1898 Home Nations Championship

1898 Home Nations Championship
Date 5 February 1898 – 2 April 1898
Countries  England
 Ireland
 Scotland
 Wales
Tournament statistics
Champions not completed
Matches played 5
Top point scorer(s) Wales Huzzey (10)
Top try scorer(s) England Fookes (2)
Wales Huzzey (2)
Scotland Tom Scott, (2)
← 1897 (Previous) (Next) 1899 →

The 1898 Home Nations Championship was the sixteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Five matches were played between 5 February and 2 April. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

For the second year running, England claimed the title solely on the fact that the other Home Nation Unions were still in bitter dispute. The Scottish Rugby Union was still aggrieved at the situation caused by the Gould Affair and decided not to participate in a match against Wales. This decision meant England led the scoring table as the winner of a Scotland vs. Wales encounter would have taken the Championship.

Due to the dispute, most source list the result of the 1898 championship as "not completed."

Table

Position Nation Games Points Table
points
Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Difference
1 England 31112319+43
2 Scotland 2110113+83
3 Wales 21011817+12
3 Ireland 31021225−132

Results

5 February 1898
England  6–9  Ireland
19 February 1898
Ireland  0–8  Scotland
12 March 1898
Scotland  3–3  England
12 March 1898
Ireland  3–11  Wales
2 April 1898
England  14–7  Wales

Scoring system

The matches for this season were decided on points scored. A try was worth three points, while converting a kicked goal from the try gave an additional two points. A dropped goal and a goal from mark were both worth four points. Penalty goals were worth three points.

The matches

England vs. Ireland

5 February 1898
 England 6 – 9  Ireland
Try: Robinson
Pen: Byrne		 Try: Lindsay
Magee
Pen: Bulger
Athletic Ground Richmond
Referee: DG Findaly (Scotland)

England J. F. Byrne (Moseley) capt., G.C. Robinson (Percy Park), Ernest Fookes (Sowerby Bridge), Osbert Mackie (Cambridge Uni), WL Bunting (Richmond), H Myers (Keighley), PG Jacob (Blackheath), F Jacob (Richmond), R Pierce (Liverpool), F Shaw (Cleckheaton), RF Oakes (Hartlepool Rovers), Frank Stout (Gloucester), HW Dudgeon (Richmond), JH Blacklock (Aspatria), Charles Edward Wilson (Blackheath)

Ireland Pierce O'Brien-Butler (Monkstown), S Lee (NIFC) capt., Lucius Gwynn (Monkstown), Lawrence Bulger (Lansdowne), FC Purser (Dublin Uni.), Louis Magee (Bective Rangers), GG Allen (Derry), JE McIlwaine (NIFC), JH Lytle (Lansdowne), WG Byron (NIFC), M Ryan (Rockwell College), J Ryan (Rockwell College), H Lindsay (Armagh), JG Franks (Dublin Uni.), J. L. Davis (Monkstown)

Ireland vs. Scotland

19 February 1898
 Ireland 0 – 8  Scotland
Try: Tom Scott (2)
Con: TM Scott
Balmoral Showgrounds, Belfast
Referee: ET Gurdon (England)

Ireland Pierce O'Brien-Butler (Monkstown), Frederick Smithwick (Monkstown), Lucius Gwynn (Monkstown), Lawrence Bulger (Lansdowne), FC Purser (Dublin Uni.), Louis Magee (Bective Rangers), GG Allen (Derry) capt., JE McIlwaine (NIFC), JH Lytle (Lansdowne), WG Byron (NIFC), M Ryan (Rockwell College), J Ryan (Rockwell College), H Lindsay (Armagh), JG Franks (Dublin Uni.), J. L. Davis (Monkstown)

Scotland: JM Reid (Edinburgh Acads), RT Neilson (West of Scotland), E Spencer (Clydesdale), AR Smith (Oxford Uni) capt., T Scott (Hawick), JT Mabon (Jed-Forest), M Elliot (Hawick), GC Kerr(Durham), A MacKinnon (London Scottish), MC Morrison (Royal HSFP), WMC McEwan (Edinburgh Acads), TM Scott (Hawick), R Scott (Hawick), JM Dykes (Clydesdale), HO Smith (Watsonians)

Scotland vs. England

12 March 1898
 Scotland 3 – 3  England
Try: McEwan Try: Royds
Powderhall, Edinburgh
Referee: J Dodds (Ireland)

Scotland: JM Reid (Edinburgh Acads), RT Neilson (West of Scotland), TA Neslon (Oxford Uni), AR Smith (Oxford Uni) capt., T Scott (Hawick), JT Mabon (Jed-Forest), M Elliot (Hawick), GC Kerr(Durham), A MacKinnon (London Scottish), MC Morrison (Royal HSFP), WMC McEwan (Edinburgh Acads), TM Scott (Hawick), R Scott (Hawick), JM Dykes (Clydesdale), HO Smith (Watsonians)

England J. F. Byrne (Moseley) capt., PW Stout (Gloucester), WN Pilkington (Cambridge Uni), PMR Royds (Blackheath), WL Bunting (Richmond), GT Unwin (Blackheath), Arthur Rotherham (Richmond), F Jacob (Richmond), JF Shaw (RNEC Keyham), HE Ramsden (Bingley), RF Oakes (Hartlepool Rovers), Frank Stout (Gloucester), HW Dudgeon (Richmond), JAS Davidson (Aspatria), W Ashford (Richmond)

Ireland vs. Wales

18 March 1898
 Ireland 3 – 11  Wales
Pen: Bulger Try: Dobson
Huzzey
Con: Bancroft
Pen: Bancroft
Limerick Lawn Tennis Club, Limerick
Referee: AJ Turnbull (Scotland)

Ireland J Fulton (NIFC), Frederick Smithwick (Monkstown), W Gardiner (NIFC) capt., Lawrence Bulger (Lansdowne), FC Purser (Dublin Uni.), Louis Magee (Bective Rangers), A Barr (Methodist C. Belfast), JE McIlwaine (NIFC), WG Byron (NIFC), M Ryan (Rockwell College), J Ryan (Rockwell College), H Lindsay (Armagh), TJ Little (Bective Rangers), JG Franks (Dublin Uni.), T McCarthy (Cork)

Wales: Billy Bancroft (Swansea) capt., Viv Huzzey (Cardiff), Gwyn Nicholls (Cardiff), Pussy Jones (Cardiff), Tom Pearson (Newport), Selwyn Biggs (Cardiff), Jack Elliott (Cardiff), Hopkin Davies (Swansea), Tom Dobson (Cardiff), David Daniel (Llanelli), William Alexander (Llwynypia), George Boots (Newport), Dick Hellings (Llwynypia), Fred Cornish (Cardiff), Joseph Booth (Pontymister)

England vs. Wales

2 April 1898
 England 14 – 7  Wales
Try: Fookes (2)
Frank Stout
Percy Stout
Con: Byrne		 Try: Huzzey
Drop: Huzzey
Rectory Field, Blackheath
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: JT Magee (Ireland)

England J. F. Byrne (Moseley) capt., PW Stout (Gloucester), Ernest Fookes (Sowerby Bridge), PMR Royds (Blackheath), WL Bunting (Richmond), R O'H Livesay (Blackheath), Arthur Rotherham (Richmond), F Jacob (Richmond), JF Shaw (RNEC Keyham), HE Ramsden (Bingley), RF Oakes (Hartlepool Rovers), Frank Stout (Gloucester), HW Dudgeon (Richmond), JAS Davidson (Aspatria), W Ashford (Richmond)

Wales: Billy Bancroft (Swansea) capt., Viv Huzzey (Cardiff), Gwyn Nicholls (Cardiff), Pussy Jones (Cardiff), Tom Pearson (Newport), Selwyn Biggs (Cardiff), Jack Elliott (Cardiff), Hopkin Davies (Swansea), Tom Dobson (Cardiff), David Daniel (Llanelli), William Alexander (Llwynypia), George Boots (Newport), Dick Hellings (Llwynypia), Fred Cornish (Cardiff), Dai Evans (Penygraig)

References

    External links

    Sources

    Preceded by
    1897 Home Nations    		 Home Nations Championship
    1898     		Succeeded by
    1899 Home Nations