1951-52 Season (M)

P W D L Pts. For Pts. Ag. T P D C
37 18 6 13 327 297 65 20 6 27

 

CAPTAIN : LEN BLYTH
MOST APPEARANCES : 34 (DOUG JONES)
MOST TRIES : 11 (HORACE PHILLIPS)
MOST POINTS : 69 (WILF JONES)
WALES CAPS :
v SA : Len Blyth (d), ‘Billy’ Williams
v E : Len Blyth, ‘Billy’ Williams
v S : Len Blyth, ‘Billy’ Williams
v I : Clem Thomas, ‘Billy’ Williams

v F : Horace Phillips (d), Clem Thomas, ‘Billy’ Williams

Swansea RFC 1st XV 1951-52 season

Back Row L to R: T Davies(Com.), W D Johnson, D S Sanders, A Morris, T Jones, D Hunt(Com.).
2nd Row L to R: L Davies(Com.), D Thomas, T G Griffiths, T Petherbridge, R C C Thomas, R Dobbs, H V Payne, R J Davies, G Thomas(Com.).
3rd Row L to R: T C Prosser(Hon. Sec.), not known, J W Jenkins, D H Phillips, L Blyth(Capt.), B Edwards, P James, D P Price, G Bateman(Trainer).
Front Row L to R: Roy Anthony, T Williams.
Inset L to R: Terry Davies, W O Williams, K James.

(Club Archive)

 

The highlight of the season featured a game against the fourth touring South African team on 15 December 1951. Although Swansea were defeated 11-3 in front of a near 40,000 crowd, the score was level at 3-3 until 7 minutes from time. Chum Ochse wriggled through a tackle to score in the corner for South Africa which Okey Geffen converted, adding a massive penalty from half way right on the final whistle.
The Swansea team that day were: Terry Davies, Horace Phillips, Brian Edwards, Roy Sutton, Peris James, Teifion Williams, Handel Greville, Doug Jones, Ken James, Tom Griffiths, W. O. Williams, Harry Payne (Skewen), Len Blyth (captain), Clem Thomas and Dil Johnson.
Another tremendous effort on the part of “The Whites” made this one of the most hard fought games between the sides. Whilst the tourists won by eleven points to three, they agreed after the game, that the game was much tighter than the score suggests.
On that day every man-Jack tackled like a demon, whilst Terry Davies, at full-back, caught and kicked like the International he was. Dil Johnson scored his usual try against a touring side to register our only points. But try as we might, we could not breach the green and gold barrier thereafter. As far as the South Africans were concerned, Ochse scored a fine try, whilst Geffen, the South African place kicker, did the rest of the damage with his boot.

Contributed by Horace Phillips who played in the game v South Africa in Dec 1951.


 

Wales 9 France 5 at Swansea 22 Mar 1952 – (Courtesy Pathe News) – CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW TO WATCH MOVIE – This clip has an audio soundtrack