Jack Morley - Wing
Wales RLHeritage No | 129 |
Date Of Birth | 28/07/1909 |
Place Of Birth | Newport |
Education | Newport Secondary School |
Clubs | Wigan Warriors, Newport |
Honours | Great Britain, Wales RL, Wales, British and Irish Lions, Wales Schools |
Invitational | Crawshays |
John Cuthbert Morley won 14 caps for Wales in rugby union, and five caps for Wales in rugby league, and was the first player to tour Australia and New Zealand for both the union and league British teams. He also represented WRU touring side, Crawshays. He first represented Wales as a schoolboy, and after leaving Newport Municipal Secondary School he joined Newport RFC. In his first season with the club he scored 29 tries, 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. He captained Newport against the touring South Africans at Rodney Parade in 1931. 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. He won his first WRU cap at 19 years of age against England in 1929 and scored the only try in 3 v 8 defeat at Cardiff Arms Park. He was selected for the 1930 Lions Tour and scored eight tries in 13 games, including the winning try at Dunedin with a 50 yards run for first ever Lions Test win in New Zealand. In 1932, he turned professional with Wigan and won his first Welsh cap that year. A League Championship winner with Wigan, he scored a try in their 15–3 victory over Salford in the 1934 Championship Final. He also won a Lancashire Cup winners medal in 1938. By the end of his Wigan career, he'd made 292 appearances, scoring 677 points including 223 tries between 1932-33 and 1938-39. He qualified as a dentist whilst living in Wigan and later returned to Monmouthshire in that professional capacity. He died on 7 March 1972, aged 62, in Newport.
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