St Helen’s ArchivePreserving the past for the future
Item
PH285
Object ID
PH285
Type
Rights Holder
John Griffiths
Provenance
John Griffiths
Season
Description
Photographic postcard, B&W. Much faded to sepia. Image is vignetted. top left corner has a small tear and a crease runs from lower left to upper right. The personnel's eyes have been picked out in an editing process at the time of production. The reverse has hand-written notes naming the players, though not the official in the back row, far left. Later text in pencil attributes the image as "Eng - v Wales - 18th Dec.1882". The date of 18th is erroneous as the match was played on the 16th.
Info
The England team that beat Wales at St Helen's, Swansea on Saturday 16th December 1882.
This extremely rare photograph was taken by photographic artist Henry Chapman of High Street, Swansea prior to the international match, probably out side the back of his studio at 233 High Street. The image he made of the Welsh fifteen has not survived.
An enhanced version of the England team is also uploaded here, to enable a clearer impression of the original.
This was the very first international rugby match to be played in Wales and only Wales' second ever international fixture. That St Helen's was the venue can be surmised by its good playing surface in winter conditions, due to the seaside location and sandy soil. Also the venue was possibly chosen as an acknowledgement of the Swansea club's support for Newport secretary and later WFU secretary Richard Mullock's drive to achieve a first fixture with England in 1881 - though this cannot be proven to have been an influence on the awarding of the fixture to St Helen's.
Wales won the match by 26 points to 3, scoring six tries, all of them on the wing. Llwynypia flyer Willie Llewellyn got four on this his international debut. The other two were taken by Cardiff's Viv Hussey. Arthur Robinson claimed a consolation one for England, who were overwhelmed by gritty forward play and the imaginative play of the Swansea half-back pair of David and Evan James. the Jameses were playing their first international since their reinstatement and return to rugby in 1896 after being suspended in October 1892 for taking payment to play for English side Broughton Rangers. Three weeks after this tremendous victory at Swansea, the brothers again went north to Brought Rangers, now legally paying 'broken time' money in the English breakaway Northern Union. There was politics in rugby back then as now and the English were glad to see the back of the elusive James brothers. Swansea's famous full-back Billy Bancroft captained Wales this day. We are indebted to rugby historian John Griffiths for permission to use this rare image.
Back Row (L to R): Unknown official, J H Payne, G T Thomson, R S F Henderson, H Vassall, R S Kindersley, G Standing, W N Bolton, A S Taylor.
Front Row (L to R): A Rotherham, H G Fuller, C G Wade, E T Gurdon (capt.), W M Tatham, C S Wooldridge, George Rowland Hill (Umpire - RFU Secretary).
It is possible that a much faded figure between Kindersley and Bolton was match referee C Herbert (WFU).
This extremely rare photograph was taken by photographic artist Henry Chapman of High Street, Swansea prior to the international match, probably out side the back of his studio at 233 High Street. The image he made of the Welsh fifteen has not survived.
An enhanced version of the England team is also uploaded here, to enable a clearer impression of the original.
This was the very first international rugby match to be played in Wales and only Wales' second ever international fixture. That St Helen's was the venue can be surmised by its good playing surface in winter conditions, due to the seaside location and sandy soil. Also the venue was possibly chosen as an acknowledgement of the Swansea club's support for Newport secretary and later WFU secretary Richard Mullock's drive to achieve a first fixture with England in 1881 - though this cannot be proven to have been an influence on the awarding of the fixture to St Helen's.
Wales won the match by 26 points to 3, scoring six tries, all of them on the wing. Llwynypia flyer Willie Llewellyn got four on this his international debut. The other two were taken by Cardiff's Viv Hussey. Arthur Robinson claimed a consolation one for England, who were overwhelmed by gritty forward play and the imaginative play of the Swansea half-back pair of David and Evan James. the Jameses were playing their first international since their reinstatement and return to rugby in 1896 after being suspended in October 1892 for taking payment to play for English side Broughton Rangers. Three weeks after this tremendous victory at Swansea, the brothers again went north to Brought Rangers, now legally paying 'broken time' money in the English breakaway Northern Union. There was politics in rugby back then as now and the English were glad to see the back of the elusive James brothers. Swansea's famous full-back Billy Bancroft captained Wales this day. We are indebted to rugby historian John Griffiths for permission to use this rare image.
Back Row (L to R): Unknown official, J H Payne, G T Thomson, R S F Henderson, H Vassall, R S Kindersley, G Standing, W N Bolton, A S Taylor.
Front Row (L to R): A Rotherham, H G Fuller, C G Wade, E T Gurdon (capt.), W M Tatham, C S Wooldridge, George Rowland Hill (Umpire - RFU Secretary).
It is possible that a much faded figure between Kindersley and Bolton was match referee C Herbert (WFU).
Keywords
1882-1883, 1882-83, england team, international, st helen's, henry chapman,
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