Phil Clarke
Encyclopedia
Phil Clarke is an English rugby league
football commentator and former professional player of the 1980s and 90s. A Great Britain
and England
international representative loose forward, he spent his club career with Wigan
, as well as a stint in Australia with the Sydney Roosters
.
Phil Clarke is the son of the Great Britain, and Wigan, of the 1960s and '70s, and the Wigan coach of the 1980s, Colin Clarke
.
During the 1991–92 Rugby Football League season, he played for defending champions Wigan at loose forward in their 1991 World Club Challenge
victory against the visiting Penrith Panthers
. Clarke was selected to go on the 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand. he played at loose forward in Great Britain's win over Australia in Melbourne.
During the 1992–93 Rugby Football League season Clarke played at loose firward for defending RFL champions Wigan in the 1992 World Club Challenge
against the visiting Brisbane Broncos
.
After the 1993–94 Rugby Football League season Clarke travelled with defending champions Wigan
to Brisbane, playing at loose forward in their 1994 World Club Challenge
victory over Australian premiers, the Brisbane Broncos
.
Phil Clarke represented England
at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup
. He became the first player to win England
caps whilst at the Sydney City Roosters
. Adrian Morley
later became the first player to win Great Britain
caps whilst at the Sydney Roosters
. Clarke's playing career was cut short when he suffered a broken neck in his only season with Sydney. Although he made a full recovery, he was warned by doctors never to play Rugby League again.
Phil Clarke is now a Sky Sports
Rugby League
pundit. He began working with Sky television in 1999 alongside Bill Arthur on Academy matches but nowadays he can be seen working with Eddie Hemmings
and Mike "Stevo" Stephenson
on Sky Sports
Super League
broadcasts and is respected for his in depth analysis of games and regularly "knocks sense" into colleague Mike Stephenson.
In March 2006 he quit his job as Great Britain team manager after five years, having become part of the GB set-up in 2001. His reasons for leaving were the "lack of leadership and direction" for the Great Britain team, and the lack of improvement in competitiveness against international opponents; adding that "Despite what's been said by the RFL
and certain parts of the media, we're no closer now than we were 15 years ago."
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...
football commentator and former professional player of the 1980s and 90s. A Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
and England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
international representative loose forward, he spent his club career with Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
, as well as a stint in Australia with the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
.
Phil Clarke is the son of the Great Britain, and Wigan, of the 1960s and '70s, and the Wigan coach of the 1980s, Colin Clarke
Colin Clarke (rugby league)
Colin Clarke is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1960s and '70s, and coach of the 1980s who at representative level has played for Great Britain, and at club level for Wigan, playing at , i.e. number 9, during the era of contested scrums, and at club level has coached...
.
During the 1991–92 Rugby Football League season, he played for defending champions Wigan at loose forward in their 1991 World Club Challenge
1991 World Club Challenge
The 1991 World Club Challenge was contested by 1990–91 RFL Championship winners, Wigan and 1991 NSWRL season premiers, the Penrith Panthers. The match was played on a dry Wednesday the 2nd of October, 1991 at Anfield, Liverpool...
victory against the visiting Penrith Panthers
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
. Clarke was selected to go on the 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand. he played at loose forward in Great Britain's win over Australia in Melbourne.
During the 1992–93 Rugby Football League season Clarke played at loose firward for defending RFL champions Wigan in the 1992 World Club Challenge
1992 World Club Challenge
The 1992 World Club Challenge match was contested by the 1991–92 Rugby Football League season champions Wigan and the 1992 NSWRL season's premiers, the Brisbane Broncos...
against the visiting Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
.
After the 1993–94 Rugby Football League season Clarke travelled with defending champions Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
to Brisbane, playing at loose forward in their 1994 World Club Challenge
1994 World Club Challenge
The 1994 MMI World Club Challenge was a replay of the 1992 World Club Challenge, with 1993–94 Rugby Football League season champions Wigan facing the 1993 NSWRL season premiers, the Brisbane Broncos, this time in Australia. Wigan were clearly the dominant club in the English game, having won the...
victory over Australian premiers, the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
.
Phil Clarke represented England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup
1995 Rugby League World Cup
The 1995 Rugby League World Cup was held during October in the United Kingdom. It was the eleventh staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was marketed as the Halifax Centenary World Cup, reflecting the tournament's sponsorship and the fact that 1995 marked the 100th birthday of the sport...
. He became the first player to win England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
caps whilst at the Sydney City Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
. Adrian Morley
Adrian Morley
Adrian Morley is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves of Europe's Super League...
later became the first player to win Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
caps whilst at the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
. Clarke's playing career was cut short when he suffered a broken neck in his only season with Sydney. Although he made a full recovery, he was warned by doctors never to play Rugby League again.
Phil Clarke is now a Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
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...
pundit. He began working with Sky television in 1999 alongside Bill Arthur on Academy matches but nowadays he can be seen working with Eddie Hemmings
Eddie Hemmings (rugby league)
Eddie Leslie Bruce Hemmings presents Sky Sports rugby league coverage, and is also the channel's main commentator for the sport. Hailing from Warrington, Cheshire, England, Hemmings is usually partnered by the idiosyncratic co-commentator Mike Stephenson....
and Mike "Stevo" Stephenson
Mike Stephenson
Michael "Mike" Stephenson, also commonly known as Stevo, is an English Rugby League World Cup winning Rugby League, and presenter/commentator on British satellite television channel Sky Sports who also represented Great Britain in the sport.Stevo, the nickname that he is commonly known as on TV...
on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
broadcasts and is respected for his in depth analysis of games and regularly "knocks sense" into colleague Mike Stephenson.
In March 2006 he quit his job as Great Britain team manager after five years, having become part of the GB set-up in 2001. His reasons for leaving were the "lack of leadership and direction" for the Great Britain team, and the lack of improvement in competitiveness against international opponents; adding that "Despite what's been said by the RFL
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
and certain parts of the media, we're no closer now than we were 15 years ago."
External links
- Phil Clarke Wigan Playing Career Page on the Wigan RL Fansite.
- Rugby League's Generation Game