OF all Methody’s notable rugby alumni none have been more accomplished than Ernie Crawford, a maverick trailblazer with a Charlie Chaplin moustache and something of a forgotten name.
Crawford was a full-back of attacking inclinations who did much to redefine the role of a number 15 before Vivian Jenkins fully explored the attacking possibilities of the position.
A star of the Methody team in 1908 and 1909, Crawford’s career was rudely interrupted by World War 1 and his Test career didn’t start until 1920, aged 29 by which time most players had retired in that amateur era.
Despite that, ...