Clifton Davies (12 December 1919 – 28 January 1967) was a Welsh international

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who played club rugby for

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

and invitational rugby for the

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. He won 16 caps for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and was selected to play in the British Lions on the 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand. Davies was a short, tough prop forward, who was also known within rugby circles for his cheery demeanor and baritone singing voice.Smith (1979), p. 321.

Rugby career

Davies began his rugby career with local club

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before moving to

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge ...

. After the war, Davies was persuaded to join first tier club, Cardiff, by Jack Matthews and joined the Blues in the 1945/46 season.Thomas (1979), p. 111. Davies made his international debut for Wales during the

1947 Five Nations Championship The 1947 Five Nations Championship was the eighteenth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-third series of the northern hemisphere rugby u ...

, when he was selected to face Scotland at

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. Under the captaincy of

Haydn Tanner Haydn Tanner (9 January 1917 – 5 June 2009) was a Wales, Welsh international rugby union player who represented both Wales national rugby union team, Wales and the British and Irish Lions. At club level he played for several top-flight teams, i ...

, Wales beat the Scottish team convincingly and Davies secured his position in the team for the rest of the season. In his second game for Wales, Davies was involved in a memorable match against France at Stade Colombes. In a bruising encounter, Davies bit the ear of French prop Jean Princlary in the scrum, after the Frenchman's continual harassment of Billy Gore, the Welsh hooker.Thomas (1979), p. 112. The Welsh team were happy to win the game by a single drop goal. During the 1947/48 season, Davies was part of one of the strongest Cardiff teams in the club's history. Out of 41 games, Cardiff lost just two, to

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and

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, and also beat the touring Australians. Davies was also picked to face the Australians for Wales, which saw the Welsh team win through two penalty goals from Bill Tamplin. Davies played for all four matches of the

1948 Five Nations Championship The 1948 Five Nations Championship was the nineteenth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-fourth series of the northern hemisphere rugby ...

, though after a draw against England and a win over Scotland, Davies experienced his first international loss when Wales were beaten by both France and Ireland. The 1949 season was a poor one for Davies, as he was picked for only one game of the

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in another loss to the French. 1950 was a far better year for Davies, which cemented his position as one of the truly great Welsh props. Davies played in all four of the 1950 Championship which saw Wales win their first

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since 1911. The Welsh pack included two inexperienced players, David Davies and John Robins, and it was Cliff who steadied the Welsh pack, allowing his hooker to win key possession in the scrums. In the opening game against England, Davies also scored his only international points, finishing off a Lewis John run to score a try at

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to give Wales the victory. That year he was chosen for the British Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand, and although playing in only one test, he was a popular character who kept up team morale. Davies' played in the first three opening games of the 1951 Championship, but was dropped after a draw against Ireland at the

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. Davies then faced his final major touring team, when he was part of the Cardiff team that faced the touring

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team. It was a close match which Cardiff lost 11–9. Davies played particularly well in the front row, but when he turned up from working down the mine he was unshaven and used his stubble against the South African prop, Jaap Bekker in the scrum. After rubbing the side of Bekker's face raw, Bekker warned Davies to stop, or he would bite him. Davies did not stop, and Bekker responded by biting a piece out of Davies' ear which caused a heavy bleed. Davies retired from first class rugby in 1952.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), p. 464. * 1947 * 1948, 1950, 1951 * 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950 * 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951 * 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951 British Lions * 1950 (4th Test)

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Cliff 1919 births 1967 deaths Barbarian F.C. players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales Cardiff RFC players Kenfig Hill RFC players Rugby union players from Kenfig Hill Rugby union props Welsh miners Welsh rugby union players