 Morley in New Zealand in 1930 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | John Cuthbert Morley (1909-07-28)28 July 1909 Newport, Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Died | 7 March 1972(1972-03-07) (aged 62) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 11 st 8 lb (162 lb; 73 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Newport Secondary School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Dentist | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Cuthbert Morley (28 July 1909 – 7 March 1972) was a Welsh internationalrugby wing who playedrugby union forNewport andrugby league withWigan. He won 14 caps forWales in union, and five caps for Wales in rugby league, and was the first player to tour Australia and New Zealand for both union, and league British teams.[5]
Morley, although mainly a wing player was often used as a utility back, and was known for his incredible pace and ability to change direction at speed. He was an intelligent but unorthodox player.[2]
Morley first represented Wales as a schoolboy, and after leaving Newport Municipal Secondary School he joined Newport. In his first season with the club he scored 29tries, and by 1931 was captain of the senior Newport team, at the age of 21 he was the youngest player to be given the honour.[6] He captained Newport against the touring South Africans atRodney Parade on 8 October 1931, and set up Ken Richards for a try after a typical zigzag run. The South Africans took note of Morley and attempted to ensure he wasn't given the space to run at them for the rest of the game.[7] In August 1932 he switched to rugby league, leaving Newport for Wigan.
Morley was first capped for Wales against England on 19 January 1929 and although he finished on the losing side he did manage to score a try on his début, when he received the ball forty yards out, broke infield and crossed wide, after cutting back inside to score.[8] He retained his place and played in the remaining three games of theChampionship. After playing in two matches of the 1930 tournament, he played in all four matches of Wales's Championship winning 1932 campaign. Morley scored in all but one of the matches, surprisingly the game he failed to score was against France, when Wales were rampant and his team mates scored seven tries. Morley was capped 14 times for Wales and his final game was against Ireland at theCardiff Arms Park in 1932. He would probably have been chosen for future teams as he was still a young exciting player, but his decision to join a professional league side made him ineligible for future Welsh games.
Wales[9]
England 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932
France 1929, 1931
Ireland 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932
Scotland 1929, 1931, 1932
South Africa 1931British Lions[10]
New ZealandNew Zealand 1930, 1930, 1930Morley played on thewing, and scored atry inWigan's 15–3 victory overSalford in theChampionship Final during the1933–34 season atWilderspool Stadium,Warrington on Saturday 28 April 1934 .[11]
Morley played on thewing inWigan's 10–7 victory overSalford in the1938–39 Lancashire Cup Final during the1938–39 season atStation Road, Swinton on Saturday 22 October 1938.[12]
Morley played on thewing, and scored twotries inWigan's 30–27 victory overFrance atCentral Park,Wigan, on Saturday 10 March 1934.[13]
Great Britain
Australia 1933, 1936, 1937Wales
| Rugby Union Captain | ||
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| Preceded by | Newport RFC Captain 1931–1932 | Succeeded by |