Name Phil Ford | Role Rugby player | |
Phil Ford is a Welsh professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, and 1990s, who played at representative level for Great Britain and Wales, and at club level for Warrington, Wigan, Bradford Northern, Leeds, and Salford, as a fullback, Wing, or centre, i.e. number 1, 2 or 5, or 3 or 4.
His brother Steve Ford was a Wales national rugby union team footballer, who was suspended for a period for having played a rugby league trial with Leeds. His nephew is Wales rugby league international Lloyd White.
Ford inititally played rugby union in Wales at club level for Cardiff RFC, and Rumney RFC. He signed professional from Welsh Rugby Union with English rugby league club Warrington and commenced playing for them in 1981. Ford was selected to go on the 1988 Great Britain Lions tour. He was a member of the Great Britain team that won the third Ashes Test in Australia. It was their first win against the Kanagaroos since the second Test at Odsal in 1978. Ford played on the wing for Bradford in the 1987 Yorkshire Cup Final re-play, which they won. He was selected for the Wales national team to compete in the 1995 World Cup. Ford was nicknamed The Rubber Man due to his elusive running style. Following his rugby league career, he returned to live in Cardiff and played for Rumney RFC.
County Cup final appearances
Phil Ford played right wing, i.e. number 2, in Bradford Northern's 12-12 draw with Castleford in the 1987 Yorkshire County Cup Final during the 1987–88 season at Headingley, Leeds on Saturday 17 October 1987, and played right wing in the 11-2 victory over Castleford in the 1987 Yorkshire County Cup Final replay during the 1987–88 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 31 October 1987.