Taunton School’s British Lion

Born on August 25th 1905, Roy Jennings hailed from Redruth, where he attended Redruth County School before completing his education at Taunton School. He joined Taunton in autumn 1920 at the age of 15 and left in December 1922, aged 17.

Despite spending just seven terms at the school, Jennings (School House, 1920-1922) made a lasting impact as a brilliant rugby player. He earned full school colours for rugby, as well as house colours for rugby, cricket, fives and swimming. While he likely played in the 2nd XV during the 1921–22 season – with occasional appearances for the Firsts – his talent truly flourished in the 1st XV of the following year (1922–23).

The school magazines of the time provide detailed match reports for every 1st XV game, and Jennings’ featured more frequently than any other player. He was both a prolific try score and an exceptional kicker. The team only lost one match – Jennings last for the school – and that was against a Clifton club side (so perhaps hardly counts).

Following his time at Taunton, Jennings continued his rugby career in Cornwall, becoming a prolific points-scorer for Redruth RFC as a goal-kicking fullback and three-quarter. His first appearance for Cornwall came at 19, against the formidable “Invincible” All Blacks, and he went on to play 61 matches for his county. Although he was a seven-time England trialist, he never received a national call-up. In 1930, he toured New Zealand and Australia with the British Lions, scoring 12 tries, including three against Victoria and four against Western Australia.