Tiverton born, Hellings moved to the Rhondda while a young boy and later found work as a coal miner in
Llwynypia, there Hellings joined local rugby team Llwynypia RFC. In 1897 Hellings was chosen to face England as part of the
1897 Home Nations Championship along with fellow Rhondda players,
Jack Rhapps and
Dai Evans. Under the captaincy of legendary Welsh player
Arthur Gould Wales beat England by a goal and two tries to nil. Hellings was reselected for both matches of the
1898 Home Nations Championship, this time under the captaincy of
Billy Bancroft. Wales won the first game against Ireland, but lost to England at Blackheath. Hellings missed the opening game of the
1889 Championship in which fellow Llwynypia player,
Willie Llewellyn scored four tries on his Wales on his debut; but played in the final two games. The
1900 Championship saw Wales win the
Triple Crown for the second time by winning all three games. Hellings played in two of the victories, but his more notable match was the opening game against England. Played at
Kingsholm, England played 13 new caps, a record that stood until 1947. Hellings scored his one and only international try during the game, made all the more memorable as Hellings had fractured his arm in the game before scoring. Hellings final two games for Wales game in
1901. There were hopes that Wales would retain the Triple Crown, but although beating England in the first game, the selectors felt the forwards, of which Hellings was given the role of leading, lacked cohesion in the tight. When Wales lost the next game to Scotland, Hellings was dropped and never represented Wales again.
International matches played Wales • 1897, 1898, 1900, 1901 • 1898, 1899, 1900 • 1899, 1901 ==Biography==