William McCutcheon
Encyclopedia
William 'Billy' McCutcheon (April→June 1870 - 3 July 1949) was a Welsh
international rugby
wing who played club rugby in the union code
for Swansea
and represented Oldham
under the league code
. McCutcheon was capped for the Wales national rugby union team
seven times between 1891 and 1894, and in 1893 he was a member of the first Welsh Triple Crown
winning team.
. While at Oldham, McCutcheon joined Oldham Rugby Union Club but still travelled to Wales, turning out for Swansea when he could. At Oldham he played on the opposite wing to fellow Swansea player David Gwynn
, who had also moved to the area. In 1889 McCutcheon was selected for the Lancashire county, again playing alongside Gwynn, and during the 1889/90 season he was part of the team that won the Championship County.
McCutcheon began playing rugby with Swansea playing as a full-back but was brought onto the wing. It was as a wing that McCutcheon was selected to represent Wales when he was chosen for the second game of the 1891 Home Nations Championship
. Played away to Scotland at Raeburn Place, McCutcheon was one of three new Welsh caps in the game, the others being Ralph Sweet-Escott
at half-back and David Daniel
in the pack. Wales lost the game 15-0, and McCutcheon lost his place in the next game to Tom Pearson
, who McCutcheon himself had replaced the game before. At the end of the 1890/91 season he was again part of a Championship County winning team with Lancashire.
During the 1892 Championship
, McCutcheon was back in the Wales team, and played in the two opening games, both under the captaincy of Arthur Gould. It was a terrible campaign for the Welsh squad, losing all three games of the tournament, though McCutcheon did not make the away trip to Lansdowne Road
to face Ireland. During the 1893 Championship
McCutcheon was given his first full campaign, playing in all three games. In a complete turn around from the prior season, Wales won all their matches lifting the Triple Crown for the first time in the country's history. In the second game of the tournament, in a match away to Scotland, McCutcheon scored the only international points of his career with one of three tries from the Welsh three-quarters, the other two tries coming from Bert Gould
and Norman Biggs
. McCutcheon played just one more international game for Wales in the opener of the 1884 Home Nations Championship
, at Birckenhead to England. Wales were beaten heavily on an icy pitch, and the next game McCutcheon was again replaced by Pearson.
During the 1893/94 season, while with Oldham, McCutcheon won the Club Championship title. In 1895, Oldham was one of 21 English clubs that broke away from the union code, becoming professional. McCutcheon stayed with the club adopting the league code and therefore severing links with the amateur game. After he stopped playing rugby McCutcheon became a prominent union referee in Lancashire, after gaining permission from the Welsh Rugby Union
and in 1924 he became the President of Oldham Rugby League Football Club, a post he held until 1926.
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
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
wing who played club rugby in the union code
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...
for Swansea
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...
and represented Oldham
Oldham Roughyeds
Oldham Roughyeds is an English professional rugby league club based in Oldham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Championship One. Oldham is one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895....
under the league code
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...
. McCutcheon was capped for the Wales national rugby union team
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...
seven times between 1891 and 1894, and in 1893 he was a member of the first Welsh Triple Crown
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
winning team.
Rugby career
McCutcheon joined Swansea in 1886, but in 1888 moved to OldhamOldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
. While at Oldham, McCutcheon joined Oldham Rugby Union Club but still travelled to Wales, turning out for Swansea when he could. At Oldham he played on the opposite wing to fellow Swansea player David Gwynn
David Gwynn
David 'Dai' Gwynn was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Swansea and county rugby for Lancashire...
, who had also moved to the area. In 1889 McCutcheon was selected for the Lancashire county, again playing alongside Gwynn, and during the 1889/90 season he was part of the team that won the Championship County.
McCutcheon began playing rugby with Swansea playing as a full-back but was brought onto the wing. It was as a wing that McCutcheon was selected to represent Wales when he was chosen for the second game of the 1891 Home Nations Championship
1891 Home Nations Championship
The 1891 Home Nations Championship was the ninth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 3 January and 7 March...
. Played away to Scotland at Raeburn Place, McCutcheon was one of three new Welsh caps in the game, the others being Ralph Sweet-Escott
Ralph Sweet-Escott
Ralph Bond Sweet-Escott was an English-born international rugby union half back who played club rugby for Cardiff and was capped three times for Wales. Sweet-Escott also played cricket for Glamorgan representing the county in the Minor Counties Cricket Championship...
at half-back and David Daniel
David Daniel
David John Daniel was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales.-Personal history:...
in the pack. Wales lost the game 15-0, and McCutcheon lost his place in the next game to 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...
, who McCutcheon himself had replaced the game before. At the end of the 1890/91 season he was again part of a Championship County winning team with Lancashire.
During the 1892 Championship
1892 Home Nations Championship
The 1892 Home Nations Championship was the tenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 2 January and 5 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
, McCutcheon was back in the Wales team, and played in the two opening games, both under the captaincy of Arthur Gould. It was a terrible campaign for the Welsh squad, losing all three games of the tournament, though McCutcheon did not make the away trip to Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
to face Ireland. During the 1893 Championship
1893 Home Nations Championship
The 1893 Home Nations Championship was the eleventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 17 January and 11 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales...
McCutcheon was given his first full campaign, playing in all three games. In a complete turn around from the prior season, Wales won all their matches lifting the Triple Crown for the first time in the country's history. In the second game of the tournament, in a match away to Scotland, McCutcheon scored the only international points of his career with one of three tries from the Welsh three-quarters, the other two tries coming from Bert Gould
Bert Gould
George Herbert 'Bert' Gould was a Welsh international rugby union centre who played club rugby for Newport Rugby Football Club and won three caps for Wales...
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...
. McCutcheon played just one more international game for Wales in the opener of the 1884 Home Nations Championship
1884 Home Nations Championship
The 1884 Home Nations Championship was the second series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 5 January and 12 April 1884...
, at Birckenhead to England. Wales were beaten heavily on an icy pitch, and the next game McCutcheon was again replaced by Pearson.
During the 1893/94 season, while with Oldham, McCutcheon won the Club Championship title. In 1895, Oldham was one of 21 English clubs that broke away from the union code, becoming professional. McCutcheon stayed with the club adopting the league code and therefore severing links with the amateur game. After he stopped playing rugby McCutcheon became a prominent union referee in Lancashire, after gaining permission from the Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
and in 1924 he became the President of Oldham Rugby League Football Club, a post he held until 1926.
External links
- Ospreys website William McCutcheon profile
- Search for "McCutcheon" at rugbyleagueproject.org
- Statistics at orl-heritagetrust.org.uk