Bill Davies (rugby league)

{{Short description|Wales international rugby league footballer}}

{{Infobox rugby league biography

|name = Bill Davies

|fullname = William T. Davies{{cite news|title=No Title|newspaper=The Manchester Guardian|date=1 February 1947|page=6|id={{ProQuest|478726915}}}}

|image =

|imagesize =

|caption =

|birth_date =

|birth_place = Wales

|death_date =

|death_place = unknown

|height =

|weight =

|first = RU

|ru_position =

|ru_club1 = Neath RFC

|ru_year1start =

|ru_year1end =

|ru_appearances1 =

|ru_tries1 =

|ru_goals1 =

|ru_fieldgoals1 =

|ru_points1 =

|position = {{rlp|FB|CE|SO}}

|club1 = Huddersfield

|year1start = 1939

|year1end = 47

|appearances1 =

|tries1 =

|goals1 =

|fieldgoals1 =

|points1 =

|club2 = Dewsbury

|year2start = 1947

|year2end = ??

|appearances2 =

|tries2 =

|goals2 =

|fieldgoals2 =

|points2 =

|teamA = Wales

|yearAstart = 1943

|yearAend = 47

|appearancesA = 6

|triesA =

|goalsA =

|fieldgoalsA =

|pointsA =

| teamB = {{nowrap|Army XIII}}

| yearBstart = 1944

| yearBend =

| appearancesB = 0

| triesB = 0

| goalsB = 0

| fieldgoalsB = 0

| pointsB = 0

|new = yes

|retired = yes

|updated = 11 June 2010

|source = {{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/billy-davies/summary.html|title=Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org|publisher=rugbyleagueproject.org|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=1 January 2012}}

}}

Bill Davies (birth unknown – death unknown) was a Welsh rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s. He played at representative level for Wales, and at club level for Huddersfield, as a {{rlp|fb|ce}}, or {{rlp|so}}.{{cite book|first1= Graham|last1= Williams|first2= Peter|last2= Lush|first3= David|last3= Farrar|title= The British Rugby League Records Book|publisher= London League|isbn= 978-1-903659-49-6|year= 2009|pages= 108–114}}

Davies started his career as a rugby union player at Neath RFC. In 1939, he switched codes from rugby union to rugby league when he joined Huddersfield.

Davies played {{rlp|CE}} in Huddersfield's 4-13 defeat by Wigan in the Championship Final during the 1945–46 season at Maine Road, Manchester on Saturday 18 May 1946.{{cite web|url=http://wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/index.php?page_id=424|title=1945–1946 Championship Final|publisher=wigan.rlfans.com|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=1 January 2012}}

In the first full season after the war, a new record transfer fee of £1,650 was set when Dewsbury bought Davies from Huddersfield,{{cite book|last=Collins|first=Tony|title=Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain: A Social and Cultural History|year=2006|publisher=Routledge|location= United Kingdom|page=87|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J6nXcpxXzWsC|isbn=9780203088357}} (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £235,500 in 2014).{{cite web|url=http://www.measuringworth.com/ukcompare|title=Measuring Worth – Relative Value of UK Pounds|publisher=Measuring Worth|date=31 December 2014|accessdate=1 January 2015}}

Bill Davies won 6 caps for Wales in 1943–1947 while at Huddersfield.