Frank Hancock
| Full name | Francis Escott Hancock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 7 February 1859 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Wiveliscombe, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 29 October 1943 (aged 84) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Wiveliscombe, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) |
Froude Hancock (brother) William Hancock, brother |
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| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position(s) | Centre | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Amateur team(s) | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| ? ? 1884–1886 |
Wiveliscombe RFC Somerset Cardiff RFC |
() | |
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| 1884–1886 |
 Wales
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4 | ((0)) |
Francis Escott "Frank" Hancock (7 February 1859 – 29 October 1943) was an English-born rugby union centre who played club rugby for Somerset and Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Hancock is best known as being the sport's first fourth threequarter player, which changed the formation of rugby union play that lasts to the present day. His role in the development of rugby was recognised by the International Rugby Board in 2011 with induction to the IRB Hall of Fame.
Hancock first played rugby in Somerset, and captained his local club and represented the Somerset county team. He moved to Cardiff to become involved in his family's brewing company, which had a brewery in Cardiff. He joined the Cardiff team in 1884 and was placed at centre as a replacement for the injured Tom Williams. Hancock had an inspiring game and scored two tries, which left the Cardiff committee with a problem as they wanted to keep their original back players but also wished to play Hancock. The club decided to instead change the balance of the team, from three threequarters to four threequarters. It was a successful tactic and Cardiff stuck with it for the remainder of the 1883/1884 season.
Within two months of moving to Wales, Hancock was playing for Cardiff, changed the future formation of rugby and was then selected to play for Wales. He played his first international game under the captaincy of Joe Simpson against Ireland as part of the 1884 Home Nations Championship. Wales won the game with tries from William Norton and Tom Clapp, and Hancock was reselected for the very next Welsh game against England in the next years tournament. Hancock played two games in the 1885 Championship, a loss to England at St Helens and a scoreless draw in Scotland.
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