Slemen, seen here against Wales in 1979, won 31 caps for England and played in the 1980 grand-slam sideMike Slemen, one of the great wings of England’s 1980 grand-slam team, has died aged 69. “Slem” was a supremely talented player who was, at the time of his last international game in 1984, England’s most capped wing. His 31 caps were all on the flank, though team-mates would attest that he was a good enough footballer to have graced other positions in the backs. He came into the game in an era when a wing would often be starved of possession. However, that England team of 1980 knew the talent that they possessed out wide in Slemen and his fellow wing, John Carleton, neither of whom were just out-and-out speed merchants.

Source: The Times July 21, 2020 23:03 UTC