Cliff Watson
Encyclopedia
Clifford H. Watson is a former rugby league
footballer of the 1960s and '70s. He played for the St. Helens rugby football club in the English Rugby Football League Championship and later the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership
in Australia. His position of choice while playing was at prop-forward. Along with hardman Ken Gee
and legendary captain Alan Prescott
, he remains one of the best Great Britain frontrowers ever.
Watson originally played amateur rugby union
in England for Dudley
Kingswinford
in the West Midlands
competition before answering a St. Helens club advertisement for "top class Rugby Union forwards". A trial was arranged and in 1960 he was signed to the club for £750 initially and then a further £750 after he had completed six first grade games for the club. However his career first started to gain momentum after the 1961 Rugby League Challenge Cup
final against Wigan
; in front of 95,000 fans Watson's defence was instrumental in helping his club gain a 12-6 victory over their rivals and helped keep Cliff a permanent fixture in the team line-up for the next ten years.
After playing out eleven seasons for St. Helens, Watson moved to Australia and signed on to the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks with fellow Great Britain
and St. Helens team mate Tommy Bishop
. In his three seasons at the club Watson made an impact in leading a young and inexperienced pack of forwards always by example. His presence along with that of Bishop undoubtedly helped the young Cronulla club to its maiden grand-final in 1973.
Watson also went on to represent Great Britain on thirty occasions becoming known for his physical, tough and all-round fearless style of play. He played for the British between 1963 and 1970 often striking fear into opponents. He retired from first grade and international rugby league altogether after the 1973 season.
family in Central London
on the 26th April 1940; he grew up playing both codes of rugby
but slowly began to steer himself toward the amateur game of the day in rugby union
. At the early age of seventeen Watson trialled for Dudley Kingswinford rugby union football club where he was quickly signed and placed into the first team at second-row, quickly displaying his natural ability by cementing a regular place in the squad at such a young age.
His career continued to grow in stature when within a year of signing for Dudley Kingswinford, Watson was selected for his first representative role with the Worcestershire and Herefordshire Combined Counties side and playing on several occasions in a new role of prop-forward.
At the end of the 1959 season Watson decided on a switch of codes after wanting to forge a career in rugby league. After viewing an advertisement listed in the Sporting Chronicle by St. Helens offering trials for 'top class Rugby Union forwards', Watson replied offering his services to the club and outlining his statistics and credentials he had accomplished in rugby union. St. Helens quickly replied and a trial was organised for 2 August after which Watson was signed to a six game contract worth fifteen hundred pounds.
club on 15 August 1960 playing at prop-forward in what turned out to be a loss to local rivals Liverpool City
at home. However he quickly adjusted to the new game, slowly establishing himself and garnering a reputation as a tough, resilient and hard working player amongst fellow professionals and spectators alike something which never did never change throughout his career.
Watson played out the six matches as per terms on his original contract and quickly re-signed for the club establishing himself further with each passing game played. After a mere eleven competitive matches for his new club Watson shot to fame in the 1961 Rugby League Challenge Cup
Final against Wigan
at Wembley
with his quick thinking and often vital defence; although it took Watson a further seven matches to garner his maiden first grade point against Barrow on 23 September 1961.
After the Challenge Cup final Watson became a regular first team member of the Saints side of the 1960s. Watson tasted further success in 1961 with a Charity Cup victory in 1961 and a Lancashire Cup
final victory over Swinton
.
His career continued to flourish for St. Helens during the rest of the 1960s being first selected for Great Britain in 1963 and winning a further three consecutive Lancashire Cup
finals in 1962, 1964 and 1967; the Western division Championship in 1963; the Gallie Cup in 1964, 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1970; the Championship trophy in 1966 and a further Challenge Cup in 1966.
Watson played his 373rd and last match for St. Helens in England on 7 May 1971 against Leeds
before being enticed to sign with newly formed Australian club the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks by ex-team mate and present Sharks player/coach Tommy Bishop
.
competition with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, the now international veteran immediately assumed the role of leader in a young and inexperienced forward pack.
Slowly but surely his lead by example attitude and influence took effect. After success had passed the Sharks by for the 1971 and 1972 seasons, hard work paid off in 1973 with the team making their maiden Grand final appearance. Watson toiled long and hard throughout the length of the match but premiership success was to elude him at the Sharks.
At the beginning of the 1974 competition, Watson did not come to terms with the financially struggling club and decided to play in the lower grades, seeing out the remainder of his career with Wollongong Souths in the Illawarra competition.
In 1979, he returned to Sydney to coach the North Sydney Bears reserve grade team.
test match (on Jim "Pogo" Morgan
). Watson holds the dubious record of being the only British player to be sent off twice against Australia.
Watson featured in another three British tours in 1966, 1967 and 1970. A made a sole World Cup
appearance in 1970.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer of the 1960s and '70s. He played for the St. Helens rugby football club in the English Rugby Football League Championship and later the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership
New South Wales Rugby League premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League from 1908 until 1994, the premiership was the state's and later the country's elite rugby league competition...
in Australia. His position of choice while playing was at prop-forward. Along with hardman Ken Gee
Ken Gee
Kenneth Gee was an English rugby league footballer of the 1930s, '40s and 50s, who at representaive level played for Great Britain winning 17-caps between 1946 and 1951, England winning 18-caps between 1943 and 1951, and Lancashire, and at club level for Wigan, playing at , i.e...
and legendary captain Alan Prescott
Alan Prescott
G. Alan Prescott was an English rugby league footballer and coach of the 1940s, '50s and '60s, playing initially at , and then later at , or /. In 404 matches for St. Helens. Prescott scored 31 tries for a total of 93 points...
, he remains one of the best Great Britain frontrowers ever.
Watson originally played amateur 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...
in England for Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
Kingswinford
Kingswinford
Kingswinford is a suburban area in the West Midlands.Historically within Staffordshire, the area is mentioned in the Domesday Book its name relates to a ford for the King's swine - Latin Swinford Regis. The current significance is probably in tourism, education and housing...
in the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
competition before answering a St. Helens club advertisement for "top class Rugby Union forwards". A trial was arranged and in 1960 he was signed to the club for £750 initially and then a further £750 after he had completed six first grade games for the club. However his career first started to gain momentum after the 1961 Rugby League Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final against Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
; in front of 95,000 fans Watson's defence was instrumental in helping his club gain a 12-6 victory over their rivals and helped keep Cliff a permanent fixture in the team line-up for the next ten years.
After playing out eleven seasons for St. Helens, Watson moved to Australia and signed on to the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks with fellow Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and St. Helens team mate Tommy Bishop
Tommy Bishop
Tommy Bishop is an English former rugby league footballer and coach of the 1960s and 70s. He played for St. Helens in the English Rugby Football League Championship and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
. In his three seasons at the club Watson made an impact in leading a young and inexperienced pack of forwards always by example. His presence along with that of Bishop undoubtedly helped the young Cronulla club to its maiden grand-final in 1973.
Watson also went on to represent Great Britain on thirty occasions becoming known for his physical, tough and all-round fearless style of play. He played for the British between 1963 and 1970 often striking fear into opponents. He retired from first grade and international rugby league altogether after the 1973 season.
Childhood and early career
Clifford Watson was born into a working classWorking class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
family in Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
on the 26th April 1940; he grew up playing both codes of rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
but slowly began to steer himself toward the amateur game of the day in 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...
. At the early age of seventeen Watson trialled for Dudley Kingswinford rugby union football club where he was quickly signed and placed into the first team at second-row, quickly displaying his natural ability by cementing a regular place in the squad at such a young age.
His career continued to grow in stature when within a year of signing for Dudley Kingswinford, Watson was selected for his first representative role with the Worcestershire and Herefordshire Combined Counties side and playing on several occasions in a new role of prop-forward.
At the end of the 1959 season Watson decided on a switch of codes after wanting to forge a career in rugby league. After viewing an advertisement listed in the Sporting Chronicle by St. Helens offering trials for 'top class Rugby Union forwards', Watson replied offering his services to the club and outlining his statistics and credentials he had accomplished in rugby union. St. Helens quickly replied and a trial was organised for 2 August after which Watson was signed to a six game contract worth fifteen hundred pounds.
St. Helens
He made his debut for the LancashireLancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
club on 15 August 1960 playing at prop-forward in what turned out to be a loss to local rivals Liverpool City
Liverpool City (rugby league)
Liverpool City was a semi-professional rugby league club from the city of Liverpool in England.-The first Liverpool City - 1906-1907:A professional club first emerged in Liverpool, called Liverpool City in 1906, playing at the Stanley Athletics Ground. They hold an unwanted record in the...
at home. However he quickly adjusted to the new game, slowly establishing himself and garnering a reputation as a tough, resilient and hard working player amongst fellow professionals and spectators alike something which never did never change throughout his career.
Watson played out the six matches as per terms on his original contract and quickly re-signed for the club establishing himself further with each passing game played. After a mere eleven competitive matches for his new club Watson shot to fame in the 1961 Rugby League Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
Final against Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
at Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
with his quick thinking and often vital defence; although it took Watson a further seven matches to garner his maiden first grade point against Barrow on 23 September 1961.
After the Challenge Cup final Watson became a regular first team member of the Saints side of the 1960s. Watson tasted further success in 1961 with a Charity Cup victory in 1961 and a Lancashire Cup
Rugby league county cups
Historically, British rugby league clubs competed for the Lancashire Cup and the Yorkshire Cup, known collectively as the county cups. The leading rugby clubs in Yorkshire had played in a cup competition for several years prior to the schism of 1895...
final victory over Swinton
Swinton Lions
Swinton Lions is an English professional rugby league club from Swinton, Greater Manchester. The club has won the Championship six times and three Challenge Cups. They currently play in the Championship.-Early years:...
.
His career continued to flourish for St. Helens during the rest of the 1960s being first selected for Great Britain in 1963 and winning a further three consecutive Lancashire Cup
Rugby league county cups
Historically, British rugby league clubs competed for the Lancashire Cup and the Yorkshire Cup, known collectively as the county cups. The leading rugby clubs in Yorkshire had played in a cup competition for several years prior to the schism of 1895...
finals in 1962, 1964 and 1967; the Western division Championship in 1963; the Gallie Cup in 1964, 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1970; the Championship trophy in 1966 and a further Challenge Cup in 1966.
Watson played his 373rd and last match for St. Helens in England on 7 May 1971 against Leeds
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
before being enticed to sign with newly formed Australian club the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks by ex-team mate and present Sharks player/coach Tommy Bishop
Tommy Bishop
Tommy Bishop is an English former rugby league footballer and coach of the 1960s and 70s. He played for St. Helens in the English Rugby Football League Championship and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
After making his way to the New South Wales Rugby LeagueNew South Wales Rugby League
The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
competition with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, the now international veteran immediately assumed the role of leader in a young and inexperienced forward pack.
Slowly but surely his lead by example attitude and influence took effect. After success had passed the Sharks by for the 1971 and 1972 seasons, hard work paid off in 1973 with the team making their maiden Grand final appearance. Watson toiled long and hard throughout the length of the match but premiership success was to elude him at the Sharks.
At the beginning of the 1974 competition, Watson did not come to terms with the financially struggling club and decided to play in the lower grades, seeing out the remainder of his career with Wollongong Souths in the Illawarra competition.
In 1979, he returned to Sydney to coach the North Sydney Bears reserve grade team.
Great Britain
Cliff made his international debut against the touring Australian Kangaroo side in 1963 and immediately struck fear into the hearts of all the touring players with his rugged, aggressive and often unpredictable style of play. This was seen on more than one occasion such as when he introduced the Australian players and viewing public to the infamous Glasgow kiss in a BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
test match (on Jim "Pogo" Morgan
Jim Morgan
Jim Morgan was an Australian rugby league footballer of the 1960s and 70s. He played at prop forward in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and later the Eastern Suburbs Roosters, and also represented Australia.Hailing from Maitland, Morgan first...
). Watson holds the dubious record of being the only British player to be sent off twice against Australia.
Watson featured in another three British tours in 1966, 1967 and 1970. A made a sole World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
appearance in 1970.
Point scoring summary
| Games | Tries | Goals | F/G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 412 | 66 | - | - | 264 |
Matches played
| Team | Matches | Years |
|---|---|---|
| St. Helens | 373 | 1960–1971 |
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 39 | 1971–1973 |
| Great Britain | 30 | 1963–1970 |
Quotations
"There is only one way to beat the Australians, You have got to get in there and thump them. If you let them run at you, they'll annihilate you. It's always been the same; if you belt them, they don't like it." (Cliff Watson, on how to defeat the Australian rugby league side.)
"I never wore a mouthgard... hated them... too uncomfortable and, besides, you couldn't abuse the referee."
"I came here to play football, not run in a bloody Melbourne Cup." (Watson responding to Tommy BishopTommy BishopTommy Bishop is an English former rugby league footballer and coach of the 1960s and 70s. He played for St. Helens in the English Rugby Football League Championship and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
's training methods.)
"It's all right... it's all right. They're not playing yet." (Watson's response to Tommy Bishop as to why he wasn't warming up before the 1973 Grand Final.)
"I've had 12 broken noses, two broken jaws, five broken arms, four rib cartilages, four broken ribs..." (Watson reminiscing about his old footballing injuries.)
"Can you wait while I whip up and tell the wife I won't be home for tea." (Watson after breaking his jaw and then completing the first half against Penrith in round 2, 1972 just before leaving the ground for the hospital.)