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John Collins

1931 – 2017

Welsh international rugby union player

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About John Collins

Lived 1931 – 2017 (aged 86). John Collins was a rugby union player.

John Ernest Collins (16 January 1931 – 9 May 2017) was a Welsh international rugby union player.

Collins was born in Aberavon and educated at St Joseph's School, where he picked up rugby.

A speedy player, Collins was the 1952 Welsh 440 yards national champion, making his well suited to a place on the wing with Aberavon RFC, for which he scored 122 tries over the years. He also played some rugby in England for Devonport Services, while on national service with the Royal Marines, and earned Barbarian representative honours.

Collins was capped 10 times for Wales between 1958 and 1961. He debuted against the Wallabies at Cardiff Arms Park and scored Wales's only try in a 9–3 win, before featuring in four Five Nations campaigns. In 1960, Collins also appeared against the Springboks in a match for a combined Neath and Aberavon team.

Outside of rugby, Collins worked as a steel erector at Margam Abbey Steelworks and later ran a bar in Majorca.

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Important facts

Birth century
Died
Occupation
Also known as
John Ernest Collins

People in John Collins's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped John Collins's

Frequently asked questions

Who was John Collins?

Welsh international rugby union player

When was John Collins born?

John Collins was born on 16 January 1931.

When did John Collins die?

John Collins died on 9 May 2017.

What was John Collins's occupation?

John Collins was a rugby union player.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: John Collins

· Wikidata: Q56490199

· DBpedia: John Collins (rugby union, born 1931)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Collins. https://biography.guide/john-collins-rugby-union-player/

MLA: "John Collins." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-collins-rugby-union-player/.

Chicago: "John Collins." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-collins-rugby-union-player/.

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