Super Rugby’s Cheetahs from South Africa play the Brumbies in Canberra this Saturday. It’s a long-forgotten fact, though, that 75 years ago a visit by South Africans to our federal capital was the catalyst for the re-birth of rugby in the Australian Capital Territory.
The 1937 Springboks, captained by Philip Nel, are revered in South African and international rugby history.
They defeated the Wallabies in two Tests at the Sydney Cricket Ground, before travelling across the Tasman Sea to confront the All Blacks.
The tourists recovered from a first Test loss to win the next two games and thus become the first – and still the only – Springboks side to achieve a Test series victory on New Zealand soil.
In their time in Australia the Springboks have done much to invigorate the ongoing revival of rugby across the country. In addition to the games against the Wallabies, they have played (and defeated) Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Newcastle, Orange, Toowoomba, Queensland Reds and an Australian XV (in Brisbane).
The South Africans’ only loss came via the New South Wales Waratahs in a dramatic 17-6 upset result. Played under torrential rain in Sydney the afternoon of the ‘Downing of the Boks’ came to be regarded by generations of NSW rugby fans as the state team’s greatest ever victory (an event that will be paid tribute to when the 2012 Waratahs host Super Rugby’s Bulls at the Sydney Football Stadium in Rd 12).
That this Waratah triumph remained venerated for so long is a measure of the high standing of the South African team at this time. A newspaper columnist wrote of the tour that the “Springboks provided a dazzling exhibition of penetrative power of match-winning backs, combined with the irresistible force of a pack of giant forwards who are finished footballers to their finger-tips”. The writer added that it was “an amazing display of co-ordination, faultless handling, and generally superlative rugby football.”
These Springboks impressed not merely because of their rugby superiority, but the manner in which they conducted themselves on and off the field. After the second Test win over the Wallabies, the Australian parliament issued an invitation to the Springboks management to have the team visit Canberra to attend a dinner to be given in their honour. The South Africans accepted.
Canberra in 1937 was finally emerging as a city and community in its own right. Formed just before World War One as a compromise location for Australia’s parliament and government offices (to placate Sydney and Melbourne political and social rivalries), Canberra was more construction workers and building sites in the 1920s than urban living (Parliament House, for example, wasn’t opened until 1927).
The Springboks were to play in Canberra against the Duntroon Military College’s XV, but the match fell through due to an outbreak of German measles amongst the cadets. The ‘College’ had taken up rugby in 1911, meeting teams from neighbouring NSW towns (including Queanbeyan) as well as sides formed by construction workers and public servants (the Federal City Club at Duntroon and ‘Survey Camp’ team in Canberra itself).
The history of rugby in the southern tablelands region of New South Wales (including the area that would become the ACT) stretches back into the 19th century. Despite the distance and having to travel by horse-drawn rigs or steam train through icy cold winters rugby teams from Hall, Braidwood, Bugendore, Queanbeyan, Goulburn and Cooma regularly met in battle.
After WW1 the military college was moved from Duntroon to Sydney and, as it was in most country areas, rugby was no longer played in the ACT. Both Australian rules and rugby league established permanent club competitions in Canberra in the mid-1920s, and soccer too was popular. In rugby league the greater attraction throughout regional cities and bush towns were knockout “cup matches” – in the ACT it was the Massy Cup, while the neighbouring Maher Cup gained fame far and wide.
The military college returned to Duntroon in 1936, and with it came the first stirrings of a revival of playing rugby under the amateur ideal. The Duntroon team were soon joined by sides from the Canberra Grammar School and the Canberra University College.
At the same time there was a rising disgruntled group, in the ACT at least, who publicly detested the influence of “cup fever” upon the community and rugby league as a purely sporting pursuit. They primarily loathed how spectators conducted themselves and the effect of drinking and gambling on family, church and business. The win-at-all costs attitude of coaches and players hinted to suspicions that match results were sometimes “fixed” by bookies, aided by willing assistants from within the game.
To those aspiring for a higher sporting and social ideal the Springboks, as they journeyed across Australia’s cities, were the exemplars of what sport – particularly rugby football – was all about. The news that they were to come to Canberra was suddenly a beacon of light and hope to the malcontents, weary of the example (real or imagined) provided by cup-driven rugby league.
After touring about the city the South Africans gave a mid-afternoon exhibition training run on Manuka Oval. In the evening the civic dinner to honour the team’s was held at the Hotel Canberra.
With the function over a small group retired to the hotel’s card room, among them federal politicians, senior public servants, the Duntroon MC’s commandant, representatives of the Grammar School and the University College, NSWRU officials and local men interested in rugby.
By the end of the evening they had devised a plan to revive rugby, founded the Federal Capital Territory Rugby Union and elected its first officials.
The 1938 season opened with four teams competing for the donated “Dent Cup” in the inaugural club premiership – RMC Duntroon, University College, Eastern Suburbs and Northern Suburbs.
The opening round was held at Manuka Oval, launched by a short speech given by Prime Minister Joseph Lyons.
The year also saw the Victorian state team play Duntroon and the New Zealand All Blacks defeat a combined Canberra representative side 57-5 at Manuka Oval.
Aptly perhaps for our nation’s capital, its football loyalties are divided amongst all four codes.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
TBS I'll get an article out on this subject with any luck within a week or two :-)
Bazza
Guest
The 1937 Springboks - long regarded as the best rugby team to ever leave the shores of New Zealand.....
The Battered Slav
Guest
KPM Well blow me down, the blazer brigade wanting to keep the riff-raff out of the gentlemens' game, well I never ol' boy, I think my monocle just fell into my glass of Pimms!!!!! Never would have suspected it myself : ) But all jokes aside, it is indeed a crying shame that this has not occurred, but that's what happens when rugby is run from the very insular world that is the North Shore and Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. Also, interesting comments about Scotland. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why they are on the imrpove?
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
The Battered Slav often rugby in Australia and England is accused of snobbery and not spreading rugby to public schools, or state schools as they're called in England. Somehow it's very hard to deny this argument. The RFU is the richest union in world rugby and makes stupendous sums which would fund neverending programmes in state schools, but does nothing of the kind. The Scottish rugby union, forced into desperate action by financial circumstances has spread rugby to an unbelievable degree in state schools recently, increasing playing numbers by 50% in five years. Even the ARU is far, far richer than the Scottish rugby union, and yet they do nothing at all in this direction, nor do the minted RFU. The Battered Slav I suspect there is no accident, but intentional.
stabpass
Guest
Well actually it would not suprise me if there are more rugby players than AF players in the ACT, Ainslie, Eastlake, QBYN, Tuggers and Belconnen 1sts play in the NEAFL against a couple of Sydney teams and GWS/Swans reserves, so the actual 1st divi ACTAFL is actually the old reserves. Sporting pulse has all the fixtures for this year, or "see you at the footy". I was sort of under the impression that RL has around the same sort of teams as well, but bigger in the surrounding towns than AF, and at a guess RU. 'The Cattery' wrote a good article about Canberra footy, (generally AF) have a squiz if you want. But IMO Canberra is more slanted as a rugby L/U town these days than a AR town. Having gone to a Catholic boys school in Canberra, it was rugby then AR, and in the public schools RL and AR, depending on the school of course.
The Battered Slav
Guest
KPM, Absolutely, the talent now lost to league could potentially be diverted into rugby if the appropriate structures were in place, however you would still have to contend with the cultural shift from being league oriented to union oriented. Even if union were offered across all public scholls, there would still be a significant number of kids choosing league over union as that's what dad watches or dad played etc etc.... However, it would certainly be a wise idea on the part of the ARU to look at such options, as at present, Canberra is the only capital which is a rugby town first and foremost so consolidating here iun the public shcool system could be a good pilot and a way of designing a blueprint for how conduct similar initiaitves in less rugby oriented areas. However, knowing the ARU this is pie in the sky stuff, as the grass roots are not top of Mr O'Niell's priorities.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
I mean the public schools where it's currently NOT played.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
Interesting stuff the Battered Slav: so my question for you would be the following, if the Brumbies/ACT government with persuastion/ARU got rugby in all the public schools where it's currently played, do you think that would allow rugby to get the talent that now goes to league? (if so it might be an investment worth making)
crip
Roar Pro
Dunno about statistics of AFL but I can tell you that AFL player James Hird went to my school and I didn't even know that that till a couple of year ago. Union and League is massively more popular.
The Battered Slav
Guest
Sorry, the 3,100 appears to also relate to juniors as well as sneiors, however the eight clubs with five grades relates to seniors. Still keen to check into Stabpass' estimates on AFL, but I have a feeling he might be right and there may be greater numbers in ACTAFL that in the ACTRU by virtue of there being a greater numbert of regional teams in that comp. Will post again this afternoon after a wee bit of research. Also, I'm not sure at all about soccer in the ACT for seniors and what sort of numbers there are there. Anyone have any ideas?
The Battered Slav
Guest
Rugby has 3,100 registered players in the ACT alone, eight clubs and generally five grades across the clubs, so approximately 40 teams, This is not including those clubs/teams from surrounding regions (Hall, Yass, Cooma, Goulburn etc). Not to mention colts, u18s and womens'. Rugby League only has Reserve Grade and First Grade in seniors with nine clubs, significantly fewer that rugby, around 18 or so senior teams. They do have an under 18's comp, but no colts or womens' like rugby. So, participation-wise, rugby dwarfs league in the ACT. Have not yet done the research on Aussie Rules, but will do so when I get a few minutes, as I'm quite curious myself.
Crashy
Guest
Thanks Sean - you could be correct in your assumption behind the naming convention.
trakl
Guest
In an article in, I think, the Sydney Telegraph last year - or the year before? - Campese authored an article stating that he grew up playing rugby league and played it for about 8 years before playing his first game of rugby union at the age of 16 years.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
Brett sorry about the slow reply. Everything you say is correct, but small populations can produce many players if every individual is given a chance to play the sport. So the Wigan area in England produces a disproportionate number of Super league players despite being far smaller than ACT, and ditto the Scottish Borders who produce most of their players with a meagre 120,000. So I think the problem is in fact what you say in the second part of the post, that much of the talent gets taken off by other codes: in Wigan and Scottish Borders there is effectively no competition from other codes and so rugby can take everything. And that's behind the idea to play it in every school. If every school plays a game, theoretically it can take over a region, beat off the other codes and every individual will get a chance to play. Also the cost of spreading it to every school would be peanuts but mightl yield gold in return :-)
stabpass
Guest
The Battered Slav said I’m fairly sure that in senior ranks terms, the John I Dent is one of the stronger, if not the strongest club comp of any winter sport in the ACT. However, if anyone has any information to the contrary I’d be happy to stand corrected, as I’m just not sure hyow it will all look this year. The league does not have nearly the senior participation numbers that the rugby has. likewise the Aussie Rules This year the ACTAFL has 40 senior teams involved in 4 divisions and a colts comp, which is pretty pretty similar i would say, including lower division teams teams such as Harman, Yass, Cooma, Cootamundra etc. Forgot to add 8 womens teams as well ( one from Riverina) Just a guess, but i would imagine that RL would be similar again.
crip
Roar Pro
Cheers for the great article JottingsOnRugby. I enjoy all your Rugby Football projects. Shouldn't you be a Roar 'Expert'?
JottingsOnRugby.com
Roar Pro
Geoff Didier was part of the 1990 Wallabies tourists to NZ in 1990, but didn't play in any of the three Tests vs All Blacks.
sheek
Guest
Yes, he might have toured, but off the top of my head I can't place if, when or where, so I left it.
crip
Roar Pro
I'm pretty sure he did and did a bit of fighting as well. I'm also pretty sure Jim Taylor knocked back Wallaby selection because he had planned his wedding at the same time Australia was touring wich opened the door for Phil Kearns.
crip
Roar Pro
O'Connor and Campo went to Public Schools as well.