BROTHERS IN RUGBY 

 FOOTBALL 



More Evidence That Brothers are Selected to Play in the Same or Similar 

 Positions on Football Teams 



H. W. Jack, 



Kuala Lumpur, Federated Malay States 



IN CONNECTION with a brief 

 article which appeared in Vol. XII, 

 No. 6, (June-July 1921) of the Jour- 

 nal OF Heredity dealing with a study 

 which showed that brothers were often 

 selected to fill the same or similar posi- 

 tions on football teams, I append here- 

 with a list of 23 sets of brothers 

 representing 63 players of the game of 

 rugby football in the British Isles, 

 most of whom achieved distinction in 

 the game and all of whom are personally 

 known to the writer. 



That many of the players were 

 exceptionally good men is evidenced 

 by the fact that twelve of their number 

 were selected to play in the British 

 International contests and of the 

 remainder, 22 played in the Inter- 

 national trial (Provincial) matches, 

 and all the rest were mem.bers of first 

 class teams chosen by expert com.- 

 mittees. 



In British rugby football the quali- 

 ties of a forward are that he must be 

 strong, fairly heavy, and able to stand 

 considerable strain and fatigue. 



Halves or centre three-quarters are 

 characterized by their ability to make 

 quick decisions, to kick and tackle well 

 and by their daring to take risks. For 

 wing players the essentials are speed 

 and pluck. 



Of the 23 sets of brothers quoted, at 

 least two in every case were selected 

 to play in the same positions, while in 

 eleven sets of three or more brothers at 

 least three were chosen for the same 

 positions. In one case a set of four 

 brothers were all picked for the same or 

 similar positions. These notes dis- 

 dinctly show that the ability required 

 for playing in certain positions in rugby 

 football is inherited and runs in 

 families. 



The following list includes all the 

 pairs of brothers which the writer can 

 recollect, and yet in no case where sets 

 of two only are considered were the 

 lirothers selected to play in different 

 positions, and in only five cases was 

 there a variation when considering 

 sets of three or more brothers. The list 

 covers a period of approximately ten 

 years. 



