William Cross (rugby union)
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| Full name | William Cross | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | circa 1851 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bridgend, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 16 October 1890 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Bournemouth, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Malcolm Cross, brother | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position(s) | Halfback | ||
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| Amateur team(s) | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| Provincial / State sides | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| 1871-1872 | Scotland | 2 | Goals:1; Tries:1; Conv:1 |
William Cross (circa 1851 - 16 October 1890) was a Scottish rugby internationalist. He is notable for scoring the first conversion in international rugby in 1871 in the match between Scotland and England, after Angus Buchanan scored a pushover try, and he also Scotland's second ever try later in the match.
Cross represented Scotland in 1871 in the first international match. Of the Scottish score, one of the English players wrote:
At the time, conversions and goals, not tries produced a score, so in fact Cross, not Buchanan was the first to put points on the board. In fact, this was the only score in the match.
Cross rounded off the game with a second try, ninety seconds before the final whistle, when with their forwards running riot, J.W. Arthur knocked on from a line-out and the ball looped over the English defenders, with the quick thinking Cross picking it up for Scotland's second try.
Cross played for Glasgow Academicals, and Merchistonians before that, and was one of the first international half-backs, along with J.W. Arthur and their English counterparts. He played one more international in 1872. His brother Malcolm Cross gained nine caps.
After his international playing career was over, Cross took up a role within the Scottish Rugby Union, and by 1877 became Scotland's second international rugby referee when he officiated an early encounter between Scotland and England. This was his only international game as a referee, but he continued promoting Scottish rugby, becoming President of the Scottish Rugby Union for the 1882-83 season.
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