Mike Rafter

Last updated

Mike Rafter
Date of birth (1952-03-31) 31 March 1952 (age 69)
Place of birth Bristol, England
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1972–1984 Bristol ()
National team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1977–1981 England 17 (0)

Mike Rafter (born 31 March 1952) is a rugby union coach and former Bristol and England flanker.

Contents

Bristol career

After having initially been an association football player (going on trial at Bristol City Football Club as a 14-year-old), Rafter became a rugby union convert as a pupil at St Brendan's College and signed up for Bristol, making his debut in 1973 against Exeter. He went on to become captain of the Bristol team, and led them to their historic cup victory over Leicester in the 1982–83 season. [1]

England career

Rafter made his England debut in 1977 in the 26-6 victory over Scotland at Twickenham. He was a member of the Grand Slam-winning side of 1980, and competed in his last England international in 1981, against Argentina in Buenos Aires, to finish his international career with 17 caps. [2]

Related Research Articles

Martin Corry (rugby union) British Lions & England international rugby union player

Martin Edward Corry MBE is a retired English rugby union player who represented and captained England and Leicester Tigers in a career spanning 14 seasons. Corry played 64 times for England between 1997 and 2007, played 7 tests for the British & Irish Lions on tours in 2001 & 2005, and played 290 times for Leicester between 1997 and 2009. Earlier in his career he played top division rugby for Newcastle Gosforth and Bristol. A versatile player his principal positions were number eight and blindside flanker, he also played lock more as his career progressed.

Mark Cueto British Lions & England international rugby union footballers

Mark John Cueto is a former English international rugby union player. He played on the wing for Sale Sharks and England. He is currently the second leading try scorer in the Aviva Premiership.

Mark Regan MBE is an English former rugby union player. Nicknamed 'Ronnie', he played as a hooker for Bristol, Bath, Leeds Tykes as well as England and the British and Irish Lions.

Bristol Bears English rugby union football club

Bristol Bears are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.

Andrew David Farrell, is the coach of the Ireland national rugby team and a former coach for the England national rugby team and former rugby league and rugby union player. He is the head coach for Ireland following the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He is the father of England rugby union player Owen Farrell.

Felipe Contepomi Argentine rugby coach

Felipe Contepomi is an Argentine rugby coach who is currently the backs coach at Leinster Rugby. He was a rugby union footballer who played fly-half or centre; his last club was Club Newman, in the first division of the URBA championship. He was also a key player for Argentina, having played 15 years for the national team. His twin brother Manuel was also a Puma. In June 2015 he was appointed coach of Argentina XV. Contepomi was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in November 2017.

Stuart Barnes British Lions & England international rugby union footballer

Stuart Barnes is a former English rugby union footballer, and now rugby commentator for Sky Sports. Barnes played fly-half for Newport RFC, Bristol, Bath; and represented England at international level.

Shontayne Hape England rugby union & NZ international rugby league player

Shontayne Edward Hape is a former professional rugby footballer, a dual-code rugby international. He played rugby union at centre for Montpellier, London Irish, Bath and England. He played rugby league for the Bradford Bulls in the Super League and the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League. Hape represented New Zealand at international level rugby league by being selected for both the junior and senior squads, including the 2006 Tri-Nations New Zealand squad. His usual position is centre. He was forced to retire in 2013 after suffering several serious concussions, which left him with decreased brain function.

Jordan Crane (rugby union) England international rugby union player

Jordan Stephen Crane is a former professional rugby union player, who recently played for Bristol Bears in the Premiership Rugby. Crane has also played internationally for England.

Paul Hodgson is an English former rugby union player and coach.

Mike Brown (rugby union) England international rugby union player Nickname- The Stamper

Mike Brown is an English professional rugby union player who plays fullback or wing for Newcastle Falcons and the England rugby team. Brown joined the Harlequins senior team in 2005, having had previous youth career spells at Salisbury and Melksham, and began playing for the England first team two years later. In 2021 Brown joined Newcastle Falcons.

Jonathan Webb Rugby player

Jonathan Mark Webb is a specialist knee surgeon and former English rugby union fullback. Webb played for the England national team from 1987 to 1993, reaching the 1991 World Cup Final and winning two Five Nations grand slam titles. Since retiring from sport in 1993, he has focused on his career in orthopaedic surgery and has treated a number of professional rugby players and athletes. His father was the noted paediatrician John Webb.

Dave Attwood Rugby player

Dave Attwood is a rugby union player who plays at Lock for Bristol Bears in the Aviva Premiership. He has been described as a "big traditional tight-head lock, a master of the set piece, indeed arguably the best scrummaging second row in the country".

Thretton Palamo American rugby union player

Thretton Palamo is an American rugby union player who plays centre for Old Glory DC of Major League Rugby (MLR).

In 1979 an England rugby union touring team toured Japan, Fiji and Tonga. The tourists won all their seven matches, scoring 270 points and conceding only 93. Only the first international against Japan was close, with Japan leading 19–15 going into injury time – a converted try by Peter Squires allowed England to win the match.

Thomas White was an English rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s and 1910s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for Somerset, at armed services level for the Army, and at club level for Bath (captain) and Bristol as a goal-kicking half-back, i.e. number 9 (scrum-half) or 10 (fly-half/outside-half), and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain, England and Lancashire, and at club level for Oldham, as a goal-kicking wing, stand-off, or scrum-half, i.e. number 2 or 5, 6, or 7.

George Ford (rugby union) England international rugby union footballer

George Thomas Ford is an English professional rugby union player who plays at fly-half for Leicester Tigers and England. Ford made his debut for Leicester in 2009 and between 2013–2017 played for Bath, before re-joining Leicester. Ford made his England debut in 2014, was selected for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and started the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final. He won a Premiership Rugby title in 2013 for Leicester, and was a finalist for Bath in 2015.

Semi Radradra Fiji international dual-code rugby footballer

Semi Radradra Turagasoli Waqavatu is a Fijian professional rugby union and rugby league footballer. He currently plays rugby union for the English club Bristol Bears and the Fiji national team. Nicknamed 'Semi Trailer', Radradra has played primarily as a wing in both codes.

Kyle Sinckler English rugby union player

Kyle Sinckler is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a tighthead prop for Premiership club Bristol Bears and the English national team. He has previously played for Harlequins, Richmond and Ealing Trailfinders.

Ellis Genge is an English rugby union player for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby who made his international debut for England in 2016. His position is prop. Genge played 26 times for Bristol between 2013–2016. He is known for his aggressive ball carrying.

References

  1. Mike Rafter, bristolrugby.co.uk, archived from the original on 29 May 2010
  2. Mike Rafter, rugby-heroes.net