Willie Welsh
Encyclopedia
William "Willie" Berridge Welsh (February 11, 1907 — February 27, 1987) was a Scottish international rugby union
player, and later rugby league
player, who played for and the Lions
.
Welsh scored his debut try in his first international against the 1927-8 Waratahs from New South Wales
, and was capped 21 times for Scotland.
He also played for Hawick
.
He toured with the 1930 British Lions, including a match against the All Blacks
, and was the only Scot on the squad. The Welsh player Ivor Jones
, who played alongside him in the tour, described Willie Welsh as “one of the truly great forwards”.
Bill McLaren
, who would later play for Hawick RFC
himself, remembers the game of Willie Welsh.
Welsh was also a fine rugby sevens
player:
He was on the 1930 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
.
because of the unemployment crisis in the 1930s. He played for London Highfield
in 1933-34. He attempted to return to Hawick RFC to coach their rugby sevens squad, but due to the strictness of the Scottish Rugby Union
’s rules regarding contact with rugby league, he was forced to quit after a few minutes.
Welsh later went on to play for the Scotland national rugby league team
.
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, and later rugby 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...
player, who played for and the Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
.
Welsh scored his debut try in his first international against the 1927-8 Waratahs from New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, and was capped 21 times for Scotland.
He also played for Hawick
Hawick RFC
Hawick Rugby Football Club is a semi-professional rugby union side, currently playing in the Premiership Division One and Border League. The team are based at Mansfield Park at Hawick in the Scottish Borders....
.
He toured with the 1930 British Lions, including a match against 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....
, and was the only Scot on the squad. The Welsh player Ivor Jones
Ivor Jones
Ivor Egwad Jones CBE was a Welsh rugby union player who played as a back-row forward, mainly at flanker, for Llanelli and won 16 caps for Wales, three of them as captain....
, who played alongside him in the tour, described Willie Welsh as “one of the truly great forwards”.
Bill McLaren
Bill McLaren
William Pollock "Bill" McLaren CBE was a Scottish rugby union commentator, teacher, journalist and one time rugby player. Until his retirement in 2002, he was known as 'the voice of rugby'...
, who would later play for Hawick RFC
Hawick RFC
Hawick Rugby Football Club is a semi-professional rugby union side, currently playing in the Premiership Division One and Border League. The team are based at Mansfield Park at Hawick in the Scottish Borders....
himself, remembers the game of Willie Welsh.
- "I was brought up on stories of the great Scottish players of the twenties, many of whom I never saw play but knew all about... I used to go with my father to see matches at a very early age, the great Hawick heroes including Willie Welsh, Jock Beattie and Jerry Foster, so I had an all-consuming desire to wear the green jersey of Hawick."
Welsh was also a fine rugby sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
player:
- "My father's generation regarded Willie as one of the finest all-round footballers ever to play for Hawick. He was best known as a loose-forward and he had speed and exceptionally safe hands. He was skilled enough to have played as a back, and indeed he did so on one famous occasion, the Jed-Forest final of 1932, that I heard about as a boy, when a Hawick sevenRugby sevensRugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
, containing five forwards were 0-15 down at the change-over to a powerful DunfermlineDunfermline RFCDunfermline Rugby Football Club are a rugby union team from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland.Established in 1893 the club play their home games at McKane Park.They currently play in Scottish National Leagues division 1.Their strip is royal blue and white....
seven containing internationalists Harry LindHarry LindHarry Lind was a Scottish international rugby union player. He was capped 16 times for between 1928-36 at centre.His club was Dunfermline RFC....
and Alf WilsonAlf WilsonAlfred Royle "Alf" Wilson was an English professional footballer born in Wortley, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire, who played in the Football League for Birmingham. Wilson was on the books of Sheffield Wednesday but failed to make an appearance for the League side for the duration of his tenure...
. Some of the Hawick support were leaving the ground and they missed an incredible Hawick rally in which Willie Welsh played a major role, helping Hawick to an 18-15 victory."
He was on the 1930 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
1930 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
The 1930 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia was the twelfth tour by a British Isles team and the fifth to New Zealand and Australia...
.
Rugby league
Welsh later went over to rugby leagueRugby 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...
because of the unemployment crisis in the 1930s. He played for London Highfield
Liverpool City (rugby league)
Liverpool City was a semi-professional rugby league club from the city of Liverpool in England.-The first Liverpool City - 1906-1907:A professional club first emerged in Liverpool, called Liverpool City in 1906, playing at the Stanley Athletics Ground. They hold an unwanted record in the...
in 1933-34. He attempted to return to Hawick RFC to coach their rugby sevens squad, but due to the strictness of the Scottish Rugby Union
Scottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. It is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873, as the Scottish Football Union.-History:...
’s rules regarding contact with rugby league, he was forced to quit after a few minutes.
Welsh later went on to play for the Scotland national rugby league team
Scotland national rugby league team
The Scotland national rugby league team represent Scotland in international rugby league football tournaments. The team is run under the auspices of the Scotland Rugby League, and are nicknamed The Bravehearts. Scotland are not regarded as a test nation...
.
External links
- player profile on scrum.com