John Dewar Dallas (11 June 1878 – 31 July 1942)[1] was a Scottish international rugby union player.
[4] Dallas played just a single international game for Scotland, the encounter with England during the 1903 Home Nations Championship.
Scotland had already beaten Wales and Ireland in the tournament, and a win over England would give the Scottish team the Triple Crown.
Dallas was brought into the pack, along with a returning Jimmy Ross, as replacements for David Bedell-Sivright and captain Mark Coxon Morrison.
Dallas not only ended the game as a Triple Crown winning player, but he also scored one of two Scottish tries, when he crossed the line in the first half after good build-up work from wing James Stirling MacDonald.
[6] In 1905 the first New Zealand touring team came to Britain, and brought an exciting tactical game that the British clubs found difficult to play against.
In the buildup to the game, the New Zealand manager George Dixon and the Welsh Rugby Union had difficulty agreeing on a referee.
[6] This was Dallas' first international match as a referee but the game started controversially for him as he was criticised for his poor choice of attire.
In a thrilling game, the match was decided by a single try, scored by Teddy Morgan to give Wales the win.
[2] During the First World War, Dallas joined the British Army and was posted to The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) as part of the 16th Battalion.