Teddy Morgan
 | |||
| Dr. Morgan in Wales jersey (c 1895) | |||
| Full name | Edward T. Morgan | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 May 1880 | ||
| Place of birth | Aberdare, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 1 September 1949 (aged 69) | ||
| Place of death | North Walsham[1] England | ||
| Height | 171 cm (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Weight | 70 kg (11 st 0 lb) | ||
| School | Christ College, Brecon[2] | ||
| University | Guy's Hospital | ||
| Notable relative(s) | William Llewellyn Morgan, brother Guy Morgan, nephew | ||
| Occupation(s) | doctor | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Wing | ||
| Amateur clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | ||
| 1901-03 ? 1900-? ? 1906 |
Newport RFC Guy's Hospital London Welsh RFC Swansea RFC Glamorgan County RFC | ||
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 1902–1908 1904 |
 Wales Great Britain |
16 4 |
(42) (3) |
Edward "Teddy" Morgan (22 May 1880 – 1 September 1949)[3] was a Welsh international rugby union player. He was a member of the winning Wales team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks and is remembered for scoring the winning try. He played club rugby for London Welsh and Swansea.
Career
Morgan became a General Practitioner in Sketty, Swansea before moving to a new practice in East Anglia. While at Sketty, another international rugby player joined his practice in the early 1920s, D Bertram, who would go on to be capped 11 times for Scotland.[4] Morgan died on 1 September 1949 in North Walsham. In 2008, Morgan was celebrated by the local council when it was decided to raise a blue plaque at his birthplace to commemorate his life.[5]
Rugby career
Wales
Morgan had moved to London from Newport in 1902 to take up a post at Guy's Hospital in London, where he took up playing with the Welsh exiles, London Welsh. It was while playing in London that Morgan earned his first international call up, against England. Morgan's career with Wales saw him score 14 tries from the wing, but his most well remembered was the try he scored against the Original All Blacks in 1905. In the monumental match between the unbeaten All Blacks and the Triple Crown-winning Welsh team, Morgan is believed to have led the his team in singing the Welsh national anthem in response to the New Zealanders' haka.[2] This was the first time a national anthem had been sung at a sporting event.[6] During a strongly contested game, a single score decided the game. In the twenty-fifth minute, Welsh scrum half Dicky Owen released the ball to Cliff Pritchard, who received the ball at ankle level before darting forward. Having passed by Bob Dean, Pritchard released to Rhys Gabe who in turn found Morgan. Morgan dummied George Gillett and touched the ball down in the corner.[7]
As well as scoring the winning try for Wales against the 1905 All Blacks, he was also central to a controversial decision during the match. During the game, New Zealand player Bob Deans dived for the Welsh try line with the ball and was tackled by Cliff Pritchard and Rhys Gabe. The referee decided Deans landed short, and no try was given. Morgan stated later that the ball was successfully grounded and the try should have counted.[8][9]
International games played
Wales[10]
-
England 1902, 1904, 1905, 1906 -
France 1908 -
Ireland 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906 -
New Zealand 1905 -
Scotland 1902, 1904, 1905, 1906 -
South Africa 1906
British Isles
In 1904 Morgan was one of the Welsh players chosen to tour Australasia[11] under the captaincy of Bedell-Sivright. Morgan would captain the British team against both Australia and New Zealand during this tour.[8]
Bibliography
- Jones, Stephen; Paul Beken (1985). Dragon in Exile, The Centenary History of London Welsh R.F.C. London: Springwood Books. ISBN 0-86254-125-5.
- Parry-Jones, David (1999). Prince Gwyn, Gwyn Nicholls and the First Golden Era of Welsh Rugby. Bridgend: seren. ISBN 1-85411-262-7.
- Thomas, Wayne (1979). A Century of Welsh Rugby Players. Ansells Ltd.
- Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0766-3.
References
- ↑ Newport RFC Personnel Profile
- 1 2 "School remembers Teddy's 1905 try". BBC. 4 February 2005. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
- ↑ WRU player profile
- ↑ Swansea R.F.C. player profiles
- ↑ Blue plaques mark proud heritage BBC News 24 September 2008
- ↑ "THE 1905/06 'ORIGINALS'". rugbymuseum.co.nz. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
- ↑ Parry-Jones (1999), pg 152.
- 1 2 Thomas (1979), pg39.
- ↑ Parry-Jones (1999), pg 156.
- ↑ Smith (1980), pg 467.
- ↑ Smith (1980), pg 148.
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