1885 Home Nations Championship

1885 Home Nations Championship
Date	3 January 1885 - 21 February 1885
Countries	England Ireland Scotland Wales
Tournament statistics
Champions	Not completed
Matches played	4
Top point scorer(s)	Veitch (1) Taylor (1) Payne (1)
Top try scorer(s)	Jordan (2) Hawkridge (2)
← 1884 (Previous) (Next) 1886 →

The 1885 Home Nations Championship was the third series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Four matches were played between 3 January and 21 February 1885. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Despite each team only playing two matches, England won the Championship for the third time in succession.

The 1885 Championship was notable for the disputes occurring between the Home Nation Unions which prevented a full tournament to be completed. England and Scotland refused to face each other due to the refereeing disagreement from their 1884 encounter, and Wales and Ireland also failed to meet due to union disputes. The 1885 Championship also experienced a rare replay, when the Ireland versus Scotland game at Ormeau was abandoned after bad weather stopped play. The replay was played in Scotland.

Table

Position	Nation	Games				Points
		Played	Won	Drawn	Lost
1	England	2	2	0	0	4
2	Scotland	2	1	1	0	3
3	Wales	2	0	1	1	1
4	Ireland	2	0	0	2	0

Source:

Results

3 January 1885

Wales	(1T) 1–1 (4T)	England

Swansea

10 January 1885

Scotland	0–0	Wales

Glasgow

7 February 1885

England	(2T) 0–0 (1T)	Ireland

Manchester

7 March 1885

Ireland	0–1	Scotland

Belfast

Not played

• Scotland v. England
• Wales v. Ireland

Scoring system

The matches for this season were decided on goals scored. A goal was awarded for a successful conversion after a try, for a dropped goal or for a goal from mark. If a game was drawn, any unconverted tries were tallied to give a winner. If there was still no clear winner, the match was declared a draw.

The matches

Wales vs. England

3 January 1885

Wales	1G, 1T – 1G, 4T	England
Try: Jordan (2) Con: Gould		Try: Hawcridge Kindersley Ryalls Teggin Wade Con: Payne

St. Helen's, Swansea Attendance: 5,000 Referee: CP Lewis (Wales)

Wales: Arthur Gould (Newport), Frank Hancock (Cardiff), Martyn Jordan (Newport), Charles Taylor (Ruabon), Charlie Newman (Newport) capt., William Gwynn (Swansea), Ernest Rowland (Lampeter), John Sidney Smith (Cardiff), Evan Richards (Swansea), Tom Clapp (Newport), Bob Gould (Newport), Horace Lyne (Newport), Thomas Baker Jones (Newport), Samuel Goldsworthy (Swansea), Lewis Thomas (Cardiff)

England: HB Tristram (Oxford University), CG Wade (Oxford University), Andrew Stoddart (Blackheath), JJ Hawcridge (Bradford), A Rotherham (Oxford University), JH Payne (Broughton), Frank Moss (Broughton), G Harrison (Hull), AT Kemble (Liverpool), RS Kindersley (Oxford University), HJ Ryalls (New Brighton), ED Court (Blackheath), RSF Henderson (Blackheath), A Teggin (Broughton), ET Gurdon (Richmond) capt.

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Scotland vs. Wales

10 January 1885

Scotland	nil – nil	Wales

West of Scotland ground, Glasgow Attendance: 2,000 Referee: George Rowland Hill (England)

Scotland Pat Harrower (London Scottish), Bill Maclagan (London Scottish) capt., AE Stephen (West of Scotland), G Maitland (Edinburgh Inst FP), Andrew Ramsay Don-Wauchope (Fettesian-Lorettonians), AGG Asher (Fettesian-Lorettonians), T Ainslie (Edinburgh Inst FP), GH Robb (Glasgow Acads), John Jamieson (West of Scotland), R Maitland (Edinburgh Inst FP), WA Peterkin (Edinburgh University), C Reid (Edinburgh Acads), CW Berry (Fettesian-Lorettonians), J Tod (Watsonians), JG Mitchell (West of Scotland)

Wales: Arthur Gould (Newport), Frank Hancock (Cardiff), Martyn Jordan (Newport), Charles Taylor (Ruabon), Charlie Newman (Newport) capt., William Gwynn (Swansea), Willie Thomas (Llandovery College), Edward Perkins Alexander (Brecon), Frank Hill (Cardiff), Tom Clapp (Newport), Bob Gould (Newport), D Morgan (Swansea), Thomas Baker Jones (Newport), Samuel Goldsworthy (Swansea), Lewis Thomas (Cardiff)

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England vs. Ireland

7 February 1885

England	2T – 1T	Ireland
Try: Bolton Hawcridge		Try: Greene

Whalley Range, Manchester Attendance: 6,000 Referee: HS Lyne (Wales)

England: CH Sample (Cambridge University), WN Bolton (Blackheath), Andrew Stoddart (Blackheath), JJ Hawcridge (Bradford), A Rotherham (Oxford University), JH Payne (Broughton), Frank Moss (Broughton), G Harrison (Hull), AT Kemble (Liverpool), Charles Gurdon (Richmond), HJ Ryalls (New Brighton), CH Horley (Swinton), CS Wooldridge (Blackheath), GT Thomson (Halifax), ET Gurdon (Richmond) capt.

Ireland: GH Wheeler (Queen's College, Belfast), EH Greene (Dublin Uni.), JP Ross (Lansdowne), RG Warren (Lansdowne), RE McLean (NIFC), EC Crawford (Dublin Uni.), THM Hobbs (Dublin Uni.), Thomas Lyle (Dublin Uni.), FW Moore (Wanderers), T Shanahan (Lansdowne), RM Bradshaw (Wanderers), TC Allen (NIFC), HJ Neill (NIFC), RW Hughes (NIFC), WG Rutherford (Lansdowne) capt.

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Scotland vs. Ireland

7 March 1885

Scotland	1G, 2T – nil	Ireland
Try: Reid Peterkin Don-Wauchope Con: Veitch

Raeburn Place, Edinburgh Attendance: 8,000 Referee: HC Kelly (Ireland)

Scotland JP Veitch (Royal HSFP), Bill Maclagan (London Scottish) capt., HL Evans (Edinburgh Uni.), G Maitland (Edinburgh Inst FP), Andrew Ramsay Don-Wauchope (Fettesian-Lorettonians), PH Don Wauchope (Fettesian-Lorettonians), T Ainslie (Edinburgh Inst FP), JB Brown (Glasgow Acads),John Jamieson (West of Scotland), TW Irvine (Edinburgh Acads), WA Peterkin (Edinburgh University), C Reid (Edinburgh Acads), John Guthrie Tait (Cambridge University), J Tod (Watsonians), JG Mitchell (West of Scotland)

Ireland: JWR Morrow (Queen's College, Belfast), EH Greene (Dublin Uni.), JP Ross (Lansdowne), RG Warren (Lansdowne), DJ Ross (Belfast Acads), DV Hunter (Dublin Uni.), J Thompson (Queen's College, Belfast), Thomas Lyle (Dublin Uni.), FW Moore (Wanderers), T Shanahan (Lansdowne), RM Bradshaw (Wanderers), AJ Forrest (Wanderers) capt., HJ Neill (NIFC), J Johnston (Belfast Acads), W Hogg (Dublin Uni.)

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Preceded by 1884 Home Nations

Home Nations Championship 1885

Succeeded by 1886 Home Nations