Jack Spoors

Jack Spoors
Full name John Ainsworth Spoors
Date of birth 1 July 1884
Place of birth Bristol, England
Date of death 15 May 1928 (aged 43)
Place of death Ham Green, England
School Colston's School
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position half-back, wing
Amateur clubs
Years Club / team
1904-1910 Bristol Rugby
Gloucestershire
National team(s)
Years Club / team Caps (points)
1910 British Isles 3 (9)

John Ainsworth 'Jack' Spoors (1 July 1886 - 19 March 1963)[1] was an English international, rugby union back who played club rugby for Bristol. Although he was never capped for England he was selected for the British Isles in their 1910 tour of South Africa, playing in all three Test matches and ending the tour as the team's top scorer.

Rugby career

Spoors was educated at Colston's School a private school in Bristol. He joined Bristol Rugby Club during 1903/04 season playing for the second XV, and in the following season he made his first team debut in a match against Cardiff.[2] By 1905 he was a regular in the first team and that year he faced the first touring New Zealand team.[2]

Described as a wing with a deceptive turn of pace and the ability to side-step and swerve whilst running at speed, Spoors was chosen at county level for Gloucestershire.[2] During the 1909/10 season, while still with Bristol, Spoors was selected to trial for the England national team. He played in all three trials that season, playing on the winning team each time and scoring three tries. Despite his success in the trials, the England selectors failed to choose Spoors preferring instead to choose the entire Harlequins backs for the opening game of the 1910 Five Nations Championship.[2]

International matches played

British Isles

References

  1. ↑ Jack Spoors Lions profile lionsrugby.com
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Fox, Dave; Hoskins, Mark. "John 'Jack' Spoors". Bristol Rugby. Retrieved 15 December 2010.