William Penny (rugby union)

William John Penny (15 November 1856 – 17 December 1904) was an English international rugby union player.

William Penny

Full name	William John Penny
Date of birth	(1856-11-15)15 November 1856
Place of birth	Langport, Somerset, England
Date of death	17 December 1904(1904-12-17) (aged 48)
Place of death	at sea, off Mombasa
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fullback International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1878–79 England 3

Penny came from the village of Kingsbury Episcopi in Somerset.^[1]

A fullback, Penny played rugby for King's College London and in 1878 made his England debut against Ireland at Lansdowne Road.^[2] He was capped a further two times for England.^[1]

Penny was a member of the founding committee of the Middlesex RFU in 1879. He was playing for United Hospitals at this time and in the early 1880s joined Clifton RFC after becoming a consulting surgeon at Bristol General Hospital.^[1]

While on the SS Langdale in 1904, Penny fell ill and died off the coast of Mombasa.^[3]

See also

• List of England national rugby union players