Billy Cleaver

Who was Billy Cleaver?

William 'Billy' Cleaver was a Welsh international fly-half who played club rugby for Cardiff. He won 14 caps for Wales and was selected to play in the British Lions on the 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand. He was part of the Welsh team that won the 1950 Grand Slam.

Born in 1921 in Treorchy, Rhondda, Cleaver was an exciting attacking player with a shrewd change of pace. After one terrible game, under heavy weather conditions against Scotland, Cleaver gained the nickname 'Billy Kick'; though this was a harsh moniker considering his normally style of play. Cleaver was a coal miner by trade and spent most of his life within the industry, though in a managerial role for much of his later career. He was also a keen patron of the arts and was the secretary of the Contemporary Arts Society for Wales and from 1980-83 was the vice chairman of the Welsh Arts Council.