Cliff Morgan
| Full name | Clifford Isaac Morgan | ||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 7 April 1930 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Trebanog, Rhondda, Wales | ||||||||||||
| Date of death | 29 August 2013 (aged 83) | ||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||||||||||||
| School | Tonyrefail Grammar School | ||||||||||||
| University | Cardiff University | ||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||
| Playing career | |||||||||||||
| Position | fly-half | ||||||||||||
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| Amateur clubs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Years | Club / team | ||
| 1949–1958 1955–1956 1950–1958 |
Cardiff RFC Bective Rangers Barbarians |
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| National team(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Years | Club / team | Apps | (points) |
| 1951–1958 1955 |
Wales British Lions |
29 4 |
(9) (3) |
Clifford Isaac "Cliff" Morgan CVO, OBE (7 April 1930 – 29 August 2013) was a Welsh rugby union player who played for Cardiff RFC and earned 29 caps for Wales between 1951 and 1958. After his playing career ended, Morgan made a successful career in broadcasting, both as a commentator and presenter and also as a programme-maker and BBC executive.
Morgan, born in Trebanog in the Rhondda valley, was from a mining family and joined Cardiff Rugby Club straight from Tonyrefail Grammar 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. The following year he inspired both Cardiff and Wales to historic victories over the touring All Blacks. In 1956, following his success on the 1955 British Lions tour to South Africa, he was made captain of Wales. During that tour, in which the Test series was drawn 2–2, Morgan distinguished himself for his marshalling of 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 then world-record crowd 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.
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