Ted Thorn
Encyclopedia
Edward Joseph "Ted" Thorn (born c. 1896) was an Australia
n rugby union
player a state and national
representative flanker who made 36 appearances for the Waratahs
, playing in fifteen Test matches and captaining the national side on thirteen occasions (six Test matches) between 1924 and 1926.
, was born in Sydney, New South Wales and claimed a total of fifteen international rugby caps for Australia. His brother Joe though Ted's junior by three years, represented for the Waratahs first in 1921. Ted made his state representative debut in 1922, appearing three times for the New South Wales Waratahs
against the visiting All Blacks
for two victories. With no Queensland Rugby Union
competition in place at that time the New South Wales Waratahs
were the top Australia
n representative rugby union
side of the period and a number of Waratah matches of the 1920s played against full international opponents were in 1986 decreed by the Australian Rugby Union
as Test matches - including fifteen such appearances made by Ted Thorn.
Thorn made the 1923 New South Wales tour of New Zealand playing in every one of the ten tour matches. Although the tour was not a success with only two matches being won, Thorn returned with his reputation intact. In 1924 when the All Blacks
visited Australia, Thorn played in all three matches and in the final match he debuted as captain for the Waratahs, now in the record books as national captain. In the 1925 season he again captained New South Wales
in two Tests against New Zealand , withdrawing with injury from the third match of the series. On the tour to New Zealand later that year he was selected as tour captain and played in the first seven matches before a wrist injury saw him stand down from the Test, passing the captaincy to Tom Lawton
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n 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...
player a state and national
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
representative flanker who made 36 appearances for the Waratahs
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
, playing in fifteen Test matches and captaining the national side on thirteen occasions (six Test matches) between 1924 and 1926.
Rugby career
Thorn, a flankerFlanker (rugby union)
A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards...
, was born in Sydney, New South Wales and claimed a total of fifteen international rugby caps for Australia. His brother Joe though Ted's junior by three years, represented for the Waratahs first in 1921. Ted made his state representative debut in 1922, appearing three times for the New South Wales Waratahs
New South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super 15 Super Rugby competition...
against the visiting All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
for two victories. With no Queensland Rugby Union
Queensland Rugby Union
The Queensland Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Queensland. It is a member and founding union of the Australian Rugby Union.-See also:*Queensland Reds*Australian Rugby Union*The Wallabies*Rugby union in Queensland...
competition in place at that time the New South Wales Waratahs
New South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super 15 Super Rugby competition...
were the top Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n representative 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...
side of the period and a number of Waratah matches of the 1920s played against full international opponents were in 1986 decreed by the Australian Rugby Union
Australian Rugby Union
The Australian Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Australia. It was founded in 1949 and is a member of the International Rugby Board the sport's governing body. It consists of eight member unions, representing each state and territory...
as Test matches - including fifteen such appearances made by Ted Thorn.
Thorn made the 1923 New South Wales tour of New Zealand playing in every one of the ten tour matches. Although the tour was not a success with only two matches being won, Thorn returned with his reputation intact. In 1924 when the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
visited Australia, Thorn played in all three matches and in the final match he debuted as captain for the Waratahs, now in the record books as national captain. In the 1925 season he again captained New South Wales
New South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super 15 Super Rugby competition...
in two Tests against New Zealand , withdrawing with injury from the third match of the series. On the tour to New Zealand later that year he was selected as tour captain and played in the first seven matches before a wrist injury saw him stand down from the Test, passing the captaincy to Tom Lawton
Tom Lawton, Snr
Tom Lawton Snr was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative five-eighth who made 44 appearances for the Wallabies, played in 14 Test matches and captained the national side on ten occasions....
.