I’ve been so caught up in Arnoldgate the past few weeks that I neglected to mention the recent passing of Billy Rice, one of the original Australian tourists (they were Socceroos in all but name) on this country’s inaugural World Cup campaign in 1965.
Rice (pictured with the 1965 team in Cairns, sixth from left, back row), a centre-half, was from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and played for the Footscray Capri (later JUST) club in Melbourne over 14 seasons and over 500 matches. He played seven times for his country and retired from all forms of football in 1972, making his last appearance in the green and gold against Greece in a friendly in Melbourne 1969.
Famously, though, he was heavily involved in that ill-fated tour of Cambodia and the Far East, which unfortunately for the Tiko Jelisavcic-coached Australians resulted in 6-1 and 3-1 hidings from
the same North Korean side that would go on to shock the world a year later.
In fact, Rice was one of the few players that came out of the two-match World Cup tie in suffocatingly tropical Phnom Penh with his reputation enhanced. But, crucially, not for his football. Rather his spirit.
As I write in my book, 15 Days in June: “In the second game, with five goals against and their chances of qualification as good as dead, the Australians could have opted to surrender meekly and be slaughtered by the Koreans, but they gave it their all, refusing to countenance defeat until the final whistle. Bodies were literally exhausted in the pursuit of a face-saving result.”
None more so than Rice. With much of the squad hampered with gastric problems from the local food and water, he too succumbed with stomach cramps halfway through the game with the score locked at 1-1 but played on right till the end. Substitutions weren’t permitted. The ornery Jelisavcic, however, wasn’t exactly overflowing with gratitude.
John Watkiss explained: “Everybody gave everything they had in that game. It was very hot, very humid, very draining and Billy collapsed after the game. A couple of the guys picked him up and carried him off on their shoulders to the side of the pitch, and Tiko’s reaction was to stand up and say, ‘Let the bastard walk!’ Some of the players flew into him then and he lost all respect from the players after that.”
In his wonderful labour of love Australian Soccer Records, Sid Grant called Rice “a wise captain as well as a grand stopper … [he] won fame as an efficient pivot”.
He stopped playing before I was born but I love the stories about Rice from that tour. In many ways, like some wounded digger on the Western Front, he was the progenitor of the sometimes maligned but intrinsic football myth of the Aussie “fighting spirit”, where stamina and pluck is placed on a pedestal over skill and ability.
Perhaps he never wanted to be remembered for that match, few of his teammates from 1965 do, but like I write in 15 Days, on the turf in Phnom Penh’s Stade Olympique, which is still standing against all the odds, “lie the tread marks of Billy Rice and the ’65 Socceroos. Here, in this forgotten field in South-East Asia, not Germany, is the true place where the legend of the Socceroos was born.”
Which makes Billy Rice, in my view, one of the most historically important figures in the Australian game.
Godspeed, friend.
Hans van der Poel
Guest
Jesse, i was a young person who saw Billy Rice playing for J.U.S.T. and can remember him being a great player.His slide tackles,his rolled up shorts and his speedy interceptions always stuck have stuck in my mind.He was always happy to greet a young fan.Fondly remembered. Regards Hans
Andre Krueger
Guest
Its always hard, not only for the families, also for the fans when they see that the old players moved from this planet. If you love the history of your country, than you will love the old Australian player, players like Billy for example. They gave everything - for no money, they take holidays to travel to the games, they lost jobs because they are far and long away from home and they had done it for the one and only reason – PRIDE – they are proud to be Australians, and that’s why I love them too …. And I am german. Andre
Kylie Rice
Guest
Dear Jesse, I was really moved to read your post on my Dad, Billy Rice. I don't think I have ever appreciated the football legend that Dad was. However, his many personal qualities made him a legend as well. He is sadly missed but lovingly remembered. Regards Kylie Rice
Ted Smith
Guest
Jesse , Thanks for placing this information before all of the football fans out there. Billy was a 1 Club Man who went from being a Quick Left winger with Footscray Capri to be a Great Competitor as Centrehalf With Footscray JUST when the 'merged' with his original club . He also served the Victorian team over 20 times against the touring Overseas Club Teams and also the Interstate matches we had in the Sixties against NSW & Qld in particular . Extremely strong in the air & in the tackle with the advantage of being Left footed - and was the example of what we hold dear , competitive but fair on the field ,friendly when off the field.As one of the many who attended his Funeral it was a revelation that he had after retirement spent many years counselling the disadvantaged including Homeless & Addicts & later provided Pastoral care to inmates at a Victorian prison .He has left his mark &will have a continuing effect in the community which is a great comfort to those who were fortunate to meet & compete &news to those who do not appreciate the contributions of many to our Game & the community.
Koala Bear
Guest
Jesse, I remember that tour of the Socceroos with no film footage and little written in the Australian press. One really had to search the papers to get any sort to written reports in those days such as the negativity, that surrounded the sport, which led to Johnny Warren's book "Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters". Two of the major players of that team, John Watkiss and Johnny Warren, both played for the Earlwood Wanders junior Soccer Club (NSW) the same club I played for as a kid.. I didn't know Billy Rice too well as a player, as in those days we only had state leagues and a lot of those interstate players were not known to us in NSW and I supposed viceversa.. Even so many of us thought at the time it was a formality that the Socceroos would win through the campaign to go on to the 1966 World Cup in England.. We all thought as many of my friends felt as well, that Asian Football would be little opposition to over come.. How Wrong We Were... Of course it has been well documented now, that the Nth Koreans went on with such surprising heroics. SBS not so long ago did a Doco of the Nth Koreans in the 1966 England world cup ... To lose to that Nth Korean team was certainly no disgrace.. ~~~~~~~~ KB
Cpaaa
Guest
sounds like the perfect read for the next Fink book. ill pre-order my copy now thanks. God Bless Billy Rice i only wish i knew him better
JohnB
Guest
Well, that's disappointing Ben! Seems like I hadn't played at the same field after all. I do remember Larry saying it was the "old stadium" (as well as it being the Olympic Stadium) - didn't realise the newer one was also the (or perhaps an) Olympic Stadium. Would you say the 64 model was more notable architecturally?
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
Hi guys, two different stadiums. I think the ones that Andrew & Larry had you playing at JohnB was the original Olympic Stadium which is now Army Stadium (or Stad Cha -"Old Stadium") which was built during the reign of the French. The newer stadium, also Olympic Stadium, was built in 1964. An interesting piece of history is that the 1966 World Cup qualifier was played there as North Korea had no diplomatic relations with practically anyone at the time, Cambodia being an exception. To make it fair King Sihanouk decreed that half the crowd should cheer for North Korea and the other half for Australia! Indeed Yoo Kee-heung has been dismissed as national coach and has been replaced by Prak Sovannara who was the u-17 coach. As to the direction of Cambodian football, well that is a discussion for another day.
JohnB
Guest
Jesse, I lived in Laos for a few year, and only visited Cambodia occasionally so others will be able to comment with much more authority. I had a fair bit of contact with the blokes developing rugby there, who did/are doing a terrific job (on a shoestring) giving school kids the opportunity to play sport. I understand that soccer there is riven with corruption with big licks of FIFA money going anywhere but into developing soccer (think Zimbabwe cricket) - but that's second, third or fourth hand bar talk which should be treated cautiously. You unqualified coach comment does sound about right though. I think someone told me at some stage that there's a much better stadium in PP than the old Stade Olympique - but again that's second hand. I have to say, I wouldn't remotely describe the Stade Olympique as an "awe-inspiring piece of architecture" and find it a bit hard to believe it ever was!
Jesse Fink
Guest
John B, interesting to hear you played there. Actually, in 1965 the Stade Olympique was only a year old. A bit from the book: "The Stade Olympique, the same arena where Tiko Jelisavcic’s Australians trained their hearts out in the muggy heat of a tropical November night and saw nine goals scored against them, still stands today. Then it was just a year old, an awe-inspiring piece of architecture, a marvel even to the first-world Australians. Now it is a decaying shell, its electricity and sewerage systems so inadequate that Cambodia lost its right to host the 2004 Tiger Cup over the issue. But it’s in good enough condition to be used by [then Cambodia coach the Australian Scott] O’Donell and his struggling Cambodia team. They have little choice in the matter. It’s the only decent ground in the country." O'Donell now works for the AFC in Kuala Lumpur, the last I heard, and the new Cambodia coach was just sacked for not having an AFC coaching licence. As Ben says, Cambodian football never really kicked on after 1965. Whether it is recovering is a moot point. Seems to be in freefall.
JohnB
Guest
As a largely irrelevant aside, I played in a rugby tournament at the "Olympic Stadium" in Phnom Penh about 4 years ago. Mouldering relic of a place by then (and probably not much better in 1965), like any building more than a few years old in that city. Crumbling concrete stand on one side, banks on the others, hard dry and dusty soccer field in the middle (we played in May - just before the wet season starts. Possibly a fraction hotter than in June - mind you, if you want oppressive, play footy in Hanoi in May). I think a grass running track around it - might be imagining that. We older codgers attempted to get away with telling some of our younger teammates that it earned the title "Olympic" as it had hosted the 1934 games (although my guess is it would have been built in the 50's). Very interesting to read that there's some real history associated with it.
Kazama
Guest
Thank you Jesse for this piece on the passing of a football legend that otherwise probably would have gone over my ill-informed head. Well done.
Salvation
Guest
Thanks for some good old fashioned football journalism, Jesse. Ahh, 15 days...a top read!! And remarking to some pre-crawford historonics, if you want to know the history of the game, seek out the writers, or players themselves. To give the then administration stick for a personal lack of knowledge is only half the issue. As a country we just weren't overly prolific in archiving and presenting material. And the current times is still left wanting a decent impetus from FFA. Rale Rasic has done probably more for carrying the torch, off his own steam!!
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
Good piece, Jesse. Sadly the days of Cambodian football took something of a turn for the worse not long after that tour and the country's football is only just beginning to recover.
midfielder
Guest
What a pity that the efforts of our national team pre Crawford are so little known. Makes me even madder at those running the game pre Crawford how poorly there management was. As an aside and to show how poorly general football knowledge was; when I first started work in the early seventies a bloke who knew my Dad worked at the same place and for about a month he drove me to work each day as my car was off the road. We often talked about rugby league as I played at a semi professional level. The bloke had played for the Socceroos and we spoke little of football he was in his late 50's or 60's at the time. I am so ashamed as his name even escapes me, but his face and car and humor of that month are still with me, I had no respect for football but could talk at great length the courage of a souths or manly player in a tackle. Who is to blame as I was a typical young bloke of my times ........ the pre Crawford mamangement ------stories like this and my respecting football so little as to travel to work each day with a Socceroo (not called Socceroo then BTW Dad said he was an international soccer player) and not even care about football. So glad we have Obe One now and I hope one day as football grows our past history does come out and is respected.
Millster
Guest
There are times when a column emerges from the here-and-now and adds a gem of history and context to our appreciation of the game, something that makes us all the richer for knowing. Thanks Jesse.
Bill McIlroy
Guest
Like Billy Rice I also hale from Belfast N.Ireland.i have been a follower of soccer in Australia for almost 30 years and untill I read this story I had no idea about the 65 Socceroos.Thank you Jesse for a wonderfull insight to a bygone era.
Spiro Zavos
Expert
Jesse, Thanks for a wonderful evocation of an era that is being lost in time but which needs to be remembered. I always think that the best of sport is to see your game as a sort of long-lasting community of saints, all those players and lovers of the game who have passed on, all those who are passionate about it now and the millions to come who will carry on the spirit and history of the game. The story of the 1965 Socceroos seems to be one of those epics of Australian history where defeat revealed the true character of the players even more than victory might of. Do the current players know this history? If they don't they should.