Tom Reid (rugby union)
{{Short description|Rugby player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox rugby biography
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Thomas Eymard Reid
| birth_date = {{birth date|1926|03|03|df=y}}
| birth_place = Limerick, Ireland
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1996|11|12|1926|03|03|df=yes}}
| death_place = Montreal, Canada
| height =
| weight =
| position = Lock
| clubs1 = Garryowen Football Club
| clubs2 = London Irish
| repteam1 = Ireland
| repteam2 = British and Irish Lions
| repyears1 = 1953–1957
| repyears2 = 1955
| repcaps1 = 13
| repcaps2 = 2
| reppoints1 = 0
| reppoints2 = 0
| school = Christian Boys' College, Limerick
}}
Tom Eymard Reid (3 March 1926 – 12 November 1996) was an Irish rugby union player, who played in the lock position. O'Connor played club rugby with Garryowen and London Irish, was capped thirteen times for Ireland, and was a member of the British and Irish Lions team that toured in 1955.
Personal life
Tom Reid was born on 3 March 1926, in Limerick. His father, Joe Reid had also played rugby for Garryowen and his cousin was the Irish international Paddy Reid.{{cite news |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/limerick-mourns-as-grand-slam-heropaddyreid-passes-away-375316.html |title=Limerick mourns as Grand slam hero Paddy Reid passes away |date=10 January 2016 |first=Charlie |last=Mulqueen |work=Irish Examiner}} Reid attended the Christian Boys' College in Limerick. As well as playing rugby, Reid also rowed for Limerick Boat Club.{{cite news |title=Tom Reid |work=Limerick Leader |date=17 January 1953 |page=5 |via=Limerick City Library |url=http://www.limerickcity.ie/media/sports%20people%20161.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205075013/http://www.limerickcity.ie/media/sports%20people%20161.pdf |archive-date=5 December 2017 |url-status=live}}
Rugby career
Reid made his appearance for the Garryowen club in the 1947–48 season. With Garryowen, he won the Munster Senior Cup on three occasions, including 1954 when he was the club captain. He played for the Munster representative team in matches against international opposition; against Australia in 1947, South Africa in 1951 and New Zealand in 1954. He later played for London Irish.{{cite news |title=Worthy Honour for Limerick Rugby Forward |work=Limerick Leader |date=23 March 1955 |page=1 |via=Limerick City Library |url=http://www.limerickcity.ie/media/sports%20people%20163.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205075032/http://www.limerickcity.ie/media/sports%20people%20163.pdf |archive-date=5 December 2017 |url-status=live}}
His first appearance for Ireland was in the 1953 Five Nations Championship, against England. In January 1954, against New Zealand, he moved from his usual position at lock to play at Number 8. He returned to lock for subsequent appearances in the 1954 and 1955 Five Nations Championship matches.{{cite web |url=http://en.espn.co.uk/ireland/rugby/player/5663.html |work=ESPN Scrum |title=Player: Tom Reid}}
Reid was included in the squad for the British Lions tour to South Africa in 1955. During the tour, Reid played in ten tour games against local opposition and two out of the four test matches against the South Africa national team; the second test where he played at Number 8 position and the third test where he reverted to his usual position at lock.{{cite web |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/tributes-to-tom-reid-1.115104 |work=Irish Times |title=Tributes to Tom Reid |date=11 December 1996 |first=Edmund |last=van Esbeck}}
In December 1955, Reid played at Flanker in a combined Scotland & Ireland team that played a combined England & Wales team at Lansdowne Road to mark the opening of the West Upper Stand at the venue. Further appearances for Ireland followed in the 1956 Five Nations and the 1957 Five Nations, the only edition of the championship where Reid played in all four of Ireland's games. His 13th and final game for Ireland came in that championship, against Wales.
Reid also played 14 games for the Barbarians invitational team, including six games on the team's first overseas tour to Canada in 1957. Reid decided to emigrate to Canada following the tour.{{cite web |url=http://www.barbarianfc.co.uk/archive/profile/2520/t-e-reid/ |publisher=Barbarian F.C. |title=Player Archive: T. E. Reid}} In 1959, Reid played for the Eastern Canada team in their match against the British Lions. As of 2017 (note as well as Ricki Flutey (NZ Maori 2005 v Lions, and played for the lions in 2009), James Hook also played for and against the Lions (Lions 2009, baabaas 2013), and Jarred Payne and Elliot Daly both played for the baabaas against the lions in 2013 and subsequently played for the lions on tour in 2017. Multiple Lions also played for the BaaBaas in 1977, and tbc whether any of the Welsh XV who played the Lions in 1955 had previously played for, or subsequently went on to play for, the Lions), he is one of only two players to have played both for and against the Lions.{{cite book |title=125 Years of The British and Irish Lions |first1=Clem |last1=Thomas |first2=Greg |last2=Thomas |publisher=Mainstream Publishing |isbn=9781780576657 |year=2013 |page=230}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{British and Irish Lions 1955}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Tom}}
Category:Irish rugby union players
Category:Ireland international rugby union players
Category:Munster Rugby players
Category:Garryowen Football Club players
Category:Rugby union players from Limerick (city)
Category:British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Ireland