Billy Trew
 Trew in his Wales jersey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | William James Trew | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 1 July 1878 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Swansea, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 20 August 1926 (aged 48) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Swansea, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 173 cm (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 67.5 kg (149 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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William James Trew, better known as Billy Trew (1 July 1878 – 20 August 1926) was a
Early years
Billy Trew was born William James Trew on 1 July 1878.
Rugby career
Club history
Trew's first match for Swansea was against
International career
By 1900 Welsh fans began wondering how Trew, a player who had outscored all other club players with 33 tries during the 1898/99 season and 31 tries in the 1899/1900 season, had not been chosen to represent Wales.[4] The Welsh Rugby Union finally gave Trew his international debut at the age of twenty in January 1900. His first cap was at left-wing in a win against England a game in which he scored a try.[6] He would play for Wales a further 28 times, scoring 11 tries, one conversion and one drop goal. His final match for Wales was an 11–8 win over France in 1913.
International matches played
Wales[7]
Australia 1908
England 1900, 1901, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911
France 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1913
Ireland 1900, 1908, 1909, 1911
Scotland 1900, 1901, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913
Captain of Wales
Trew captained Wales fourteen times in 1889 and 1890. During his captaincy the national team only lost four matches and saw Wales collecting the Triple Crown on three occasions.
Later life and death
Trew's son, Billy Trew Jr, followed his father and played for Swansea RFC. Trew Jr also captained Swansea during the 1929/30 season before moving to England to play for Swinton.
Billy Trew died on 20 August 1926, and was buried six days later at Danygraig Cemetery in Swansea. Many local people lined the streets to pay their last respects.
Bibliography
- 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.
- Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6.
References
- ^ a b "Swansea RFC: Player profiles". newportgwentdragons.com. 2008. [dead link]
- ^ Davies (2008), pg 886.
- ^ WRU player profiles[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Smith (1980), pg 134.
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 135.
- ISBN 1-85411-262-7
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 472.