1898 Home Nations Championship

The 1898 Home Nations Championship was the sixteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Five matches were played between 5 February and 2 April 1898. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

1898 Home Nations Championship
Date	5 February – 2 April 1898
Countries	England  Ireland  Scotland  Wales
Tournament statistics
Champions	not completed
Matches played	5
Top point scorer(s)	Huzzey (10)
Top try scorer(s)	Fookes (2) Huzzey (2) Tom Scott, (2)
← 1897 (Previous) (Next) 1899 →

For the second year running, England claimed the title solely on the fact that the other Home Nation Unions were still in bitter dispute. The Scottish Rugby Union was still aggrieved at the situation caused by the Gould Affair and decided not to participate in a match against Wales. This decision meant England led the scoring table as the winner of a Scotland vs. Wales encounter would have taken the Championship.

Due to the dispute, most sources list the result of the 1898 championship as "not completed."

Table

The English side

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	England	3	1	1	1	23	19	+4	3
2	Scotland	2	1	1	0	11	3	+8	3
3	Wales	2	1	0	1	18	17	+1	2
3	Ireland	3	1	0	2	12	25	−13	2

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Scoring system

The matches for this season were decided on points scored. A try was worth three points, while converting a kicked goal from the try gave an additional two points. A dropped goal and a goal from mark were both worth four points. Penalty goals were worth three points.

Matches

England vs. Ireland

5 February 1898

England	6–9	Ireland
Try: Robinson Pen: Byrne		Try: Lindsay Magee Pen: Bulger

Athletic Ground Richmond Referee: DG Findaly (Scotland)

England J. F. Byrne (Moseley) capt., G.C. Robinson (Percy Park), Ernest Fookes (Sowerby Bridge), Osbert Mackie (Cambridge Uni), WL Bunting (Richmond), H Myers (Keighley), PG Jacob (Blackheath), F Jacob (Richmond), R Pierce (Liverpool), F Shaw (Cleckheaton), RF Oakes (Hartlepool Rovers), Frank Stout (Gloucester), HW Dudgeon (Richmond), JH Blacklock (Aspatria), Charles Edward Wilson (Blackheath)

Ireland Pierce O'Brien-Butler (Monkstown), S Lee (NIFC) capt., Lucius Gwynn (Monkstown), Lawrence Bulger (Lansdowne), FC Purser (Dublin Uni.), Louis Magee (Bective Rangers), GG Allen (Derry), JE McIlwaine (NIFC), JH Lytle (Lansdowne), WG Byron (NIFC), M Ryan (Rockwell College), J Ryan (Rockwell College), H Lindsay (Armagh), JG Franks (Dublin Uni.), J. L. Davis (Monkstown)

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Ireland vs. Scotland

19 February 1898

Ireland	0–8	Scotland
		Try: Tom Scott (2) Con: TM Scott

Balmoral Showgrounds, Belfast Referee: ET Gurdon (England)

Ireland Pierce O'Brien-Butler (Monkstown), Frederick Smithwick (Monkstown), Lucius Gwynn (Monkstown), Lawrence Bulger (Lansdowne), FC Purser (Dublin Uni.), Louis Magee (Bective Rangers), GG Allen (Derry) capt., JE McIlwaine (NIFC), JH Lytle (Lansdowne), WG Byron (NIFC), M Ryan (Rockwell College), J Ryan (Rockwell College), H Lindsay (Armagh), JG Franks (Dublin Uni.), J. L. Davis (Monkstown)

Scotland: JM Reid (Edinburgh Acads), RT Neilson (West of Scotland), Edward Spencer (Clydesdale), AR Smith (Oxford Uni) capt., T Scott (Hawick), JT Mabon (Jed-Forest), M Elliot (Hawick), GC Kerr(Durham), A MacKinnon (London Scottish), MC Morrison (Royal HSFP), WMC McEwan (Edinburgh Acads), TM Scott (Hawick), R Scott (Hawick), John Dykes (Clydesdale), HO Smith (Watsonians)

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Scotland vs. England

12 March 1898

Scotland	3–3	England
Try: McEwan		Try: Royds

Powderhall, Edinburgh Referee: J Dodds (Ireland)

Scotland: JM Reid (Edinburgh Acads), RT Neilson (West of Scotland), TA Nelson (Oxford Uni), AR Smith (Oxford Uni) capt., T Scott (Hawick), JT Mabon (Jed-Forest), M Elliot (Hawick), GC Kerr(Durham), A MacKinnon (London Scottish), MC Morrison (Royal HSFP), WMC McEwan (Edinburgh Acads), TM Scott (Hawick), R Scott (Hawick), John Dykes (Clydesdale), HO Smith (Watsonians)

England J. F. Byrne (Moseley) capt., PW Stout (Gloucester), WN Pilkington (Cambridge Uni), PMR Royds (Blackheath), WL Bunting (Richmond), GT Unwin (Blackheath), Arthur Rotherham (Richmond), F Jacob (Richmond), JF Shaw (RNEC Keyham), HE Ramsden (Bingley), RF Oakes (Hartlepool Rovers), Frank Stout (Gloucester), HW Dudgeon (Richmond), JAS Davidson (Aspatria), W Ashford (Richmond)

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Ireland vs. Wales

18 March 1898

Ireland	3–11	Wales
Pen: Bulger		Try: Dobson Huzzey Con: Bancroft Pen: Bancroft

Limerick Lawn Tennis Club, Limerick Referee: AJ Turnbull (Scotland)

Ireland J Fulton (NIFC), Frederick Smithwick (Monkstown), W Gardiner (NIFC) capt., Lawrence Bulger (Lansdowne), FC Purser (Dublin Uni.), Louis Magee (Bective Rangers), A Barr (Methodist C. Belfast), JE McIlwaine (NIFC), WG Byron (NIFC), M Ryan (Rockwell College), J Ryan (Rockwell College), H Lindsay (Armagh), TJ Little (Bective Rangers), JG Franks (Dublin Uni.), T McCarthy (Cork)

Wales: Billy Bancroft (Swansea) capt., Viv Huzzey (Cardiff), Gwyn Nicholls (Cardiff), Pussy Jones (Cardiff), Tom Pearson (Newport), Selwyn Biggs (Cardiff), Jack Elliott (Cardiff), Hopkin Davies (Swansea), Tom Dobson (Cardiff), David Daniel (Llanelli), William Alexander (Llwynypia), George Boots (Newport), Dick Hellings (Llwynypia), Fred Cornish (Cardiff), Joseph Booth (Pontymister)

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England vs. Wales

2 April 1898

England	14–7	Wales
Try: Fookes (2) Frank Stout Percy Stout Con: Byrne		Try: Huzzey Drop: Huzzey

Rectory Field, Blackheath Attendance: 20,000 Referee: JT Magee (Ireland)

England J. F. Byrne (Moseley) capt., PW Stout (Gloucester), Ernest Fookes (Sowerby Bridge), PMR Royds (Blackheath), WL Bunting (Richmond), R O'H Livesay (Blackheath), Arthur Rotherham (Richmond), F Jacob (Richmond), JF Shaw (RNEC Keyham), HE Ramsden (Bingley), RF Oakes (Hartlepool Rovers), Frank Stout (Gloucester), HW Dudgeon (Richmond), JAS Davidson (Aspatria), W Ashford (Richmond)

Wales: Billy Bancroft (Swansea) capt., Viv Huzzey (Cardiff), Gwyn Nicholls (Cardiff), Pussy Jones (Cardiff), Tom Pearson (Newport), Selwyn Biggs (Cardiff), Jack Elliott (Cardiff), Hopkin Davies (Swansea), Tom Dobson (Cardiff), David Daniel (Llanelli), William Alexander (Llwynypia), George Boots (Newport), Dick Hellings (Llwynypia), Fred Cornish (Cardiff), Dai Evans (Penygraig)