| Birth name | William John Abbott Davies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 21 June 1890 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 26 April 1967(1967-04-26) (aged 76) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | (registered in) Richmond (aged 76 years 309 days) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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William John Abbott "Dave" DaviesOBE (21 June 1890 – 26 April 1967) was aWelshrugby union footballer who played international rugby forEngland normally positioned atfly-half. He also captained his country.[1]
Davies was born inPembroke,Wales, and originally played forPembroke Dock Harlequins. Davies made his international debut on 4 January 1913 atTwickenham in theEngland vsSouth Africa match.[1] He was part of the England team that won theGrand Slam in both 1921 and 1923. During his time playing he earned 22 caps, making him England's most capped fly-half untilRob Andrew overtook him. He played half of his matches as captain. During his 22 matches at international level, he was on a losing side only in the first, against South Africa in 1913. He formed a notable international half-back partnership with his Royal Navy team-mateCecil Kershaw; in their 14 matches together for England they never finished on the losing side.[1]
Outside of rugby, Davies served as a naval officer aboardHMSIron Duke andHMSQueen Elizabeth duringWorld War I, for which he was appointed an OBE in 1919. Davies also was offered the chance to play at Wimbledon, but declined the offer to focus on his rugby. Davies had two children.
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by | English National Rugby Union Captain 1921 Feb 1922-1923 | Succeeded by |