Maurice Colclough

Maurice Colclough

Birth name	Maurice John Colclough
Date of birth	2 September 1953
Place of birth	Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
Date of death	27 January 2006(2006-01-27) (aged 52)
Height	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Weight	112 kg (247 lb)
School	Duke of York's Royal Military School
University	University of Liverpool
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) Liverpool RFC () Angoulême () Wasps () Swansea () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1978–1986 England 25 (4) 1980–1983 British & Irish Lions 8 (0)

Maurice John Colclough (2 September 1953 – 27 January 2006) was an England international rugby union player. He was selected for the 1980 British Lions tour to South Africa and the 1983 British Lions tour to New Zealand, playing in all four internationals each tour. He was a member of the England team that won the Grand Slam in 1980. At the time he played club rugby for Angoulême; he also played for Wasps RFC and Swansea RFC.

Early life

Maurice Colclough was born on 2 September 1953 in Oxford. He attended the Duke of York's Royal Military School and was its 1st XV Rugby captain in 1971, then England Schools Senior Shot Put champion in 1972. He is regarded as one of the most famous alumni of the school. He later attended the University of Liverpool and also went on to play for Liverpool St Helens.

Rugby union career

Having played for Liverpool RFC, Colclough went on to become one of the first Englishmen to play in France; he ended up captaining Angoulême, and also later played for Wasps RFC and Swansea RFC. He made his international debut on 4 March 1978 at Murrayfield in the Scotland vs England match, and his final match for England on 15 March 1986 at Parc des Princes in the France versus England match. Of the 33 matches he played for England, he was on the winning side on 17 occasions. Colclough was a member of the England team that won the Grand Slam in 1980. He was selected for the 1980 British Lions tour to South Africa and the 1983 British Lions tour to New Zealand, playing in all four internationals each tour. In 1983, he scored a try for England against New Zealand at Twickenham.

He also played for a World XV on 9 August 1980 against Argentina in Buenos Aires, losing 36–22.

Later life

Colclough retired from rugby in 1986. After a long battle against a brain tumour, he died on 27 January 2006.

References

• The Independent Online obituary by Chris Hewett, 28 January 2006