Michael Lampkowski
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mike" Stanley Lampkowski (born 4 January 1953 (age 59) in Scunthorpe
) is an English
former rugby union
and professional rugby league
footballer of the 1970s and '80s who at representative level has played rugby union (RU) for England
, and at club level for Headingley, playing at Scrum-half, i.e. number 9, and at club level has played rugby league (RL) for Wakefield Trinity
, playing at , i.e. number 7.
, in England
's 23-6 victory over Australia
at Twickenham
, London
on 3 January 1976.
see List of England national rugby union team - Results 1976. He played three further rugby union internationals, in the 1976 Five Nations Championship
against Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
’s 3-12 defeat to Widnes
in the 1978–79 Challenge Cup
final at Wembley Stadium on 5 May 1979.
-fibre ligament - a technique which was developed in Japan by Dr. Keiō who came to Harrogate to perform the operation on Mike after being referred by the Club specialist Mr. John Anderson who was based at Middlesbrough General Hospital and who had already performed the operation on another Trinity Player with success. Such was the interest that Dr. Graeme Garden
- aka one of 'The Goodies' - presented a series of programmes on new medical techniques and Mike was one of his guests and discussed the procedure on BBC Television
. Without the operation it was almost certain that Mike's playing career would have been ended, but he came back and played again with success. Since that time a number of other players of various sports have benefitted - particularly using the fibre ligament on troublesome shoulders where the original tissue stretches too much and often springs the shoulder bone out of it's socket. In that respect Michael's guts and contribution has been invaluable
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
) is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
former rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and professional rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer of the 1970s and '80s who at representative level has played rugby union (RU) for England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
, and at club level for Headingley, playing at Scrum-half, i.e. number 9, and at club level has played rugby league (RL) for Wakefield Trinity
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
, playing at , i.e. number 7.
International honours
Mike Lampkowski made his international rugby union début, and scored a tryTry
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
, in England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
's 23-6 victory over Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 3 January 1976.
see List of England national rugby union team - Results 1976. He played three further rugby union internationals, in the 1976 Five Nations Championship
1976 Five Nations Championship
The 1976 Five Nations Championship was the forty-seventh series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the eighty-second series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
against Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
Challenge Cup final appearances
Mike Lampkowski played /, i.e. number 7 in Wakefield TrinityWakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
’s 3-12 defeat to Widnes
Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
in the 1978–79 Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final at Wembley Stadium on 5 May 1979.
Medical Procedures
Mike Lampkowski was recognised as one of the hardest and bravest players ever to don a Trinity shirt and, after an accident was one of the first players to undergo surgery to replace his knee ligament with a dacronPolyethylene terephthalate
Polyethylene terephthalate , commonly abbreviated PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P, is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination...
-fibre ligament - a technique which was developed in Japan by Dr. Keiō who came to Harrogate to perform the operation on Mike after being referred by the Club specialist Mr. John Anderson who was based at Middlesbrough General Hospital and who had already performed the operation on another Trinity Player with success. Such was the interest that Dr. Graeme Garden
Graeme Garden
David Graeme Garden OBE is a Scottish author, actor, comedian, artist and television presenter, who first became known as a member of The Goodies.-Early life and beginnings in comedy:...
- aka one of 'The Goodies' - presented a series of programmes on new medical techniques and Mike was one of his guests and discussed the procedure on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
. Without the operation it was almost certain that Mike's playing career would have been ended, but he came back and played again with success. Since that time a number of other players of various sports have benefitted - particularly using the fibre ligament on troublesome shoulders where the original tissue stretches too much and often springs the shoulder bone out of it's socket. In that respect Michael's guts and contribution has been invaluable