A master in an age of Greatness

EMLYN JENKINS

(born Treherbert, 1 December, 1910;
died Andover, 19 October, 1993)

by ROBERT GATE

Rugby League has enticed many brilliant stand-offs north from Wales, but none more illustrious than Emlyn Jenkins, probably the greatest stand-off in British Rugby League in the 1930s and certainly one of the finest of any era.

Emlyn Jenkins hailed from Treherbert in the Rhondda, He could have been a boxer but fortunately chose rugby. A schoolboy International, he made his mark as a teenager with Bridgend, in a team which included Idris Towill, with 'whom he would later play for Keighley, By 1930 Emlyn had been selected as reserve for Wales and had graduated to the first team at Cardiff. He was regarded as a certainty to win a full Welsh cap, but was spirited away to Salford by Lance Todd.

Salford's gain

Union’s loss was League's gain. Emlyn went straight into the first team, making his debut in an 8-0 home victory over Dewsbury (6 December 1930) and scoring his first try against the same opposition at Crown Flatt the following week, when Salford won 9-0. Amazingly Salford nilled the opposition in the first five games of Emlyn's career.

In his first couple of seasons Emlyn had to be content to alternate between standoff and wing as Reg Meek held first claim the number six jersey, but by 1932 the position had become Emlyn’s own. Salford were developing into one of the teams of the century under the astute managership of Lance Todd, and Emlyn Jenkins was soon winning caps and cups, playing alongside such luminaries as Gus Risman, Barney Hudson, Alan Edwards, Billy Williams, Bert Day and Jack Feetham.

The medal winner

His first winners medal came in the Lancashire Cup Final of 1931, an all Manchester affair against Swinton at Broughton. Emlyn scored both Salford s tries from the wing that day, but it took an 8Oth minute penalty goal by Fergie Southward to snatch the game 10-8, Emlyn would pick up three further Lancashire Cup winner’s medal as Salford defeated Wigan in the finals of 1934, 1935 and 1936, whilst he earned four Lancashire