Romans, George

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George Romans

George was born in Gloucester in 1877, the son of a cabinet maker in Southgate Street. George first played for the Gloucester A team during the 1896-97 season, and made his debut for the 1st XV in the last game of the season on 25th April 1897. More good performances in the A side, in particular with his place kicking, brought promotion to play regularly for the premier side from mid-season 1897-98.

His first points for the 1st XV were two conversions kicked in the 13-3 victory at Clifton on 6th November 1897, and his kicking also helped to secure wins home and away against Bath. In the Citizen, WB declared: “exceptionally smart in fielding the ball, and a good defensive player, Romans has many qualities for the position he occupies, but he needs to improve his pace a little, and learn to kick equally well with the right as the left foot”.

George was the only player to appear in all 34 fixtures in the 1898-99 season, a brilliantly successful one for the Club with 27 victories. The Citizen reckoned: “the particular feature about Romans’ play is his extreme smartness in fielding the ball under the severest pressure, but in all other respects he proved himself a first-class custodian. By constant practice he was able to overcome his chief weakness – inability to kick with his right foot. Undoubtedly Romans was one of the biggest successes of the season.” George made his debut for Gloucestershire in their final match of the season against Glamorgan on 6th April 1899.

In 1899-1900, George played in 29 of the 32 fixtures in another successful season, when Gloucester were unbeaten by an English club. He scored his first try for the Club against Penarth on 30th December 1899, and George’s 88 points were thought to be the best kicking ever seen from a Gloucester player. He “may well rank amongst the finest full-backs in the four countries. His form throughout has been consistently brilliant, and if one player can take credit for more than an average share of the successes gained by the team during the season it is Romans.” This form brought representative honours in the form of three more County caps, a place in an England trial at Leicester on 24th February 1900, where he kicked two conversions as The South beat The North 22-9, and selection as reserve full-back for England against Scotland.

In 1900, George was elected captain and his first game in the role was an emphatic 66-0 win over Clifton at Kingsholm, a new Club record, including nine conversions by George. In the return match at Clifton, he slotted eleven conversions in a 64-3 trouncing. For the first time since moving to Kingsholm, Gloucester went through the whole season undefeated at home, and the season’s points total of 522 was a record for the Club, with George contributing 123 of them.

George played for Gloucestershire against Midland Counties and in the three South West Group games, in the course of which he kicked nine conversions. Although he was selected as reserve for the matches against Wales and Scotland, the coveted England cap continued to elude him. The Citizen declared: “a fine kick with either foot, safe in catching and fielding the ball, and withal a sound defence, Romans makes an ideal custodian, and his selection for International honours surely cannot be long delayed”.

The 1901-02 season kicked off with an even heavier defeat of Clifton, 74-0, setting another new record for the Club, George contributing ten conversions. In another very successful season, the points total of 542 was again a record, 132 of them scored by George. He scored four tries in three successive games in the middle of the season, a surprise because he was not renowned for coming into the line, preferring to concentrate on providing the final line of defence, and apart from this isolated bout of try scoring, he never managed more than one try in a season, and only three others in his entire career for the Club. He appeared in every Gloucestershire match as they progressed to the County Championship Final, which was lost 3-9 to Durham. George appeared in two England trial matches, but again failed to break into the England team, which was put down to bad luck and being a contemporary of an outstanding full-back in H T Gamlin.

George announced his intention to retire, but at the AGM he was persuaded to continue. 1902-03 was a difficult season with George sometimes having to play out of position in the three-quarters. Despite poorer results, he carried on as captain in 1903-04, when WB said: “at full-back Romans has had even a more arduous task than last year, and in the earlier matches his defence was sorely tried. On the whole the City captain has performed creditably, but his most ardent admirer must admit he is not the Romans of two or three seasons ago.”

Part way through the 1904-05 season, George resigned the captaincy. Although his form was variable, he tended to come good in the big matches, and this included the County Cup Final, when George kicked a penalty in the 12-0 defeat of Bristol.

Gloucester fortunes were restored in 1905-06 under Billy Johns, with a record 661 points scored. George’s goal kicking put the finishing touches to the “irresistible scoring machine” in front of him. With 156 points, “his kicking, if anything, has improved” but this was to be his last full season for the Club. He was restored to the County side for the final two games of the season against Somerset and Cornwall, but Gloucestershire were pointless in both and failed to progress.

George and his Gloucester team-mate Arthur Hudson had been among a number of players from other clubs who were asked by Bedford to help bolster their side for a match against the All Blacks on 15 November 1905. This was to no avail, as the All Blacks won 41-0.

George played the first half of the 1906-07 season, but then resigned after falling out with the Club, ending his long and distinguished career away at Clifton on 5th January 1907, when he kicked his final conversion for the Club in an 11-6 win. His career statistics for Gloucester were impressive – 269 appearances and 820 points scored from seven tries, 354 conversions, 25 penalties and four dropped goals. For the County he won 23 caps and scored 51 points from 21 conversions and three penalties. He was reserve for England on seven occasions.

His Gloucester days over, George continued to play junior rugby with Gloucester Old Boys and then took up the whistle, and refereed in the local area for many years. He also became a member of the Gloucester Club committee and a member of the Gloucestershire County selection committee. He was a gifted cricketer, a batsman who played for the Gloucester City Club for about forty years, was captain for several seasons, made several appearances for Gloucestershire, and became a member of the Council of the County Cricket Club. He also represented Gloucester at hockey and water polo, and was well known for his performances in amateur dramatics. He and his wife were founder members of the Gloucester Amateur Operatic Society and George, a tenor, appeared in practically every production, and organised many concerts for charity.

In 1909, he married Emma Gurney, and was employed as manager for a timber merchant. In retirement, they went to live in Bournemouth, but were bombed out during the war, and moved to Stoke Abbott, Dorset. George died at Beaminster, Dorset, in 1946.