Cliff Richards (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
William Clifford 'Cliff' Richards (28 March 1901 – 13 February 1964) was a Welsh
international rugby union
wing who played club rugby for Pontypool
and Swansea
and represented Wales
at international level. Richards was a coal miner by trade, and worked in the pits all his adult life. In 1964, while working at the Navigation Colliery in Crumlin, he was killed in an underground accident
.
. Under the captaincy of Tom Parker
, Wales were convincing winners over a far more experienced England, running in eight tries
, of which Richards scored one. The 1922 Wales Championship team, captained by Tom Parker
, was noted for its stability, with only two changes throughout the entire campaign. Richards played in all four matches, though was initially dropped for the final match of the tournament against France. The selectors had originally chosen Frank Palmer and Harold Davies
, but switched to Richards and Islwyn Evans
, just minutes before kick-off, as they believed they would be better suited to the harder French sun-baked pitch. At the end of the Championship, Wales won three games and drew the match against Scotland, lifting the tournament as out-right winners.
Richards played one final game for Wales, when he faced Ireland at the Cardiff Arms Park
, in the third Welsh match of the 1924 Five Nations Championship
. Although Richards scored the second try of his international career, Wales still lost the game and Richards wasn't selected for Wales again.
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...
wing who played club rugby for Pontypool
Pontypool RFC
Pontypool Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in the town of Pontypool. Pontypool RFC has a long history within Welsh rugby and is one of the most notable clubs, being present at the formation of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881, but disbanding before the turn of the 19th century...
and Swansea
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...
and represented Wales
Wales 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...
at international level. Richards was a coal miner by trade, and worked in the pits all his adult life. In 1964, while working at the Navigation Colliery in Crumlin, he was killed in an underground accident
Mining accident
A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals.Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially in the processes of coal mining and hard rock mining...
.
Rugby career
Richards was first capped for Wales while playing first class rugby for Pontypool. His first international game was against England in the opening Welsh match of the 1922 Five Nations Championship1922 Five Nations Championship
The 1922 Five Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the thirty-fifth series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
. Under the captaincy of Tom Parker
Tom Parker (rugby player)
Tom Parker was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Swansea. Parker made his debut for Swansea in 1913 and captained his club in the 1920/21 season Parker would play 15 times for Wales, seven of them as captain...
, Wales were convincing winners over a far more experienced England, running in eight tries
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...
, of which Richards scored one. The 1922 Wales Championship team, captained by Tom Parker
Tom Parker (rugby player)
Tom Parker was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Swansea. Parker made his debut for Swansea in 1913 and captained his club in the 1920/21 season Parker would play 15 times for Wales, seven of them as captain...
, was noted for its stability, with only two changes throughout the entire campaign. Richards played in all four matches, though was initially dropped for the final match of the tournament against France. The selectors had originally chosen Frank Palmer and Harold Davies
Harold Davies (rugby player)
Harold Davies was a Welsh rugby union player who represented Wales and the British Lions. Davies played club rugby for Newport and captained the team in the 1925/26 season.-Rugby career:...
, but switched to Richards and Islwyn Evans
Islwyn Evans
Haydn Islwyn Evans was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby union for Swansea and Llanelli. Evans was capped four times for Wales, all during the 1922 Five Nations Championship.-Rugby career:...
, just minutes before kick-off, as they believed they would be better suited to the harder French sun-baked pitch. At the end of the Championship, Wales won three games and drew the match against Scotland, lifting the tournament as out-right winners.
Richards played one final game for Wales, when he faced Ireland at the 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...
, in the third Welsh match of the 1924 Five Nations Championship
1924 Five Nations Championship
The 1924 Five Nations Championship was the tenth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the thirty-seventh series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
. Although Richards scored the second try of his international career, Wales still lost the game and Richards wasn't selected for Wales again.