John Bayliss

Memories and Tributes

A ferocious, uncompromising centre who broke his neck and his opponents' resolve, yet remained a humble pillar of the Gloucester community.

It is very sad to announce that Gloucester legend, John Bayliss died on 2 September. John was a bustling centre, and ferocious tackler. A favourite ploy of his was to take the ball into the nearest group of opposing forwards and very often emerge on the other side, ball still in hand. John made his debut for Gloucester on 5 November 1960 against Leicester. He quickly became a regular, and in time formed formidable centre partnerships with Ron Pitt, another hard tackler, and in later seasons Roy Morris and Richard Jardine.

John was in the team which won the inaugural Knock-Out Cup Competition in 1972 against Moseley. The following season he captained the club. Of the 53 games played 36 were won and 1,145 points scored, which at that time was a club record. John also represented Gloucestershire 61 times, the highest of any Gloucester player apart from “Bumps” Carpenter who won the same number of caps. John captained the County to successive Championship titles in 1974-75 and 1975-76. He appeared in several England trial games, but was never capped.

Of course, because of John’s fearless approach he was bound to pick up injuries, and in 1973 he actually broke his neck. However, he bounced back and played on until 1977. He made 403 appearances for Gloucester, between 1960 and 1977, scoring 92 tries.

Words by Chris Collier, Gloucester Rugby Heritage team.

Life Timeline

Born in Tredworth, Gloucester.

1943: Born
Educated at Hatherley Secondary Modern School. His introduction to rugby came from his father, Jack, who took him to watch Rotol RFC at age three.

1955: Early Rugby Inspiration
Began playing for Fielding and Platt RFC at just 13 years old.

1956: First Club Rugby
Selected for the England Boys Club at age 14, playing full-back against Wales.

1957: England Boys Selection
Joined Gloucester and debuted for the "United" (second team) before his 17th birthday.

1959: Gloucester Pathway Begins
Made his senior debut for Gloucester RFC against Leicester at age 17 as a late replacement.

1960: Gloucester Senior Debut
After only a few senior games, he was selected for Gloucestershire against Monmouthshire, beginning a 15-year county career.

1961: County Career Begins
Nearly "went North" to Professional Rugby League after being offered a contract by Warrington, but chose to remain an amateur with his beloved Cherry and Whites.

1968: Loyalty Over League Offer
Selected for Western Counties against the Springboks, though he was forced to withdraw due to injury.

1969: Springboks Selection
Appointed Captain of Gloucester RFC.

1972: Gloucester Captaincy
Played a key role in the historic side that won the first-ever National Knockout Cup, defeating Moseley at Twickenham.

1972: Historic Cup Victory
Suffered a broken neck during a match, an injury widely expected to end his playing days permanently.

1973: Career-Threatening Injury
Defied medical expectations to return to the pitch, immediately regaining his place in the county side.

1974: Remarkable Comeback
Led a "Golden Era" for the county, playing in the 1974 Championship-winning side and then captaining Gloucestershire to successive titles in 1975 and 1976.

1974: Golden Era Begins
Retired from senior representative rugby after captaining the county on a tour of South Africa.

1976: Retirement from County Rugby
Joined Gordon League RFC, helping them in a famous battle against Bill Beaumont's Fylde in the John Player Cup.

1977: Gordon League Chapter
Came out of "retirement" one last time for Gloucester’s summer tour of the USA.

1978: Final Comeback Tour
Ran a successful business in the fruit and vegetable trade, famously working 50-ton weeks right up until match kick-offs.

1980: Business Career Begins
Passed away at the age of 79. His funeral at Gloucester Cathedral saw a massive gathering of the rugby community, with donations directed to the Ed Slater 4ED Trust and the MND Association.

2022: Passing & Community Tribute