Gwyn Nicholls
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Erith Gwyn Nicholls (1874 - March 1939) was a Welsh rugby union player who gained 24 caps for Wales as a centre.
Born in Westbury-on-Severn, Nicholls started his rugby career with Cardiff Stars before playing in the Cardiff first team from 1893. He spent all his playing career with Cardiff, playing 18 seasons for them, apart from half a season with Newport in 1901-02 when he began a laundry business there.
His 24 caps for Wales were won between 1896 and 1906 and included ten matches as captain. He was captain of the Triple Crown winning side of 1902. Despite announcing his retirement from international rugby at the end of the previous season, he returned to captain Wales in the famous 1905 victory against New Zealand. He toured Australia with the British Isles team of 1899, and was the only Welsh player on this tour.
Nicholls was known as the "Prince of Threequarters". On Boxing Day 1949 the "Gwyn Nicholls Memorial Gates" were officially opened at Cardiff Arms Park by his team mate Rhys Gabe. On November 16 2005 Gwyn Nicholls was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.
[edit] References
- David Parry-Jones (1999) Prince Gwyn: Gwyn Nicholls and the first golden age of Welsh rugby Seren
- David Smith and Gareth Williams (1980) Fields of praise: the official history of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981 University of Wales Press ISBN 0-7083-0766-3