Charles Hooper

The Cambridge team for the 1890 encounter contained several players that would go on to play at international level, and Gregor MacGregor, Thomas Storey, Randolph Aston and Charles Nicholl, would all join Hooper as original members of the Barbarians later that season.

[6] On leaving University, Hooper joined Middlesex Wanderers, and as a member of this team he was selected to play at county level with Gloucestershire and later England.

The first match of the tournament was against Wales, and the Welsh played a messy and confused game, that despite winning most of the scrums were unable to utilise their backs properly.

England failed to learn from the Welsh mistakes of the previous match, and concentrated too much on heeling from scrummages, which allowed the Irish to play a spoiling game.

[8] For Hooper's final international, England were without their inspirational captain Richard Lockwood, who had marshalled the English three-quarters in the opening two games.

His position was filled by the inexperienced Walter Jesse Jackson, and the without Lockwood's pace and skill the backs were unable to manufacture any scoring opportunities from the possession the forwards produced.