Tom Smith (rugby union, born 1883)
Thomas William Smith (15 August 1883 – 15 May 1960[1]) was a rugby union forward who played 58 times for Leicester Tigers between 1906 and 1908. Wood made his Leicester debut on 17 March 1906 against Birkenhead Park FC. Smith was also a member of the 1908 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia and played in the second and third test, drawing the second and losing the third.
| Birth name | Thomas William Smith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 15 August 1883 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rearsby, Leicestershire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 15 May 1960 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Halton Holegate, Lincolnshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Publican | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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An RFU inquiry in 1908 declared Smith a professional after which he signed professional forms for Broughton Rangers, though he never played a game for them he did turn out once for Coventry's Northern Union side in 1910. Leicester's secretary Tom Crumbie tried to have Smith's amateur status re-instated on the basis that his signature was obtain by gross misrepresentation but was never successful.
Sources
Farmer,Stuart & Hands, David Tigers-Official History of Leicester Football Club (The Rugby DevelopmentFoundation ISBN 978-0-9930213-0-5)
Mather, Tom Rugby's Greatest Mystery: Who really was F.S.Jackson?, Appendix 2: The Tigers feat: Leicester Tigers and the RFU 1895 to 1914 (London League Publications LTD ISBN 978-1-903659-60-1)