Archie Skym

Archie Skym (12 July 1906[2] – 15 June 1970) was an international rugby union player for Wales and played club rugby for Llanelli and Cardiff. Skym played as a prop and was renowned for his strength and vigour and was nicknamed The butcher.[3] An excellent scrummager, he was known to be able to lift opponents in the front row. Skym had good hands and was able to dribble with some skill.

Archie Skym
Birth nameArchibald Skym
Date of birth(1906-07-12)12 July 1906
Place of birthDrefach, Carmarthenshire,[1] Wales
Date of death15 June 1970(1970-06-15) (aged 63)
Place of deathCardiff, Wales
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight86 kg (13 st 8 lb)
Occupation(s)Miner
Policeman
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1926
1926–1929
1929–1935		 Tumble RFC
Llanelli RFC
Cardiff RFC
Carmarthenshire Police
Glamorgan Police RFC
Barbarians F.C.		 ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1928–1935 Wales 20 (6)

Club career

Due to his father's religious beliefs, Skym was not allowed to play rugby as a child, but during a nine-month miners strike Skym joined a local team, at his home town of Drefach, as something to do. Although an adult when he started playing, he picked up the game quickly and soon moved to Tumble Rugby Club. He impressed in his play and on 26 December 1926 he was playing for top-flight team Llanelli against London Welsh.

Although a Welsh international by early 1928, Llanelli didn't pick him to play once during the 1928/29 season, and by February Skym had enough and left for rival team Cardiff. With regular matches for Cardiff, Skym was back in the Welsh team. An excellent 1931/32 season including a great game for Cardiff against the South African team, saw Skym cement his place at international level. In January 1935, in a match against Swansea, Skym broke his ankle but stayed on the pitch for the entire game. It was injury that ended his international career and he retired from rugby at the end of the season.

International career

Skym played twenty matches for Wales, his first cap was against England on 21 January 1928. He would score two tries, and was part of the Wales team that in 1933 finally beat England at Twickenham.

International matches played

Wales[4]

Bibliography
  • Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0766-3.
  • Thomas, Wayne (1979). A Century of Welsh Rugby Players. Ansells Ltd.

References
  1. Welsh Rugby Union player profiles
  2. "Archie Skym". www.whowasborn.today. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  3. Thomas (1979), pg 72.
  4. Smith (1980), pg 471.
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