Clive Rowlands, 85, former Wales rugby captain and coach, dies.
Clive Rowlands, a former rugby captain and coach for Wales, passed away at the age of 85. At the age of 29, he called it quits as a player, and in 1971, as coach, he led the team to its first Grand Slam victory in the previous 19 years.
LONDON:
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) confirmed on Sunday that Clive Rowlands, a former Wales captain and coach, had passed away at the age of 85.
Rowlands, a scrum-half known by the moniker “Top Cat,” led Wales as they shared the 1964 Five Nations championship with Scotland while playing in all 14 of his international matches between 1963 and 1965.
At the age of 29, he decided to stop playing, and in 1971, as a coach, he led the team to its first Grand Slam in 19 years.
Rowlands led Wales to third place at the 1987 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. He also led the British and Irish Lions on their successful 1989 tour of Australia.
In the same year, he was elected president of the Welsh Rugby Union.
In the 1990s, Rowlands, a teacher in his early years, fought intestinal cancer and childhood TB.
According to a statement from the WRU, “The Welsh Rugby Union sends the most sincere condolences from everyone connected with the game in Wales to Clive’s family and friends and thanks him for his immense contribution to our game.”
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