| Birth name | Leonard Watkins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (1859-12-07)7 December 1859 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Abergavenny,Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 7 February 1901(1901-02-07) (aged 41) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Chajarí,Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Sherborne School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Exeter College, Oxford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Leonard Watkins (7 December 1859 - 7 February 1901)[1] was aWelsh internationalrugby union half-back who played club rugby forCardiff Rugby Football Club and international rugby forWales. He won just a single game for Wales when he was selected for thefirst Welsh rugby international.
Watkins was born inAbergavenny and was educated atExeter College, Oxford.[2] While at Exeter College, he represented theOxford University team, and in 1879 he was awarded a sportingBlue.[3] After leaving Oxford, Watkins returned to Wales, moving toCardiff. He represented two clubs while in the Welsh capital, premier club Cardiff RFC and local rivalsLlandaff.
In 1881, Newport Athletic secretary and sporting entrepreneurRichard Mullock, organised a fixture between the England rugby union team and a Welsh XV. At the time Wales did not have an international team, and after the challenge was accepted by theRugby Football Union, Mullock needed to select a team quickly. Watkins was one of four players who represented Cardiff to be selected for the team, alongsideB. B. Mann,Barry Girling andWilliam David Phillips. The Welsh team that arrived to play England at Blackheath were completely unprepared for the game; there had been no trial and most of the team were unfamiliar with each other's style of play. The game was a one-sided affair, with England humiliating Wales in an 8-goal victory. Watkins never represented his country again,[4] emigrating toArgentina later that year.[5]
Wales
England 1881