William Penny (rugby union)

William Penny
Full nameWilliam John Penny
Date of birth(1856-11-15)15 November 1856
Place of birthLangport, Somerset, England
Date of death17 December 1904(1904-12-17) (aged 48)
Place of deathat sea, off Mombasa
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fullback
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1878–79 England 3

William John Penny (15 November 1856 – 17 December 1904) was an English international rugby union player.

Penny came from the village of Kingsbury Episcopi in Somerset.[1]

A fullback, Penny played rugby for King's College London and in 1878 made his England debut against Ireland at Lansdowne Road.[2] He was capped a further two times for England.[1]

Penny was a member of the founding committee of the Middlesex RFU in 1879. He was playing for United Hospitals at this time and in the early 1880s joined Clifton RFC after becoming a consulting surgeon at Bristol General Hospital.[1]

While on the SS Langdale in 1904, Penny fell ill and died off the coast of Mombasa.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Clifton RFC History - William John Penny". cliftonrfchistory.co.uk.
  2. ^ "England v. Ireland". The Referee. 10 March 1878.
  3. ^ "William John Penny". Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Journal. 23 (87). March 1905.