Tommy Haslam

J. T. "Tommy" Haslam (c.1863 - c.1896) was an English rugby union full back who played club rugby for Batley and also represented Yorkshire at county level.^[1] Although never selected at international level he was part of the British Isles team who took part in the 1888 New Zealand and Australia tour, the first British overseas tour.

Rugby career

Little is known of Haslam, including his place and date of birth, though he is recorded as being 25 years of age on his arrival in Australia in 1888. It is known that he represented Batley, first turning out for the senior XV in October 1882 and played to a significantly high level to have also been chosen to play rugby at county level for Yorkshire. In 1888 he was offered a place as part of the British Isles team to tour Australia and New Zealand, signing the contract in January.^[2] Although the tour was not recognised by the Rugby Football Union, being set up as a private venture, the game is now retrospectively acknowledged as the very first tour of the British and Irish Lions. Haslam was one of two full backs chosen for the tour along with Swinton's Arthur Paul.

Haslam played his first game for the British Isles against Otago on 28 April 1888, the opening game of the tour.^[1] The British Isles won 8-3 but without Haslam on the scoresheet.^[3] He missed the second game again Otago, but rejoined the squad to play Canterbury to record his first points of the tour, scoring two of the five British tries in a 14-6 win.^[4]

Haslam played in a total of 29 of the 35 matches, scoring a total of 11 tries.^[1] On occasion he was also given kicking duties with a single conversion credited to him in the game against an Adelaide XV.^[1] He also added a drop goal against Ipswich, a match in which he finished top scorer having also scored a try.^[5]

As well as being a key member of the British Isles squad, Haslam is also noted as one of the earliest exponents of the dummy pass, if not the inventor of the technique within the rugby code.^[6][7]

References