:Roy Francis (rugby)

{{Infobox rugby league biography

|new = yes

|fullname = Roy Francis

|name = Roy Francis

|image = Roy-Francis.jpg

|image_size =

|alt = Roy Francis holding the Rugby League Challenge cup in 1956

|birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1919|1|20}}

|birth_place = Cardiff, Wales

|death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1989|4|1|1919|1|20}}

|death_place = Leeds, England

|height =

|weight =

|position = {{rlp|WG}}

|club1 = Wigan

|year1start = 1937

|year1end = 39

|appearances1 = 12

|tries1 = 9

|goals1 = 0

|fieldgoals1 = 0

|points1 = 27

|club2 = Barrow

|year2start = 1939

|year2end = 48

|appearances2 = 113

|tries2 = 72

|goals2 = 2

|fieldgoals2 = 0

|points2 = 220

|club3 = Warrington

|year3start = 1948

|year3end = 49

|appearances3 = 37

|tries3 = 27

|goals3 = 0

|fieldgoals3 = 0

|points3 = 81

|club4 = Hull FC

|year4start = 1949

|year4end = 55

|appearances4 = 127

|tries4 = 60

|goals4 = 0

|fieldgoals4 = 0

|points4 = 180

|club5 = {{nowrap|→Dewsbury (guest)}}

|year5start = 1941

|year5end = 44

|appearances5 = 57

|tries5 = 57

|goals5 = 1

|fieldgoals5 = 0

|points5 = 173

|teamA = Wales

|yearAstart = 1946

|yearAend = 48

|appearancesA = 5

|triesA = 1

|goalsA = 0

|fieldgoalsA = 0

|pointsA = 3

|teamB = Great Britain

|yearBstart = 1947

|yearBend =

|appearancesB = 1

|triesB = 2

|goalsB = 0

|fieldgoalsB = 0

|pointsB = 6

|teamC = {{nowrap|Northern Command XIII}}

|yearCstart = 1942

|yearCend =

|appearancesC = 2

|triesC = 1

|goalsC = 0

|fieldgoalsC = 0

|pointsC = 3

|teamD = Lancashire

|yearDstart = 1942

|yearDend =

|appearancesD = 1

|triesD = 0

|goalsD = 0

|fieldgoalsD = 0

|pointsD = 0

|coachteam1 = Hull FC

|coachyear1start = 1955

|coachyear1end = 63

|coachgames1 =

|coachwins1 =

|coachdraws1 =

|coachlosses1 =

|coachteam2 = Leeds

|coachyear2start = 1963

|coachyear2end = 68

|coachgames2 = 219

|coachwins2 = 139

|coachdraws2 = 4

|coachlosses2 = 76

|coachteam3 = North Sydney

|coachyear3start = 1968

|coachyear3end = 70

|coachgames3 = 44

|coachwins3 = 17

|coachdraws3 = 2

|coachlosses3 = 25

|coachteam4 = Hull FC

|coachyear4start = 1970

|coachyear4end = 73

|coachgames4 =

|coachwins4 =

|coachdraws4 =

|coachlosses4 =

|coachteam5 = Leeds

|coachyear5start = 1974

|coachyear5end = 75

|coachgames5 = 44

|coachwins5 = 29

|coachdraws5 = 1

|coachlosses5 = 14

|coachteam6 = Bradford Northern

|coachyear6start = 1975

|coachyear6end = 77

|coachgames6 = 61

|coachwins6 = 29

|coachdraws6 = 3

|coachlosses6 = 29

|source =

|updated = 29 September 2020

}}

Roy Francis (20 January 1919 – 1 April 1989) was a Welsh rugby league footballer and coach of the mid 20th century. He was the first Black British professional coach in any sport.{{Cite news|url=https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/18439615.trailblazer-roy-francis-gwent-became-britains-first-professional-black-sporting-coach/ |author=Iwan Gabe Davies|access-date=15 June 2020|title=Trailblazer Roy Francis from Gwent who became Britain's first professional black sporting coach|work=South Wales Argus}} Francis, who earlier played rugby union in Wales, was also a highly accomplished player, scoring 229 tries in his 356 career rugby league games, chiefly as a {{rlp|wg}}. A Great Britain and Wales national representative three-quarter back, he played for English clubs Wigan, Barrow, Dewsbury (World War II guest), Warrington and Hull F.C. Francis then became a head-coach with Hull FC. Renowned for his innovative coaching methods, he was regarded as a visionary, leading Hull FC to title success before going on to win the Challenge Cup with Leeds. He then broke further ground by moving on to coach in Australia with the North Sydney Bears before another brief stint at Leeds, and then Bradford Northern.{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/roy-francis/summary.html|title=Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org (RL)|publisher=rugbyleagueproject.org|date=31 December 2017|access-date=1 January 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/coaches/roy-francis/summary.html|title=Coach Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org (RL)|publisher=rugbyleagueproject.org|date=31 December 2017|access-date=1 January 2018}}Gone North Volume 1 by Robert Gate page 53 {{ISBN|0951119001}}

Playing career

Francis came from Brynmawr, Wales. He played rugby union for Brynmawr RFC before joining English rugby league club Wigan as a seventeen-year-old

{{cite book

|last1 = University of Keele

|first2 = John

|last2 = Bale

|first3 = Joseph

|last3 = Maguire

|title = The Global Sports Arena: Athletic talent migration in an interdependent world

|publisher = Frank Cass & Co. Ltd.

|year = 1994

|location = UK

|pages = 28

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=OT4sCZOJOCkC

|isbn = 9780714634890|author1-link = University of Keele

}} on 14 November 1936. He made his début for Wigan on Friday 26 March 1937. He transferred from Wigan to Barrow in January 1939 but then served in the Army during the Second World War. He played rugby union in the Army and also made guest appearances for Dewsbury. Francis became a Sergeant in the British Army during World War II. He played as a {{rlp|ce}} for Northern Command XIII against a Rugby League XIII at Thrum Hall, Halifax on Saturday 21 March 1942.{{cite web|url=http://rugbyleagueoralhistory.co.uk/gallery-images/86-large.jpg|title=inside programme, Northern Command v. A Rugby League XIII, 1942|publisher=rugbyleagueoralhistory.co.uk|date=31 December 2011|access-date=1 January 2012}} Francis played as a {{rlp|ce}} in Dewsbury's 14–25 aggregate defeat by Wigan in the Championship Final during the 1943–44 season; the 9–13 first-leg defeat at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 13 May 1944, and scored a try in the 5–12 second-leg defeat at Crown Flatt, Dewsbury on Saturday 20 May 1944.{{cite web|url=http://wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/index.php?page_id=869|title=1943-1944 War Emergency League Championship Final|publisher=wigan.rlfans.com|date=31 December 2011|access-date=1 January 2012}}

Returning to Barrow after the war, Francis represented Great Britain but was controversially overlooked for one Ashes tour to Australia for political reasons, the organisers fearing the ructions that could be caused by travelling to a country with an infamous bar on non-white people. He joined Warrington for £800 in July 1948. Roy Francis played in Warrington's 13–12 defeat by Huddersfield the Championship Final during the 1948–49 season at Maine Road, Manchester on Saturday 14 May 1949.

He transferred from Barrow to Hull FC during November 1949 for a fee of £1,250. Francis played his last game on Boxing Day 1955 before switching to coaching, a field in which he was to make an even greater impact.

Coaching career

Francis' man-management, coaching methods and use of psychological techniques were considered years ahead of their time. He was the first coach to embrace players' families and offer them transport to games.

Roy Francis was the coach in Hull FC's 13–30 defeat by Wigan in the 1959 Challenge Cup Final during the 1958–59 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 9 May 1959, in front of a crowd of 79,811,{{cite web|url=http://wigan.rlfans.com/news.php?readmore=1421|title=1958-1959 Challenge Cup Final|publisher=wigan.rlfans.com|date=31 December 2011|access-date=1 January 2012}} and was the coach in the 5–38 defeat by Wakefield Trinity in the 1960 Challenge Cup Final during the 1959–60 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 14 May 1960, in front of a crowd of 79,773.{{cite news|url=http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/complete-history-hull-fc-s-challenge-cup-finals/story-19692285-detail/story.html|title=A complete history of Hull FC's Challenge Cup finals|newspaper=Hull Daily Mail|date=22 August 2013|access-date=1 January 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203223748/http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/complete-history-Hull-FC-s-Challenge-Cup-finals/story-19692285-detail/story.html|archive-date=3 February 2014}}

Francis left Hull FC for Leeds in 1963{{cite web|url=http://satellite.tmcnet.com/news/2006/jan/1250703.htm|title=Local lad who sealed his place in city's heart|publisher=Hull Daily Mail at satellite.tmcnet.com|date=1 January 2006|access-date=1 January 2007}} and oversaw their victory in the 1968 Challenge Cup 'Watersplash' Final during the 1967–68 season at Wembley.

Francis moved to Sydney to coach the North Sydney Bears for the 1969 NSWRFL season and stayed until 1970.

From 1971 to 1973 Francis was Hull FC's team manager.{{cite web|url=http://www.hullfc.com/club/history-stats/past-coaches-captains|title=Coaches and Captains|publisher=hullfc.com|date=31 December 2016|access-date=1 January 2017}} He won a Premiership title back at Leeds during the 1974–75 season, and then coached Bradford Northern from 1975.

He died in April 1989, aged 70.{{cite web|title=1988-1989|url=http://www.therhinos.co.uk/timeline/1988-1989/|publisher=Leeds Rhinos|access-date=21 August 2017}}

Honours

Francis served as a Sergeant in the British Army during World War II.{{cite web |last1=Dore |first1=Richard |title=Roy Francis: The black head coach who revolutionised rugby league |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/54695638 |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=30 October 2020 |date=28 October 2020}}

= As a player =

Championship Final runner-up: 1944

= As a coach =

Championship Winners: 1956, 1958, 1974
Challenge Cup: 1968

Statue

In recognition of the success of Roy Francis as a coach and player a statue was unveiled to him in Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent in October 2023.{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-67181749 | title=Roy Francis monument honours black rugby league pioneer | work=BBC News | date=22 October 2023 }}

References

External links

[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/54348482 BBC article with video titled "Roy Francis: Rugby league's innovator, pioneer, star"]
[https://www.britishpathe.com/video/rugby-cup-final/query/Rugby+League+Final Rugby Cup Final 1968]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRX27awOb6g Who was Roy Francis - YouTube]

Category:1919 births

Category:1989 deaths

Category:20th-century Welsh sportsmen

Category:Barrow Raiders players

Category:Black British sportsmen

Category:Bradford Bulls coaches

Category:British Army personnel of World War II

Category:British Army soldiers

Category:Brynmawr RFC players

Category:Dewsbury Rams players

Category:Footballers who switched code

Category:Great Britain national rugby league team players