during the match. Jones took several early knocks, not just from Tyrell but from other members of the Irish pack. At half time Uzzell decided to pay the Irish back and the game descended into running fist fights and the match is remembered as being one of the most violent in international rugby. The Welsh forwards were dubbed the 'Terrible Eight' by the press after the event.
1913, 1914 France
1913, 1914 Ireland
1914 Scotland
1913, 1914 South Africa
1912
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 Pontypool
Pontypool RFC
Pontypool Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in the town of Pontypool. Pontypool RFC has a long history within Welsh rugby and is one of the most notable clubs, being present at the formation of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881, but disbanding before the turn of the 19th century...
and Newport. He was awarded eight 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 faced the touring with South Africans
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
. Jones was one of the 'Terrible Eight' who clashed with the Irish forwards during the 1914 Five Nations Championship
1914 Five Nations Championship
The 1914 Five Nations Championship was the fifth 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 thirty-second series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
.
Rugby career
Jones played for several rugby clubs but was selected for Welsh international duty while with Newport and Pontypool. His first cap was against the 1912 touring South Africans1912-13 South Africa rugby union tour
The 1912–13 South Africa rugby union tour was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the South Africa national rugby union team against England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and France. The tour also took in several matches against British and Irish club, county and invitational teams...
and although Wales lost the game, he was reselected a few months later to face England in the 1913 Five Nations Championship
1913 Five Nations Championship
The 1913 Five Nations Championship was the fourth 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 thirty-first series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
. Under the captaincy of Tommy Vile
Tommy Vile
Major Thomas Henry "Tommy" Vile MBE was a Welsh international rugby union player. He played club rugby predominantly for Newport, captaining the side twice and played county rugby for Monmouthshire. He also represented the British Isles in Australia, and after retiring from playing became an...
, Wales lost on home soil for the first time against England since 1895. The selectors kept faith with Jones, and played in two of the next three games of the tournament, which saw wins for Wales and Jones against Scotland and France.
In 1914, Jones was selected to play in all four matches of that years Championship. Wales only lost one game, narrowly against eventually Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
champions England. Jones was best known during this campaign for the build up to the match against Ireland. The match was to be played at the Balmoral Showgrounds in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
on 14 March, and the Welsh team had travelled out to Ireland the day before. Jones and fellow Newport team mate Harry Uzzell
Harry Uzzell
Henry "Harry" Uzzell was a Welsh international rugby union player. He played club rugby predominantly for Newport and played county rugby for Gloucestershire. A fruiterer by trade he later became landlord of the Tredegar Arms in Bassaleg.Uzzell spent the majority of his rugby career with Newport...
decided to visit a local theatre in the night before the match. There they were met by some of the Irish players, where they were approached by Ireland's Walter Tyrell who challenged Jones to a physical contest on the pitch the next day. What appeared to start as good natured banter turned into a full-blooded contest during the match. Jones took several early knocks, not just from Tyrell but from other members of the Irish pack. At half time Uzzell decided to pay the Irish back and the game descended into running fist fights and the match is remembered as being one of the most violent in international rugby. The Welsh forwards were dubbed the 'Terrible Eight' by the press after the event.
International matches played
Wales EnglandEngland national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
1913, 1914 France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
1913, 1914 Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
1914 Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
1913, 1914 South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
1912