Will Osborne Autograph
William Thomas Osborne (11 June 1875 – 24 March 1942) was a Welsh international rugby forward who played rugby union for Mountain Ash and Glamorgan Police. Osborne played in six international matches, becoming a Triple Crown winner when he played for Wales in all three matches of the 1902 Home Nations Championship. At the height of his international career he 'Went North', switching to professional rugby league, and represented both Huddersfield and Hull F.C. More about Will Osborne
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Osborne played his amateur rugby for valley club Mountain Ash. He was a collier by profession before becoming a police officer, and at 5-foot 11½ inches and weighing over 13 stone, typified the 'Rhondda forward' physique favoured by the Welsh selectors around the turn of the century.
Osborne was first selected to play for the Welsh national team when he was selected to face England in the opening match of the 1902 Home Nations Championship. Osborne was one of seven new caps, four of whom joined Osborne in a much changed pack. Although lacking international experience many of the players winning their first caps that day went on to form the nucleus of the Wales team that beat The Original All Blacks in 1905, including Arthur Harding, Will Joseph, and fellow collier Dai "Tarw" Jones. In a very close encounter, Osbourne scored his one and only international try on his début; Wales then won the game through a late penalty goal from John Strand-Jones. Osborne was then reselected to face Scotland in the second game of the series, played on Welsh home soil at the Cardiff Arms Park. The Scottish Rugby Union stated that they would refuse to face Wales if Osborne played, as there were rumours that he had accepted and signed a professional contract with a rugby league team. This was illegal under rugby union rules, which was a purely amateur sport. Osborne was forced to make a full statement denying the claim, and the match went ahead with Osborne in the Welsh pack. The only change to the Welsh team from the previous match was Harry Jones coming in for Lanelli's Nathaniel Walters, and the more fluent Welsh play resulted in a victory over a very gifted Scottish team. The final game of the tournament for Wales saw an unchanged team beat Ireland at Lansdowne Road to win the Championship and the Triple Crown for the third time. Read even more about Will Osborne at Wikipedia
Osborne was first selected to play for the Welsh national team when he was selected to face England in the opening match of the 1902 Home Nations Championship. Osborne was one of seven new caps, four of whom joined Osborne in a much changed pack. Although lacking international experience many of the players winning their first caps that day went on to form the nucleus of the Wales team that beat The Original All Blacks in 1905, including Arthur Harding, Will Joseph, and fellow collier Dai "Tarw" Jones. In a very close encounter, Osbourne scored his one and only international try on his début; Wales then won the game through a late penalty goal from John Strand-Jones. Osborne was then reselected to face Scotland in the second game of the series, played on Welsh home soil at the Cardiff Arms Park. The Scottish Rugby Union stated that they would refuse to face Wales if Osborne played, as there were rumours that he had accepted and signed a professional contract with a rugby league team. This was illegal under rugby union rules, which was a purely amateur sport. Osborne was forced to make a full statement denying the claim, and the match went ahead with Osborne in the Welsh pack. The only change to the Welsh team from the previous match was Harry Jones coming in for Lanelli's Nathaniel Walters, and the more fluent Welsh play resulted in a victory over a very gifted Scottish team. The final game of the tournament for Wales saw an unchanged team beat Ireland at Lansdowne Road to win the Championship and the Triple Crown for the third time. Read even more about Will Osborne at Wikipedia
Traded items with a signature of Will Osborne
The most expensive item with a signature of Will Osborne (Press Photo: Will Osborne 8x10 Original Jazz Orchestra Big Band Sing Signed) was sold in March 2022 for $14.82 while the cheapest item (Will Osborne Signed 8x10 Photo Beckett BAS COA Jazz Orchestra Big Band Leader AU) found a new owner for $0.99 in January 2022.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Will Osborne were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
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