14 Facts About Frank Hancock

Francis Escott "Frank" Hancock was an English-born rugby union centre who played club rugby for Somerset and Cardiff and international rugby for Wales.

Frank Hancock first played rugby in Somerset, and captained his local club and represented the Somerset county team.

Frank Hancock moved to Cardiff to become involved in his family's brewing company, which had a brewery in Cardiff.

Frank Hancock joined the Cardiff team in 1884 and was placed at centre as a replacement for the injured Tom Williams.

Frank 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 wished to play Frank Hancock.

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Frank Hancock 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 Frank Hancock was reselected for the very next Welsh game against England in the next years tournament.

Frank Hancock played two games in the 1885 Championship, a loss to England at St Helens and a scoreless draw in Scotland.

In 1885 Frank Hancock was elected as captain of Cardiff, and he revolutionised the way the team played.

Frank Hancock discouraged kicking and made the team focus mainly on try scoring through the forwards gaining the ball for individual play from the backs.

Frank Hancock encouraged his forwards to release the ball to the half-backs, and they in turn would neither run nor kick the ball away, but would move the ball out to the centres.

Frank Hancock was single minded and dictatorial in his approach as a captain, but his tactics were extremely successful, winning all bar one game and seeing just four tries scored against them.

Frank Hancock was paired up with Welsh rugby superstar Arthur Gould, but the poor selection of the team resulted in Frank Hancock scrapping the system during the game and switched Gould to full-back; but the damage was already done and Wales lost the match.

Frank Hancock's brother Froude Hancock was a notable rugby player.