Tom Roberts (rugby union)

For other people named Thomas Roberts, see Thomas Roberts (disambiguation).

Thomas Roberts (1897 – 28 September 1972) was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Risca and Newport. He is the only player to have been directly capped from the Risca club.

Tom Roberts

Birth name	Thomas Roberts
Date of birth	1897
Place of birth	Risca, Wales
Date of death	28 September 1972(1972-09-28) (aged 74–75)
Place of death	Feniton, England
School	Danygraig School
Occupation(s)	collier police officer
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) Risca RFC () – Newport RFC () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1921–1923 Wales 9 (0)

Life history

Born in Risca, South Wales, in 1897, he made his international debut for Wales as a lock forward on 5 February 1921 against Scotland at Swansea, a match which Wales lost by 14 points to 8. Roberts played nine games for Wales between 1921 and 1923, all in the Five Nations Championship. His last game was against Scotland in Cardiff on 3 February 1923 in a game Wales lost 8–11.

He was a collier by occupation before he joined the Newport County Police Force. Roberts died on 28 September 1972 at Feniton, Devon.