Full name | William Davies | ||
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Date of birth | 27 December 1890 | ||
Place of birth | Aberavon, Wales | ||
Date of death | 18 September 1967 | (aged 76)||
Place of death | Exeter, England | ||
School | Aberavon Council School Port Talbot County School |
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University | Exeter University | ||
Occupation(s) | Schoolteacher | ||
Rugby league career | |||
Position | Wing | ||
Professional clubs | |||
Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
1913-1921 | Leeds R.L. | ||
National teams | |||
Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
1914-1921 1914 1921 |
Wales Great Britain Other Mationalities |
2 2 1 |
(0) (6) (0) |
Rugby union career | |||
Playing career | |||
Position | Centre | ||
Amateur clubs | |||
Years | Club / team | ||
?-1912 1912-1913 ? ? 1912 |
Aberavon RFC Swansea RFC Plymouth Albion Devon Glamorgan County RFC |
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National team(s) | |||
Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
1912 | Wales | 2 | (3) |
William "Avon" Davies (27 December 1890 - 18 September 1967)[1] was a Welsh dual-code international rugby union and rugby league footballer of the 1910s and '20s who at representative level played for Wales under the union code and later represented Great Britain and Wales as a professional league player. At club level he played for both Aberavon and Swansea as an amateur and for Leeds as a league player. He played mainly at centre in union, but favoured the Wing, i.e. number 2 or 5, as a league player.
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Davies began playing rugby union as a schoolboy playing for both Aberavon Council School and Port Talbot County School.[2] The first notable club that Davies represented was Aberavon, and it was from Aberavon that Davies was first selected to represent the Wales national team. Davies played two international games for Wales, both as part of the 1912 Five Nations Championship. Davies' first cap was against Scotland played at St Helen's, which Wales won 21-6. Davies was reslected for the very next Wales match of the tournament, an away encounter to Ireland. The game started well for Wales, with Davies scoring his only international points, a try in the first half which was converted by Jack Bancroft. Despite Wales leading 5-0, the more experienced Irish team came back in the second half winning 12-5.
By the end of 1912, Davies had switched clubs from Aberavon to Swansea, and in October he was selected to play for county team Glamorgan when they faced the second touring South African team. Davies was not originally a first choice for the team, with Cardiff's Billy Spiller chosen not only as centre but also team captain. Three of the backs selected for the encounter, Spiller, Swansea centre Alf Thomas and fullback Jack Bancroft were all withdrawn injured after the teams met in a club clash the previous Saturday.[3] Davies was called in to replace Spiller and was also given the captaincy. The match was a one-sided competition with the South Africans running out winners by 35 points to 3.
Davies played in his rugby in two parts of the United Kingdom, in Wales it was for Swansea, Glamoragn and his country, while in the South of England he played for Exeter University, Plymouth Albion and county rugby for Devon. In 1913 he was suspended by both Wales and Devon for alleged professionalism, and in March he decided to sever links with the union game by 'Going North' and joining Leeds R.L.F.C.
Davies won two caps for Wales while at Leeds in 1914 and 1921, and won caps for Great Britain in 1914 against Australia, and New Zealand.[4]
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