Dan Rees
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| Full name | Daniel Rees | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position(s) | Centre | ||
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| Senior career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| 1905–? | Hull Kingston Rovers | 54 | 43 |
| Position(s) | Centre | ||
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| Amateur team(s) | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| ? 1897–1905 |
Hafod Rovers Swansea RFC |
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| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| 1900–1905 | Wales | 5 | (0) |
Daniel "Dan" Rees (born 1876) was a Welsh international rugby union centre who played club rugby for Swansea. Thomas was a twice Triple Crown winner, after representing Wales during the 1900 and 1905 Home Nations Championships. Later in his career he switched to professional rugby league, joining Hull Kingston Rovers. He was described as a "speedy threequarter with a deceptive action", and would have won more than his five international caps had he not been in competition with Gwyn Nicholls for the centre position.
Rees began his rugby career with Hafod Rovers, the same team that would produce fellow international teammate Dicky Owen, but switched to first-class side Swansea in 1897. Rees has a long career with Swansea, and from 1901 through to 1905 faced the Barbarians in each of their Easter tours. During the Barbarian encounters, Rees scored a try in each of the first four encounters, and three in the fifth. He later became the Swansea senior team's vice-captain during the 1904/05 "invincible" season.
It was while representing Swansea that Rees was first selected to represent Wales, brought into the team to face England in the opening game of the 1900 Home Nations Championship. Rees was not first choice for the match as in December 1899 the South Wales Daily News released the team sheet for the England vs. Wales encounter to be played on 6 January, with Gwyn Nicholls as centre. This was presumptuous as Nicholls had been part of the British Isles team that had recently toured Australia, and no contact had been made with Nicholls since the final game. On 31 December, a telegram was received stating that Nicholls would not be able to make the first Championship game, and the Welsh Rugby Union immediately responded with news that Rees would take his place at centre, winning his first cap alongside Swansea teammate George Davies. Wales won the game 13–3, with a try from Billy Trew on the wing, and a forwards try from Dick Hellings, both converted by captain Billy Bancroft who also scored a penalty goal. The Athletic News gave the Welsh victory to the pack, dismissing the threequarters, but The Sportsman wrote "an exposition of the three quarter back game was given which must have satisfied the great Mr Arthur Gould himself". The Thursday after the match, Nicholls arrived back in Britain and was immediately selected for the Welsh team to face Scotland. Despite a victory and some good reviews, Rees lost his place to Nicholls, despite Nicholls having not played a competitive game since the previous August. Some commentators believe that Nicholls played due to worries over his future selection caused by the good press articles the Swansea centres received. Wales won the next two games of the Championship without Rees, though his inclusion in the first game made him a member of the 1900 Triple Crown winning Welsh team.
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