RugbyRebels

Very sad news. Poor guy.

https://www.quins.co.uk/news/100-cap-qu ... gh-injury/


Battling through two major shoulder surgeries following a dislocation while playing for Harlequins in his 100th game for the Club, the 27-year-old brings to an end a career that saw the impressive young flanker lead the England U20 side to a Junior Rugby Championship title in 2013, going on to earn ten senior England caps and playing in two of the national side’s three-match series white wash in Australia in 2016, all in addition to a fourteen-year relationship with the Club, having first linked up with Harlequins at 13.

On confirming his retirement, Clifford said: “I am absolutely gutted to be have to call time on my career at a relatively early stage. I have been at Quins since I was 13 years old and made so many good friends here. It has been an absolute pleasure training and playing with the lads each week and I will miss this environment greatly. I feel proud to have reached 100 appearances for Quins and it is ironic that the injury was sustained in my 100th game!”

This comes as no surprise but I am gutted for him.

As you say, it's been coming, but it is such a shame.

Puja

Thats really disappointing news.
Always very sad when a player has to retire early, and particularly so when that player showed such potential.

It's a shame he never got the shot at the career he wanted, it also seems something of a relief he's not going out to get broken again

Ah bollocks.

What a shame, but sadly it seemed like only a matter of time. I guess if he wasn't able to get himself right in this off-period it's possible he never would have.

A huge shame. He had the skills and attitude to be a top player but his body wasn’t up to it.

Really sad to see him retire at just 27. Had more to give, particularly internationally. Shame.

I’m not sure he did have that much more to give internationally.

If he’d not got injured a few years back, I think he certainly would have played more in the period where were really lacking in back row talent. Maybe that’s what you meant?

It’s very different now though and we’re genuinely spoilt for choice. Even if he’d been a regular in the squad, I don’t think he would have been able to keep the likes of Curry and Underhill at bay.

Losing Clifford, Kunatani and Robshaw (soon), leaves us very light in the back row.

Who knows what he could’ve become had he had 3 or 4 seasons without a serious injury. All academic now really.

Mellsblue wrote:All academic now really.

Does one grade on the potential or the delivery? Or just through it into a Cummings approved algorithm for any old piece of nonsense?

Digby wrote:

Mellsblue wrote:All academic now really.

Does one grade on the potential or the delivery? Or just through it into a Cummings approved algorithm for any old piece of nonsense?

As it turns out, the algorithm says that Jack Clifford played for Moseley 3rd XV and no higher.

Puja

Very sad to here this. Clifford pre-injury was just the sort of pacy forward that could have added some much needed attacking flair to complement the more defence focussed qualities of the current England flankers. Ben Earl and Lewis Ludlum are the nearest thing we’ve got to this in current England group of backrow forwards imo.

Clifford pace yes, injured bad.

As wages start to be cut down, I think we'll see more players taking this choice sooner, as the cost benefit starts to tip into "not worth the damage" territory.

Puja wrote:

Digby wrote:

Mellsblue wrote:All academic now really.

Does one grade on the potential or the delivery? Or just through it into a Cummings approved algorithm for any old piece of nonsense?

As it turns out, the algorithm says that Jack Clifford played for Moseley 3rd XV and no higher.

Puja

We let the coaches decide, obvs. Half of the players in the Prem are now world class.

Mellsblue wrote:

Puja wrote:

Digby wrote:
Does one grade on the potential or the delivery? Or just through it into a Cummings approved algorithm for any old piece of nonsense?

As it turns out, the algorithm says that Jack Clifford played for Moseley 3rd XV and no higher.

Puja

We let the coaches decide, obvs. Half of the players in the Prem are now world class.

Who wanted everyone to be above the average?

jngf wrote:Very sad to here this. Clifford pre-injury was just the sort of pacy forward that could have added some much needed attacking flair to complement the more defence focussed qualities of the current England flankers. Ben Earl and Lewis Ludlum are the nearest thing we’ve got to this in current England group of backrow forwards imo.

Yeah Tom Curry and Billy are all about the D.

Banquo wrote:

jngf wrote:Very sad to here this. Clifford pre-injury was just the sort of pacy forward that could have added some much needed attacking flair to complement the more defence focussed qualities of the current England flankers. Ben Earl and Lewis Ludlum are the nearest thing we’ve got to this in current England group of backrow forwards imo.

Yeah Tom Curry and Billy are all about the D.

Billy does do a good Meghan Trainor

The article with Charlie Morgan is good.

Beyond that horrendous music, I found it interesting in that highlights video just how small he looked in the age grade clips. I don't know how much was gym and how much was genetics but he had a pretty enormous upper body by the end of his career. Never been quite clear on whether building that kind of muscle if supposed to help or hinder regarding injuries.

To be fair, you could probably say that about a lot of the age-grade forwards.

In Clifford’s case, I think he bulked up a bit more when he started to lose a bit of gas and was adapting to play a tighter game.

Scrumhead wrote:To be fair, you could probably say that about a lot of the age-grade forwards.

In Clifford’s case, I think he bulked up a bit more when he started to lose a bit of gas and was adapting to play a tighter game.

Also, he never looked bulky. He seems quite well proportioned