Simon Clarke in action for England against France in the Five Nations
The big occasions never bothered Simon Clarke, the former Cambridge University and England scrum half, who died at the age of 79 on 12 October.
The former Wellington College product, who entered Downing College in 1960, received rave reviews for his part in the Light Blues victory in his first Varsity Match at Twickenham in December, 1962. That fine performance, along with three good England trials that season, earned him an international debut at Cardiff Arms Park at the end of January, 1963.
Once again his terrier-like qualities, along with his long pass and great box-kicking technique, earned him some rave reviews in The Times:
Oxford 0 – 14 Cambridge, 1962
“. . . Clarke was able to share with Allan, at full back, the honour of being outstanding in the team. Clarke has a terrier-like quality which showed up often also in defence at awkward moments. When he scored his team’s second try, almost on no-side, he sealed a capital day’s work.”
Wales 6 – England 13, 1963
“Behind them Clarke, in his first match, did well by his partner, Sharp, and Sharp, in his first captaincy, scored seven of his side’s 13 points . . .”
Clarke was one of seven new caps in the England side, six of them in the pack. He had his fellow Downing College undergraduate, Nick Drake-Lee, in the side to keep him company, along with four other old Blues in James Roberts on the wing, Bev Dovey in the front row, John Owen in the second row and Dick Manley in the back row.
More worryingly, he had two of his 1962 Light Blue team mates, the uncompromising duo of lock Brian Thomas and No 8 Roger Michaelson, opposing him in the Welsh pack. They did their best to try to get to grips with him, but on a day when temperatures reached -6 degrees centigrade and on a frozen pitch, the little scrum half was far too tricky for them to catch.
He played throughout the 1963 Five Nations Championship, which saw England unbeaten with three wins and a draw against Ireland as they took the title, and then went on tour to New Zealand and Australia with England. By the time he played in the 1963 Varsity Match he had seven caps to his credit and added an eighth when England met the All Blacks again at Twickenham in January, 1964.
He made a fifth and final appearance against the All Blacks – three for England and one for Cambridge – when he faced them with the Barbarians in Cardiff in February, 1964. That was one of 10 games he played for the Baa-Baas between 1962-66.
He made four more appearances for England, two each in the 1964 and 1965 Five Nations campaigns. He ended with a record of four wins and three draws in his 13 Tests, although three of his defeats came against New Zealand and there was another against Australia in Sydney
Born in Westcliff-on-Sea, in Essex on 2 April, 1938, Simon John Scott Clarke was an excellent all-round sportsman he not only played international rugby, but also first-class cricket. From Wellington College he played for Southern Schools v The Rest at Lord’s.
He went on to play for the Royal Navy while serving in the Royal Marines, the Combined Services and the Kent 2nd XI. He also made six appearances for the Cambridge University 1st XI in 1961 and 1962 alongside future England captains Tony Lewis and Mike Brearley.
He followed another future England scrum half, Trevor Wintle, into the Cambridge side at the Varsity Match and also played for the university against the 1963 All Blacks at Grange Road in a 20-6 defeat. That came before his second and final Varsity Match, which saw him partner the great Mike Gibson at half-back.
Once again The Times were glowing in their tribute to Clarke and his young outside half, who went on to become one of the greatest players to play for Ireland and the British & Irish Lions:
Oxford 11 – 19 Cambridge, 1963
Gibson and Clarke Chief Architects of Cambridge Victory
“Although Gibson was Cambridge’s key man, Clarke, his partner, deserved immense credit, especially in the first-half, when, with his clever kicking – a nagging little five yards gained her and 10 yards there – he often kept Oxford’s flailing forwards at bay almost on his own. In the second half, in spite of a head damaged by boot when he appeared to be lying on the ground clear of the immediate scene of action, which after the match required five stitches, he gave an exhibition of his capacity for keeping on keeping on, He has courage in inverse ratio to his size and he never gives up.”
After leaving Cambridge he went on to play rugby for Blackheath, Bath, Yokohama in Japan and Sussex. He worked in sales and marketing.