Cliff Jones (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Clifford 'Cliff' William Jones OBE (12 March 1914 – 27 November 1990) was a Welsh
international rugby union
fly-half who played club rugby for many teams but is most associated with Cardiff
and Cambridge University
. Jones was known as a quick and elusive runner, but was also noted for his numerous injuries which limited his international and club appearances.
Before his eighteenth birthday Jones was already playing for Pontypridd
and Cardiff, but after leaving Llandovery he was accepted into Cambridge and was selected for the university's rugby team. While there he teamed up with Wilf Wooller, though they both found themselves on the same losing side during the 1933 Varsity match.
Jones managed only 22 appearances for Cardiff, mainly due to injuries sustained on the pitch. He suffered four broken bones before he reached the age of twenty, missed much of the 1936/37 season with a broken collar bone and injured his elbow on a comeback game in 1939.
in 1934, while still at Cambridge, at Cardiff Arms Park
against England
. The team is recognised as a mess, with 13 of the players being new caps resulting in an unbalanced pack with slow service. Jones was battered by England's Fry and Hordern which left him in tears during the game. Wales lost the game 9-0 and 5 of the new caps were never selected again, though Jones was not amongst them, returning for the next two games of the tournament against Scotland and Ireland; both saw Welsh wins. Jones returned to the Welsh squad the next year in the 1935 Home Nations Championship
, and in the second game of the tournament against Scotland he scored his first International try
.
1935 saw the touring New Zealand team
arrive in Wales and Jones was selected for Wales to face them. Jones was a controversial choice as his inclusion split the half back unit of Haydn Tanner
and Willie Davies
who had been key in Swansea's
victory over the All Blacks three months previous. In a tight game, which saw Wales's Don Tarr
leave the field with a broken neck, Jones finished on the winning team as the All Blacks lost 12-13. In 1936 Jones played in all three games of the Home Nations Championship which saw Wales raise the trophy, scoring his second and final international try, again against Scotland. He missed the entirety of the 1937 tournament as he was suffering from a broken collar bone.
In 1938 Jones was selected to captain Wales for all three Championship games. The first game was against England in which Wales and Jones in particular were impressive in a 14-8 win. Wales may well have taken the title, after also beating Ireland, but were denied a win when Scotland were awarded a penalty two minutes before time when an unconscious Welsh player was deemed to be lying purposefully on the ball. Scotland successfully converted the penalty to win 8-6. Jones finished his Wales career captaining his team and narrowly missing the Grand Slam
.
as Chairman of the WRU Coaching Sub-Committee. In the 1980-1981 season, Jones became President of the WRU in their centenary year.
Jones would later receive an OBE for his services to the sport of rugby and in 1991 was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
. He died on November 27, 1990.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
international rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
fly-half who played club rugby for many teams but is most associated with Cardiff
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
and Cambridge University
Cambridge University R.U.F.C.
The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club, or CURUFC, is the rugby union club of Cambridge University, and plays Oxford University in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham stadium every December. CURUFC players wear light blue and white hooped jerseys with a red lion crest...
. Jones was known as a quick and elusive runner, but was also noted for his numerous injuries which limited his international and club appearances.
Club career
Jones was a product of the Welsh Secondary Schools Rugby Union system, playing competitive matches while still a schoolboy. Educated at Porth County School, and although wanting to play association football was forced towards rugby union as a schoolboy through the sporting curriculum of Llandovery College. Jones gained his first cap as part of the Welsh secondary schools team and came to the attention of the rugby world in a brilliant display in April 1932 in a Secondary Schools game against Yorkshire Schools. During the 1932/33 season Jones was given the captaincy of Llandovery.Before his eighteenth birthday Jones was already playing for Pontypridd
Pontypridd RFC
Pontypridd Rugby Football Club, known as Ponty, are a rugby union team from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, currently playing in the British and Irish Cup, Principality Premiership, and are the current SWALEC Cup champions....
and Cardiff, but after leaving Llandovery he was accepted into Cambridge and was selected for the university's rugby team. While there he teamed up with Wilf Wooller, though they both found themselves on the same losing side during the 1933 Varsity match.
Jones managed only 22 appearances for Cardiff, mainly due to injuries sustained on the pitch. He suffered four broken bones before he reached the age of twenty, missed much of the 1936/37 season with a broken collar bone and injured his elbow on a comeback game in 1939.
International rugby career
Jones was first capped for WalesWales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
in 1934, while still at Cambridge, at Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
. The team is recognised as a mess, with 13 of the players being new caps resulting in an unbalanced pack with slow service. Jones was battered by England's Fry and Hordern which left him in tears during the game. Wales lost the game 9-0 and 5 of the new caps were never selected again, though Jones was not amongst them, returning for the next two games of the tournament against Scotland and Ireland; both saw Welsh wins. Jones returned to the Welsh squad the next year in the 1935 Home Nations Championship
1935 Home Nations Championship
The 1935 Home Nations Championship was the thirty-first series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the forty-eighth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six...
, and in the second game of the tournament against Scotland he scored his first International try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
.
1935 saw the touring New Zealand team
1935-36 New Zealand rugby union tour of the British Isles and Canada
-Matches:-Three-Quarters:* N. Ball * H.M. Brown * G.F. Hart * N.A. Mitchell * C.J. Oliver -Five-eighths:* J.L. Griffiths * T.H.C. Caughey * J.R. Page...
arrive in Wales and Jones was selected for Wales to face them. Jones was a controversial choice as his inclusion split the half back unit of Haydn Tanner
Haydn Tanner
Haydn Tanner was a Welsh international rugby union player who also played for the British and Irish Lions and the Barbarians....
and Willie Davies
Willie Davies
Willie Davies was a Welsh international dual-code rugby fly half who played rugby union for Swansea and rugby league for Bradford Northern. He won six caps for the Wales rugby union team and nine caps for the Wales rugby league side...
who had been key in Swansea's
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. The team is sometimes known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip...
victory over the All Blacks three months previous. In a tight game, which saw Wales's Don Tarr
Don Tarr
Donald "Don" James Tarr was a Welsh international hooker who played club rugby for Swansea and Cardiff, county rugby for Hampshire and invitational rugby for the Barbarians...
leave the field with a broken neck, Jones finished on the winning team as the All Blacks lost 12-13. In 1936 Jones played in all three games of the Home Nations Championship which saw Wales raise the trophy, scoring his second and final international try, again against Scotland. He missed the entirety of the 1937 tournament as he was suffering from a broken collar bone.
In 1938 Jones was selected to captain Wales for all three Championship games. The first game was against England in which Wales and Jones in particular were impressive in a 14-8 win. Wales may well have taken the title, after also beating Ireland, but were denied a win when Scotland were awarded a penalty two minutes before time when an unconscious Welsh player was deemed to be lying purposefully on the ball. Scotland successfully converted the penalty to win 8-6. Jones finished his Wales career captaining his team and narrowly missing the Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
.
International matches played for Wales
Wales 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938 1935 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938Later life
Jones remained in rugby after he retired from playing. He became a national selector and was central in devising coaching policies for the Welsh Rugby UnionWelsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
as Chairman of the WRU Coaching Sub-Committee. In the 1980-1981 season, Jones became President of the WRU in their centenary year.
Jones would later receive an OBE for his services to the sport of rugby and in 1991 was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
The Welsh Sports Hall of Fame is a charitable organization created to commemorate the sporting achievements and preserve the artifacts of Welsh athletes. It was established in 1980 from the memorabilia collection of Welsh radio announcer G. V. Wynne-Jones...
. He died on November 27, 1990.