Birth name | George Travers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 9 June 1877 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Newport, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 26 December 1945 | (aged 68)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Newport, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 12 st (168 lb; 76 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Trinity Church School, Newport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable relative(s) | Bunner Travers, son | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation(s) | coal trimmer[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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George "Twyber" Travers (9 June 1877 – 26 December 1945) was a Welsh international hooker who played club rugby for Pill Harriers[4] and Newport Rugby Football Club.[4] He won 25 caps for Wales between 1903 and 1911.[4]
Travers is seen as one of the rugby union's first specialist hookers.[1][5] Specialism in a forward position was unusual during the early history of rugby mainly due to the scrummaging rule, but Travers's ability shone through and as part of a seven-man pack was important in the Welsh wins against England in 1903 and in the famous Match of the Century victory against the All Blacks in 1905. Travers originally played club rugby for the Newport Docks-based side Pill Harriers, though he would later spend two seasons with Newport in 1901/02 and 1910/11.