Clive Sullivan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clive Sullivan (born in Cardiff) was a Welsh rugby league player, who played with both Hull FC and Hull Kingston Rovers in his career. He was the first black captain of the Great Britain Lions and for any national British sporting side.

Whilst growing up in the Splott district of Cardiff as a young teenager, he required operations on his knees, feet and shoulders. Due to the extent of these operations, a rugby career seemed unlikely. Clive never gave up however, he overcame his early childhood trauma by being granted a trial by Bradford Northern Rugby League Club at the age of just 17. Bradford however, passed on the young winger.

Rugby league club Hull, had different ideas about Clive and gave the young man, who boasted phenomenal speed, a chance to play rugby league. In his debut for Hull, Clive had an outstanding game and gained the support of the Hull club and city. Clive became known for his exceptional speed and the way he would outplay rugby league's finest opposition wingers. His upper-body was deceptively strong which gave him excellent cover defence. Despite his knees which haunted his childhood requiring constant attention and further operations, he played a total of 352 games for Hull, scoring 250 tries. In his 213 games for Hull K.R. he scored 118 tries.

His international career took him to great heights having made his debut for Great Britain in 1967. The following year he played three World Cup matches, grabbing a hat-trick against New Zealand. In 1969, he toured Australasia, but only participated in one game due to injury. He however won a further three test caps against New Zealand in 1971. In 1972 he was handed the captaincy of Great Britain and played two tests against France. The World Cup took place that same year, and he captained Great Britain to become world champions. He scored a try in each of Great Britain's four games. Clive scored possibly the most famous try in the history of the World Cup to level 10-10 against Australia in the final, after a length of the field run.

In 1973 his Great Britain career came to an end with three tests against Australia. The 1975 World Cup saw Clive lead Wales in all four matches, scoring a try in the defeat of England in the second game for the Welsh team. Wales ended up finishing 3rd in the five-team World Cup.

When Clive died in 1985 aged just 42, the city of Hull held him in such high regard that the main road to the Humber Bridge was named Clive Sullivan Way.

Clive still holds two records for Hull which are: Most tries in a career (250) and most tries in a match (7) against Doncaster on 15 April 1968.

Clive represented Great Britain 17 times and appeared at three World Cups, 1968 and 1972 with Great Britain and in 1975 for Wales.

His son, Anthony Sullivan, went on to have a distinguished career with Hull Kingston Rovers and St Helens.

[edit] External links

• Clive Sullivan - Hull KR, biography of his Hull KR years, by sporthull.co.uk
• Clive Sullivan - Hull FC, biography, by sporthull.co.uk