Fran Cotton

Edward Francis " Fran" Cotton ( born January 3, 1947 in Wigan) is a former English rugby union player. He played as a pillar for the English national team, the British and Irish Lions and the Sale Sharks.

Cotton In 1971, his debut for England against Scotland. Three years later he was first considered for a tour of the Lions. He came in all four Tests against South Africa for use. The Lions lost a single game during this tour. 1977 traveled the selection to New Zealand and he was again part of the squad. Especially a photo from the game against the Junior All Blacks went down in history. It shows Cottons face full of mud, a symbol of the very difficult conditions during the tour of New Zealand.

Cotton should also play again in 1980 for the Lions, pericarditis, however, prevented this. He could only be used in four games ahead of the Test series. First, it was assumed even if he had suffered a heart attack. 1997 however, he returned to the ranks of the Lions, this time as team manager of the successful tour to South Africa. Since end of his career he is together with his team-mate Steve Smith, the company Cotton Traders.