Arthur Clark (rugby union)
| Date of birth | 19 December 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Oxford, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 120 kg (18 st 13 lb; 260 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Arthur Clark (born 19 December 2001) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for Premiership Rugby club Gloucester.
Early life
[edit]His family own a farm at Todenham in the Cotswolds. He studied agricultural farming at Hartpury College. He played junior rugby with Stow-on-the-Wold, before joining the Gloucester academy. He was called up for the England U18s, although the COVID-19 pandemic forced the games to be cancelled.[2]
Club career
[edit]Playing for Gloucester, Clark made a try scoring first-team Premiership Rugby debut in a win over Worcester Warriors in September 2022. He proceeded to start against Bath Rugby a week later.[3]
Clark captained Gloucester in the Premiership Rugby Cup at the start of the 2023–24 season and later in that competition came off the bench as they defeated Leicester Tigers in the final to lift the trophy.[4][5] Clark had made 19 appearances in total for the club prior to signing for Harlequins on a short-term loan in January 2024.[6] After making one appearance for Quins he returned to Gloucester and started in the 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium which saw them defeated by Sharks to finish runners up.[7] He signed a contract extension with Gloucester in January 2025.[8]
International career
[edit]Clark played for the England U20 side in all five of their games during the 2021 Six Nations Under 20s Championship as they completed a junior grand slam at Cardiff Arms Park.[9][10]
In February 2024 Clark was called-up to train with the England A squad.[11] Later that year in November 2024 he started in a victory over Australia A.[12][13]
In January 2025, following an injury to Alex Coles, he was called-up to the senior England squad ahead of the opening game of their 2025 Six Nations Championship against Ireland.[14]
Personal life
[edit]His father Barry Clark was also a rugby union player who played for Gloucester in the 1980s.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ "Arthur Clark". All.Rugby. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ Relf, Tim (13 October 2020). "Ag student reaches rugby big-time". Farmers Weekly. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ Jaycock, Ben (23 October 2022). "Young guns: Gloucester lock Arthur Clark". Therugbypaper. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ Evely, John (17 January 2024). "Gloucester Rugby forward joins Gallagher Premiership rivals on short-term loan". Gloucestershirelive.co.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ Hurcom, Sophie (15 March 2024). "Premiership Rugby Cup final: Gloucester 23-13 Leicester: Gloucester clinch first trophy in nine years". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ Raisey, Josh (17 January 2024). "Harlequins sign Gloucester lock Arthur Clark as emergency injury cover". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ Hurcom, Sophie (24 May 2024). "Sharks overpower Gloucester to win Challenge Cup". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ Raisey, Josh (22 January 2025). "Arthur Clark caps England call-up with contract extension". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Ellis, Adam (25 July 2021). "Young Guns: Gloucester lock Arthur Clark". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "England complete Under 20 Grand Slam after Italy win". England Rugby. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ Westerby, John (15 February 2024). "Steve Borthwick uses England A squad to capture dual-qualified players". The Times. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Thomas, Martyn (12 November 2024). "Will Muir among players added to England A squad but club-mate ruled out". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ Telfer, Alastair (17 November 2024). "Murley scores twice as England A beat Australia A". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ Hamilton, Tom (21 January 2025). "Six Nations: England facing injury crisis before Ireland clash". ESPN. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Arthur Clark ultimate rugby". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 18 January 2024.