Background
Billy Trew was born William James Trew on 1 July 1886.
Billy Trew was born William James Trew on 1 July 1886.
Much like legendary Welsh rugby captain Arthur Gould before him, Billy Trew was part of a sporting family. Club history
Trew"s first match for Swansea was against Penarth on 8 October 1897 scoring a drop goal in the match, and very soon he was a permanent fixture in various positions behind the club"s backs. He was made captain of Swansea for the 1906/07 season, a position he held for the next four season.
After a year break when Dicky Owen took over the role, he took up the captaincy again for the 1912/13 season.
He played for Swansea against the All Blacks in 1905 and captained the team in wins against the touring Australia (1908) and South Africa (1912) national sides. International career
By 1900 Welsh fans began wondering how Trew, a player who had outscored all other club players with 33 tries during the 1898/99 season and 31 tries in the 1899/1900 season, had not been chosen to represent Wales.
The Welsh Rugby Union finally gave Trew his international debut at the age of twenty in January 1900. He would play for Wales a further 28 times, scoring 11 tries, one conversion and one drop goal.
International matches played
Wales
Australia 1908
England 1900, 1901, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911
France 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1913
Ireland 1900, 1908, 1909, 1911
Scotland 1900, 1901, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913
Captain of Wales
Trew captained Wales fourteen times in 1889 and 1890.
During his captaincy the national team only lost four matches and saw Wales collecting the Triple Crown on three occasions. Trew"s son, Billy Trew Junior, followed his father and played for Swansea Reconstruction Finance Corporation. Trew Junior also captained Swansea during the 1929/30 season before moving to England to play for Swinton. Billy Trew died on 20 August 1926, and was buried six days later at Danygraig Cemetery in Swansea.
Many local people lined the streets to pay their last respects.