Ray Cale
Dies age 83
Ray Cale, one of the heroes of the 1950 Wales Grand Slam side, has died at the age of 83.
A dual international, he joined St Helens rugby league club less than two months after helping Wales end a 39-year wait for the Grand Slam.
Born in Usk on 18 July, 1922, the back-row forward learned his rugby at Ebbw Vale and Newbridge.
Cale won the first of his seven Welsh rugby union caps in the win over England at Cardiff Arms Park in 1949.
He played in three of the four championship matches that season while with Newbridge, before switching to Pontypool the following season.
A devastating tackler, he became one of the mainstays of a Wales pack that remained unchanged throughout the 1950 campaign as a team led by John Gwilliam moved from wooden spoonists to Grand Slammers.
The following season Cale made the first of his 128 appearances in the 13-a-side code for St Helens.
His robust style was ideally suited to rugby league and he added four Wales caps in league to his seven union Test appearances.
His career came to an end midway through the 1953/54 season.
