Clifford Isaac Morgan

Clifford Isaac Morgan

Clifford Isaac Morgan was born in Trebanog on 7 April 1930 and played his club rugby for Cardiff and, briefly, Bective Rangers. A great favourite with the Barbarians, he starred in 17 games between 1951 and 1958 and captained the side on six occasions. An automatic choice for the big matches, he achieved the unique record of playing at fly-half against South Africa in 1952 and New Zealand in 1954 (both with his Cardiff half-back partner, Rex Willis [q.v.]), and then as captain in the victory against Australia in 1958. He also went on the Baa-Baas' first two overseas tours to Canada in 1957 and South Africa the following year. It was on the latter trip that he played his last first-class match, appropriately for the Barbarians against East Africa in Nairobi on 28 May 1958. He then retired at the age of 28, already a legend in the game as a member of the Cardiff team that beat the All Blacks in 1953, a British Lion in 14 matches, including four tests, leading them to triumph in the third test in Pretoria, in South Africa in 1955, and 29 caps for Wales. Cliff Morgan died on 28 August 2013, aged 83.