page_title: John Luscombe
section_title: Rugby union career
hierarchical_section_title: John Luscombe / Rugby union career
caption_attribution_description: English: A picture of the first England Rugby side in 1871, with players from the Gipsies Football Club highlighted.
context_page_description: Sir John Henry Luscombe JP was a highly successful insurance broker, becoming chairman of Lloyd's Register and being knighted for his services to underwriting. He had earlier been a rugby union international who represented England in the first international match in 1871, and was the brother of another rugby international, Francis Luscombe.
context_section_description: A number of sources suggest that John and his brother Francis were the first brothers to appear together in a rugby international, in the very first international in 1871. However, this is a misconception because Francis Luscombe did not play in that very first international, though his brother did. He played his club rugby for Gipsies Football Club, a club founded in October 1868, by three Old Tonbridgians one of whom was his brother, Francis. These three men were keen on football and wanted to provide a football club in London with which Tonbridge's former pupils could affiliate, much as the Marlborough Nomads served Marlborough College. John had not attended Tonbridge, but played due to his family ties. His aptitude for the game was such that he was selected to play in the first international match, Scotland vs England in 1871. However, his career was severely limited by time spent at sea. As the eldest son in a family that owned considerable shipping interests he had certain expectations to pursue a career in that field. He subsequently became a marine underwriter.
caption: 1871 England squad with Gipsies players JE Bentley (left) and JH Luscombe (right) highlighted
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