St Helen’s ArchivePreserving the past for the future
1898-1899 Season
Billy Bancroft started this season as captain for the fourth time and third consecutive. Frank ‘Genny’ Gordon was named Vice-Captain in recognition of his contribution the previous season. This reward was to encourage him to flower as a player and was to bear great fruit within a short time. Optimism was high on the tailwind of the previous campaign and there was added spice as Club Chairman James Livingstone was said to have procured a fixture in the French capital of Paris with the Stade Français Club. ‘Northern Poachers’ were again active and both Dan Rees and George Davies were approached though neither signed up.
Good form in the early part of the season with solid wins in October set up a tour to the West Country. Wins over Devonport and Bristol followed with Billy Trew receiving laurels in the press for his contributions as The All Whites gave dazzling performances. Regular visitors from London, Old Merchant Taylors were beaten in the New Year by two goals and six tries to nil. With the three quarters line now acting as a well oiled unit, there was talk of the kind of success not experienced since Billy Bowen led The Whites a decade before.
The season ticket above from 1898-99 shows the opponents for the 1st and 2nd XV’s and gives an idea of the clubs played during this era at the turn of the century.
On 7th January 1899 St Helen's hosted the International between Wales and England which Wales won but at a cost to Swansea as stand off Evan James was badly injured though he continued to the final whistle. Another James brother Sam was drafted into the Swansea 1st XV to help out, thus giving the Jameses the distinction of being the first to have three brothers play for the Swansea 1st XV in the same season. Despite a growing injury list (including now David James and Billy Trew) Aberavon were beaten and Swansea remained undefeated.
The news that David and Evan James had finally been lured away to Broughton Rangers was a disappointment but not a great surprise. As a great crowd draw, they were always going to be high on the lists of the Northern Poachers and they left with their families to play in England . This departure in January, though a loss did not prevent Swansea from beating Lampeter College at St Helens in the next game by eighty three point s to nil, a Club record at the time. But the unbeaten record finally went in the following fixture to Gloucester by a narrow margin with Bancroft failing to convert what would have been a winning score. Newport also lowered Swansea’s colours on the next game at St Helen's though it was noted that one R M (Dickie) Owen made his senior debut at scrum half for Swansea. Outside half Dick Jones had debuted in the Gloucester game previously and these two were to take Swansea forward from the days of the James Brothers to new heights and a Golden Era for the Club.
Leicester and Northampton were beaten in some style on the annual Midlands Tour and then Llanelli defeated on returning to Wales. Cardiff achieved a draw and in the next game the new Swansea half back pairing (‘The Dancing Dicks’) shone as Northampton were beaten in the return match on Easter Monday despite the absence of Trew and Bancroft.
At last, the trip to Paris came and the All Whites crossed the Channel to become the first Welsh side to play in France (16th April 1899). The team enlarged to a party of about 200 including the supporters who were able to (and could afford to) make the voyage. In 1890, Stade Français had been the first French Club to adopt the rugby laws then generally prevalent in Britain and so, were the first to qualify to play clubs from across “La Manche”. Swansea were already Welsh Champions. As such, the Stade Francais Club asked if they might field a side from ‘All France’ to provide a sterner test for the Welsh side. This was agreed and Swansea won the game by 30 – 3, an emphatic end to a tremendous campaign.
Invitation sent to Swansea RFC to play the groundbreaking game in Paris. Swansea were the first Welsh team to play in France.
This was the itinery card laying out the travel arrangements of a trip to Paris which took nearly 24 hours. Despite this, a group of about 200 went from Swansea and only the intervention of the Welsh Union (prohibiting matches on Sunday – even abroad!) prevented more such trips.
The menu for a dinner held in Paris to honour the Welsh Champions after their emphatic win against the Stade Francais side.
A menu from the sumptuous dinner laid on following the match in Paris.
Five Swansea men played against England at St Helens in 1899 including Will Parker and forward Fred Scrines who made his International debut. The James brothers in this their farewell match, gave a great performance. Bancroft played in the match lost to Ireland at Cardiff and was joined by Will Parker and Scrine in the loss away to Scotland.
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Wales team v England at St Helen's 7th January 1899
This photograph records the Wales team that defeated England at St Helen's on Saturday 7th January 1899. The Welsh won by 26 points to 3 and six tries were scored by Wales, all of the 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. He played for Wales from 1890 to 1901 and was at his retirement the world's most capped player with 33 caps, ALL CONSECUTIVE! The team photographed here are seen on the steps of the old pavilion, which was nestled in the north-east corner of the ground, beneath the current pavilion. It was demolished in 1929 to allow the new one to be constructed where it would not obstruct supporters seated behind, thus increasing the ground's capacity. Back Row(L to R): Tom Dobson (Cardiff), Fred Scrine (Swansea), Will Parker (Swansea), Joseph Jehoida Hodges (Newport), Alf Bryce(Aberavon), John Blake (Cardiff), David John Daniel (Llanelli). Middle Row(L to R): Reg Skrimshire (Newport), H V P Huzzey (Cardiff), Billy Bancroft (Captain - Swansea), Willie Llewellyn (Llwynypia), Gwyn Nicholls (Cardiff), William Alexander (Llwynypia).Front Row(L to R): George Bowen (Linesman), Evan James (Swansea), David James (Swansea).
Match ball – Wales v England, St Helens 7th Jan 1899 (captain – W J Bancroft of Swansea).
This is the match ball from the Wales v England international played at St Helens on 7 January 1899. Wales won by 4 goals and 2 tries to 1 try. Swansea’s Billy Bancroft was the Welsh captain. It was the last international played by the Swansea half-back brothers Evan and David James.
Fred Scrine was a forward who first played for Swansea in 1895. He was used effectively as a roving forward by the club, utilising his great mobility and speed as an attacking option. Scrine won his first two caps in this season against England and Scotland. He was only to gain one more in 1901( v Ireland). An outspoken player in an era of deference to the class system, he campaigned for players’ rights and was more than once rebuked by the Welsh Union for responding to referee decisions and for suspected ‘broken time’ payments. He scored the only try of the match against the first All Blacks in 1905 at St Helen's when Swansea lost by a point in the tourists’ final game in Britain.