From The Vaults

01 March 2016

One of Us - William Wavell Wakefield

William Wavell Wakefield is one of the most celebrated English rugby players of all time. His total of 31 caps was an English record for over forty years and he was still being described as England's greatest ever forward in 1983 when he passed away at the age of 85.

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01 March 2016

One of Us - William Wavell Wakefield

William Wavell Wakefield is one of the most celebrated English rugby players of all time. His total of 31 caps was an English record for over forty years and he was still being described as England's greatest ever forward in 1983 when he passed away at the age of 85.

23 February 2016

'Clem' Lewis and the King's Cup

J M Clement 'Clem' Lewis was a talented fly half for Cardiff and Cambridge University either side of World War One, who won 11 caps between 1912 and 1923 and rose to captain Wales in the last two of those games.

17 February 2016

Ode to Obolensky

Russian-born English wing Prince Alexander Obolensky. Obo, as he was nicknamed, scored two tries on his international debut, helping England to their first win over New Zealand in 1936...

09 February 2016

Ode to Arthur 'Monkey' Gould

Arthur Joseph 'Monkey' Gould was arguably the first great Welsh rugby player. As captain he led Wales to her first Home Nations Championship victory and Triple Crown in 1893.

02 February 2016

Flower of Scotland

I was recently looking through a collection of miscellaneous photographs in the World Rugby Museum when I came across on from the 1950s showing the rugby team of Gordonstoun School. Glancing at the back of the photograph, my attention was drawn to a young lad in the front row of the picture, by the name of R N (Roy) Williamson.

25 January 2016

Lest We Forget Special Exhibition

We are pleased to announce that our special exhibition 'Lest We Forget: Rugby and the First World War' will be extended into 2016.

20 January 2016

The Story of the Lion

Visitors to Twickenham Stadium may be familiar with the golden lion that graces the top of the Rowland Hill Memorial Gates at the entrance to the West concourse.

12 January 2016

Who's in the plates? Sporting intrigue at Devizes Flea Market

The following conversation took place in the local flea market in Devizes one Tuesday morning.

04 January 2016

Remembering Twickenham's First Groundsman

Michael Leslie Rycroft, Great Grandson of Charles Hale, remembers Twickenham's first groundsman...

21 December 2015

Passchendaele Remembers Dai Westacott

At a moving commemoration held on the evening of the 10th November each year, the villagers of Passchendaele honour the memory of the men of all nationalities who died during the Third Battle of Ypres (31 July - 10 November 1917), perhaps better known as "Passchendaele".

18 December 2015

BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year

The BBC Sports Personality of the year award has been running since the mid-1950s. Originally devised by the British television executive Sir Paul Fox, the awards have evolved to honour not just individual talent from the UK but also team achievements, overseas personalities, coaches, junior sporting personalities and more.

14 December 2015

Welsh Giants of the King's Cup

When Newport staged one of the games in the six-team Inter Services Championship (King's Cup) in March 1919, Australia beating South Africa 6-5 in March 1919, a Newport man who was to be a South African cap was in the 'Springbok' line up.

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