Jan Webster
Jan Godfrey Webster (24 August 1946 — 5 February 2019) was an English rugby union international.
| Full name | Jan Godfrey Webster | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 24 August 1946 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Southport, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 5 February 2019 (aged 72) | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Webster was born in Southport but his family would soon move to Walsall. He attended Queen Mary's Grammar School and had ambitions to became a footballer until the age of 14, when an approach from Aston Villa manager Joe Mercer was turned down by his headmaster. His early rugby was played with Walsall RFC.[1][2]
A scrum-half, Webster was capped 11 times for England in the early 1970s and is noted for his performances in two historic overseas victories. He was England's scrum-half in the country's first ever away win over the Springboks in 1972, as well as for the defeat of the All Blacks at Eden Park in 1973, which was the first win in New Zealand by a home nation. In both matches, he was rated to be among England's best players by pundits.[3][4]
Webster played much of his club rugby for Moseley and competed at county level for Staffordshire.[5]
References
- Gordos, Steve (20 February 2019). "Webster - the England hero who tamed the Springboks". Black Country Bugle.
- Team, The Rugby Paper (15 August 2017). "My Life in Rugby: Jan Webster – former England and Barbarians scrum-half". The Rugby Paper.
- "Webster The Hero As Brutal Boks Crash". Daily Mirror. 5 June 1972.
- "All Blacks v England: Of sideburns and bitter old memories". NZ Herald. 10 October 2023.
- Parkes, Thomas (9 February 2019). "Jan Webster: Tributes paid after former England rugby player dies". Express and Star.