Cliff Morgan - Rugby Career

Rugby Career

Morgan was from a mining family and joined Cardiff Rugby Club straight from school in 1949, playing at fly-half. Blessed with natural balance and strength, together with an astute line-kicking ability and searing acceleration, he quickly made an impact. He also played club rugby in Ireland for Bective Rangers in the 1955-56 season, with the club being dubbed the "Morgan Rangers" as a result. He won his first cap for Wales against Ireland in 1951, playing opposite his own hero Jack Kyle. He was part of the Grand Slam winning Welsh side of 1952 and was made captain of Wales in 1956 in the light of his success on the legendary 1955 British Lions tour to South Africa. During that tour, which ended in 2-2 drawn Test series, it was the mercurial Morgan who emerged as the general who marshalled a talented Lions backline that included Jeff Butterfield and Arthur Smith in the centre, with Cecil Pedlow and Tony O'Reilly on the wings. Morgan’s try in the first Test at Ellis Park, in front of a world-record crowd (then) of 100,000, helped secure a sensational 23-22 victory at the end of a match that some still consider the most exciting ever played. The Springboks levelled the series in the second Test. Then, with Lions skipper Robin Thompson injured ahead of the third Test in Pretoria, Morgan was made captain and duly inspired his team and controlled the game to ensure a 9-6 win that meant the series could not be lost. The South African newspapers dubbed him “Morgan the Magnificent” and the level to which his influence was thought key was reflected in the frenzy of coverage his injured ankle received as the fourth test came around. Although he played, he was not fully fit and the Lions could not prevent the Springboks squaring the series. But his reputation was already made and the memory of that tour proved long-lived. His last game of first-class rugby was for the Barbarians on the 28th May 1958 at the RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, versus East Africa.