“In some ways the game of rugby is like a bloodless battle.” This is a comment made by the retired Australian general and now board member of the ARU, Peter Cosgrave, to mark the annual Army-Navy rugby match played at Allianz Stadium last Saturday night.
The match, which was a curtain-raiser to the Waratahs – Rebels Super Rugby contest, was played in the glorious shadow of the coming Anzac Day. Before the big match the Ode of Remembrance was read out.
The poem’s final coda over-powered the emotions, as it always does: “We will remember them … Lest we forget.” A plangent Reveille was played and the rugby battle commenced.
And the match replicated in many ways, Peter Cosgrave’s analogy between rugby and war. “There are similarities,” he argues, “between the harsh and lethal demands of warfare and the thrill we get from a full-bodied contact sport like rugby. The thing about rugby is that it does prepare people to keep going under severe stress when things they have to do are extraordinarily hard.:
This notion of rugby as a war game is embedded in the history of the code.
Baron de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, saw the ethics and reality of rugby as a contact sport as the ideal preparation for French youth in what he he and the French political establishment in the 1890s considered to be the inevitable war against Prussia.
De Coubertin refereed the first final of the French national club championship in the early 1890s. He was instrumental, as well, in introducing rugby into the Olympic Games. When he retired from being the head of the IOC, rugby was then withdrawn from the Olympics schedule of sports. It is returning, in the Sevens Rugby format, in the 2016 Olympic Games.
The textbooks and manuals on how to play rugby which were published before the First World War invariably made reference to the ‘manly’ qualities that game espoused. The tactics and the terminology of the game, too, reflected this war game mentality.
Many of the metaphors of rugby are war metaphors. Halfbacks ‘snipe’ around the blindside. ‘Attacks are launched’. Fullbacks kick ‘torpedo’ punts and at other times boot ‘bombs’ into the night sky. There are ‘bullet’ passes…
But this analogy of rugby as a war game needs to placed in the context. Rugby is a game. It is a hard, body contact game that, as Peter Cosgrave says, “prizes hardship, teamwork, courage, initiative, stamina and a never-say-die attitude”. It is not war.
War is a terrible, killing machine. The rugby community knows the truth of this. And on this Anzac Day, as on past Days, the names and lives of fallen Wallabies in both World Wars are remembered and honoured.
I was out at the ARU headquarters earlier this week when I went into the archives room and met the archives manager Bronwyn Wood and a volunteer, George Franki. They printed out for me two booklets written in 201o by George Franki on the Australian Rugby Internationals who gave their lives in both World Wars.
The introduction to the booklet on World War I points out that 90 per cent of senior rugby union players in NSW and Queensland enlisted. Many clubs disbanded and interstate matches ceased. An estimate 60 Wallabies served in the armed forces.
Ten of these internationals gave their lives:
Blair Inskip Swannell – 25 April 1915
Edward Rennix Larkin – 25 April 1915
Harold Wesley George – 10 May 1915
Frederick Herbert Thompson – 29 May 1915
Arthur Verge – 8 September 1915
George Harold Pugh – 5 September 1916
Herbert Jones – 4 November 1916
Clarence Wallach MC – 22 April 1918
Bryan Desmond Hughes MC – 6 August 1918
William George Tasker – 9 August 1918
The stories of all these men are lovingly detailed. They are all poignant in their various ways.
Edward Larkin’s story, though, has resonances that are still heard to this day. Born in 1880, he was educated at St Joseph’s College, Sydney where he played for the famed First XV. He played in the first Test against New Zealand at the SCG in 1903, New Zealand’s first Test match.
In 1909 he became the secretary of NSW Rugby League. One of his major coups as secretary was to gain support for the new rugby code in 1913 from the Marist Brothers schools. In the same year he became the MLA for Willoughby, the first Labor seat won on the north side of the harbour.
He was killed in action on 25 April 1915, on the same day as Blair Swannell, in an advance from the 400 Plateau. He was later mentioned in despatches.
In World War II, at least 139 Wallabies served. Fourteen of the 15 players in the last Test against New Zealand on 13 August 1938, NZ 14 – Australia six, served during the War.
Six of this team lost their lives:
Michael Clifford – 9 October 1942
Edwin Sautelle Hayes – 12 January 1942
Eric Ebsworth Hutchinson – 27 January 1943
Winston Phillip James Ide – 12 September 1944
Russell Lindsay Frederick Kelly – 25 December 1943
Frederick Raymond Kerr – 23 April 1941
Clifford Walter Patrick Lang – 4 March 1942
Kenelm McKenzie Ramsay – 1 March 1942
A survivor of the two World Wars, as a combatant, William Thornton Watson, deserves a mention here (I am indebted to the research of Sean Fagan and Jottings on Rugby for most of the following details).
Watson, who fought at Gallipoli and the Western Front, was awarded an MC for his bravery at Foucaucourt on 27 August 1918. Watson worked his way forward through enemy machine gun fire and directed three batteries to eliminate the machine-gun posts.
In World War II he won a DSO on the Kokoda Track.
At the end of World War I a rugby tournament between teams from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the Royal Air Force and Great Britain played in London for the King’s Cup. New Zealand won the tournament, which some rugby historians have dubbed the ‘first Rugby World Cup tournament.’
But Australia, the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) side, defeated the New Zealanders 6 – 5.
This AIF side was captained by Lieutenant ‘Billy’ Watson, a tough, front row forward and strong leader of men.
In 1919 the AIF side returned to Australia and played several matches to revive rugby in NSW and Queensland. Their last match of their tour and as a team was on 2 August at the Sydney Sports Ground when they defeated Australia 22 – 6.
The AIF team played ‘tough and vigorous’ rugby with a guiding principle that the ball was meant to handled in a running style and never to be kicked.
The AIF way of playing rugby became the basis for the stylish Waratahs running game that made NSW famous around the world.
It was estimated that 5000 rugby players joined the AIF in World War I. More than 500 of these players lost their lives. Some hundreds more rugby players were killed in World War II.
Lest we forget.
Dublin Dave
Guest
I think, with respect, you are overestimating the number of All Blacks killed in two world wars. I put the figure at 13, eleven in the Great War and the other two in WWII. I must be one of Sheek's Irish relatives: I just love looking things up! :) My source for this is a history of New Zealand international rugby written by a pair named Chester and McMillan which is in my possession. It is a coffee-table masterpiece, produced in the 1970s to mark the 75th anniversary of the first test match featuring the All Blacks. It contains a report of every single test match New Zealand had played up to that point and with contemporary photographs of most of them. Included in the back is a full list of every New Zealand international up to then along with their years of birth and, where appropriate, death. War casualties were helpfully denoted by an asterisk. Based on this list the full complement of New Zealand international rugby union players who were killed in either of the two world wars is reproduced below. The discrepancy might come from an interpretation of the term All Black. This only refers to full test players, not those who might have made up a touring squad. There is also the possibility that, despite having scrutinised the full list I might have missed one or two. Any corrections or requests to check a name are welcome. It should also be noted that New Zealand had only played 24 recognised international matches in total between 1903 and the outbreak of the first world war, including four tests on a tour of Great Britain and a "home" test series against a touring side called the "Anglo Welsh", a forerunner of what became known as the Lions. There was also a match against All America which the Blacks won with a scoreline of 51-3. It would have been 77-3 with modern values. Here is the full roll of honour, as accurately as I can reproduce it. Provincial allegiance and year of death included in each case. Baird, J.A.S. Otago (1917) Dewar, H. Taranaki (1915) Dodd, E.H. Wellington (1918) Downing, A.J. Auckland (1915) Gallaher, D Auckland (1917) Harper, E.T. Canterbury (1918) McNeece, J. Southland (1917) Ridland, A.J. Southland (1918) Sellars, G.M.V. Auckland (1917) Taylor, R. Taranaki (1917) Turtill, H.S. Canterbury (1918) Cobden, D.G. Canterbury (1940) Hart, G.F. Canterbury (1944)
Ted Skinner
Guest
It's a free country you know. The AFL were thinking of doing something similar.
Ted Skinner
Guest
Name them! Name even one?
The Cattery
Roar Guru
It's not a huge boast, with League barely existing for 5 years in Australia at that point. In fact, it borders on the non-sensical and absurd that you would bring it up.
Lorry
Guest
Crosscoder, thanks. I notice KOTG hasn't replied...
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Below the belt and uncalled for KOG,you can do better than that.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
So Kefe the French rl people banned their own game.Pretty silly if you ask me.The Govt Commission suggests otherwise. The strength of the Free French was in the south,probably because they were under totalitarian control.Still nothing to do with the subject matter. The thread is about the ANZACs and rugby union and should revolve around that. I never criticise what people in Autsralia may or may not have done during the WW1 period.60,000 war dead suggests just about every man woman and child was either directly or indirectly affected.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
That's a load of rubbish.Visit any country war memorial and see the names of people who lost their lives .Some played rugby league in the local towns.I cite Kangarro Valley as but one example Rugby league provided an outlet for the populace in the war years and also the wounded servicemen. That is just plain political point scoring out of a serious thing such as war,almost inferring dare Ii say it cowardice.
allblackfan
Guest
Move are afoot to have a trans-tasman Super rugby game played on Anzac Day See here http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/rugby-gold/plans-afoot-for-super-rugby-anzac-day-game/story-fn8ti7yn-1226339237334
matthew
Guest
It's a fact that far more rugby players participated in the war than the leagies. That's why it goats me that they think they have a right to stage a rugby league "test" at Galipoli.
Kefe
Guest
there were also french rugby league internationals and french club rugby league players in the vichy regime.
Lorry
Guest
KOTG yeah that's good mate, labelling someone a coward... Your sentence is illogical, are you claiming that in war sometimes 2 sides win hahaha, how ludicrous. In regards to your 'war is inevitable' line - why hasn't a huge country like Brazil been involved in a war for a long long time? What about various small countries of Europe that haven't fought since WWII or, in some cases, before that? And indeed various smaller countries around the world (though, obviously, not Australia) It's a pretty sad thing for people to say Gallipoli is all we are as a nation now, as the PM did yesterday... Watching the Gallipoli film the other day reminded me that there was significant opposition to the war and conscription had been defeated twice in 1916 and 1917.... The history of those who resisted the violence is as important as the story of those who went away to war But I suppose you like to sweep that history aside.. it doesn't fit in with your glorification of war does it?
The Cattery
Roar Guru
As a side note, two years ago The Age reported that the Turkish Government had formally approached the AFL, and the Collingwood Football Club, about playing a game on ANZAC Day in Turkey to celebrate the 100th anniversary in 2015: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/collingwood-open-to-anzac-day-clash-in-turkey-20100514-v2t1.html
The Cattery
Roar Guru
As a side note, two years ago The Age reported that the Turkish Government had formally approached the AFL, and the Collingwood Football Club, about playing a game on ANZAC Day in Turkey to celebrate the 100th anniversary in 2015: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/collingwood-open-to-anzac-day-clash-in-turkey-20100514-v2t1.html
King of the Gorgonites
Roar Guru
Stop dreaming. War is inevitable. Cowards like you ensure one side loses.
jeznez
Guest
you win then Sam. And by the way I thought Matt S dealt with Hugh quite effectively
Lorry
Guest
all this talk is boring...my code is more patriotic than your code etc etc How about the patriots who tried to stop the killings taking place?: "Again, in these endless discussions about the young men of that time, how often does anyone point out that Australians saw one of the very first anti-war protests anywhere in the world, when the Industrial Workers of the World called a rally on the Domain the weekend the conflict broke out? Everything that the IWW predicted about the war came to pass, just as everything that the official jingoes said proved entirely wrong. But amidst all the Anzac headshaking about the horrors of Gallipoli, there’s no room to mention those who tried to stop the killing taking place"
Sam el Perro
Guest
Hugh's comment above isn't a troll, and mine is? Weird, hey?
Sam el Perro
Guest
Rubbish, jeznez. To quote from the article: "This notion of rugby as a war game is embedded in the history of the code. Baron de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, saw the ethics and reality of rugby as a contact sport as the ideal preparation for French youth in what he he and the French political establishment in the 1890s considered to be the inevitable war against Prussia."
jeznez
Guest
Sam, this is an Aussie site and the article is commemorating ANZAC day - not sure the actions for the French are relevant.