Len Smith: They Had No Right

Sean Fagan of RL1908.com

Len Smith was a powerful and hard running centre during and after the 2nd World War period. He was a significant part of Newtown's success in 1943/1944 and played a major role in re-establishing the credibility of the Australian Test team in the early seasons after the War. Many of the great players of the 1940s and 1950s have forever since called him "Coach", such is the respect he earned from his peers.

Smith was a cross-code convert from rugby union where he had gained Wallaby selection. After leaving school in the mid-1930s Smith joined Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union Club. His robust play saw him selected as a member of the 1939 Wallabies who sailed for England and his hopes were high that a Test jersey would shortly be his.

However, during the sea voyage to England, the dark clouds of World War Two were quickly descending. Upon arrival in English waters their ship was ordered to divert to the port of Devon - the war seemed to all to be inevitable.

As the team disembarked the cascade of events across Europe triggered the expected response. The next day Great Britain declared war on Germany. The Wallaby tour was thrown into immediate chaos. Hastily arranged discussions were held with the English RFU counterparts, but in reality the tour was over the moment Winston Churchill made the declaration.

The Wallaby team's managers were forced to abandon the tour without having played a game. During the subsequent wait to organise the Wallabies return to Australia, the team helped out with war preparations including filling sand bags. Smith and his team soon sailed for home and an uncertain future. For Smith, regrets about missed opportunities to represent Australia in a game of football were hardly a priority.

Australia followed the Commonwealth's call to arms and Smith was soon in the Army. Before long he saw duty in Palestine, Egypt and Syria before returning home in 1942. Amidst the ongoing war effort and his rise the army ranks, Smith and many other Servicemen found time to indulge in the playing of rugby league and union.

In late 1942 Smith made his decision to convert to rugby league. Asked what the desire to change codes was based upon, Smith stated that "it could hardly have been for the money - there was none!"

He went on to explain: "During the Services games I found I was meeting up with a lot of League players, including many ex-union players who were turning out for Sydney clubs, and really it was because that's where everyone else was playing - I mean I went to League to play against the best players." Smith joined the Newtown Bluebags for the 1943 season "subject to Army duty!"

Smith was a tall, strong centre who provided the Newtown club with five memorable seasons of service, however none would outshine his first season with the "royal blues". On the 4th of September 1943, despite the fact that the world was at war, Newtown had a rare chance at club glory in the Sydney Grand Final.

Newtown were led by the tough playing forward Bumper Farrell and with Len Smith in the centres, lined up against the skillful North Sydney team who were captain-coached by Frank Hyde.

Norths had the edge over Newtown all through the season but on Grand Final day they were missing the services of star lock-forward Harry Taylor who had secretly been shipped out to fight in New Guinea earlier in the week. Many other Norths players were carrying injuries acquired during the finals. Throughout the day rumours swept the SCG that Taylor had gone AWOL and would take his place in the team.

The premiership decider was played at the SCG before a record crowd at that time of officially 61,922. An hour before kickoff the crowd swelled to dangerous numbers and the gates were closed. Members of the armed forces had been allowed in for free and as game time approached many others used their skills to form human ladders to scale the walls of the ground. Len Smith later estimated the crowd to be in the order of 75,000.

As the game got underway Norths were hit by injuries including losing Frank Hyde who was flattened by Herb Narvo (who was also an Australian heavyweight boxing champion). Through its tough forwards and speedy backs Newtown proved too strong for Norths scoring eight tries as they ran out winners 34 -7, with Len Smith amongst the try scorers. While the Newtown club rejoiced in the win, none knew that it would be the Bluebag's last premiership title.

These players would form the nucleus of the 1944 Newtown team, but as with Norths the season before, the war would have an effect on the premiership decider. The talented Bluebags defeated St George 55-7 in the semi-final with Len Smith scoring four tries, creating another two tries and delivering one of the best performances seen by a centre in many years in the Sydney premiership.

What made his display even more astounding was that Smith had recently been posted to a Melbourne army camp where he had 50 men under his command. Leave was granted and he travelled 25 hours by train to Sydney just to play in the game against St George.

Newtown then went on to play in the Final against Balmain knowing that as minor premiers they had the right to call for a Grand Final should they lose the game. Unfortunately for Smith he was forced out of the Final at half time through injury and Newtown went down 19-13. Immediately after the game, Len and his fiancee were married in a hastily arranged ceremony - the next day Smith would be shipped out to Townsville to prepare his Army troops to fight the Japanese in New Guinea.

Newtown officials pleaded with Smith and the Army for him to return for the Grand Final, but Smith later said that given the responsibility of his command he could not leave his men to "go play in a game of football".

Both teams backed up the following week to play in the Grand Final with Newtown minus Smith and another player on army duties, Herb Narvo. Amidst unfounded claims that Newtown had thrown the previous game knowing that they had a guarantee of a re-match, Balmain were again victorious and won the 1944 premiership.

After missing the whole of the next season, Smith returned home from service in New Guinea in time to recommence his rugby league career at Newtown for 1946. Despite being hampered by a stomach virus he picked up during the war, Smith pushed hard for representative honours with League back on in earnest. Smith's experience and leadership skills brought him to the for immediately and he gained selection in the 1946 Sydney Firsts team.

In 1947 he was selected as captain of Sydney and NSW. Still only 28, Smith backed it up in 1948 by being presented with the NSW Player of the Year award, such was his captaincy and play. This was enough to ensure his debut selection for Australia in the Tests against New Zealand in the lead-up to the 1948 Kangaroo Tour.

Smith's hopes for a return journey to England seemed assured when he was also named as captain-coach (the first ever) of the Australian Test team for two Test series against the touring Kiwis.

As coach of Australia, Smith had to contend with his own lack of experience at Test level. In fact, aside from the wily old front rower Bumper Farrell, the whole team was making its Test debut! From the players used in the 1946 Tests against the Lions only Farrell, who played in all three games, made a reappearance - many of Australia's top players had earlier left for the big money on offer in England.

Smith was given the responsibility of forming these players into a formidable Test team and building for the upcoming Ashes series. The inexperienced Australian side contained many soon-to-be "name" players including Wally O'Connell, Jack Rayner, Fred de Belin, Kevin Schubert, Noel Pidding, Len Pegg, Johnny Graves, Keith Froome and Pat McMahon.

However, while Smith was working away on his assignment to produce an instantly successful Test side, the Kiwis put in a poor showing against NSW.

Such was the concern with the New Zealanders lowly effort that they were given the off-field assistance of the great Easts and Australian player Ray Stehr to improve their performance. Despite all these circumstances, expectations for an Australian win remained high and 55,000 spectators packed into the Sydney Cricket Ground for the 1st Test.

The Kiwi forwards produced a remarkable transformation under Stehr's guidance. In a fine display Australia looked to have the match in hand after taking a 13-0 lead including a try to South's Jack Rayner. But the Test-hardened New Zealanders fought back magnificently well and the "green" Australians found it impossible to stop the changing tide.

Into the final quarter of the game the lead changed a number of times in what had become a see-sawing affair. Eventually the Kiwis outlasted the Aussies to win in a close tussle 21-19.

For the 2nd Test at the 'Gabba in Brisbane, the selectors hatchet came out and into the side came four more Test-debutants: Nevyl Hand, Jack Holland, Duncan Hall and Clive Churchill.

With the Kangaroo Tour looming Smith was told by the Chairman of the ARL Board of Control, 'Jersey' Flegg, that the financial viability of the tour depended on beating the Kiwis in the remaining Test. Smith replied: "We'll win - but we'll do it my way".

Amidst this pressure, Smith devised a game plan that involved him repeatedly running like a forward at the NZ centres in the early stages of the game to tire them out. Smith was big and fast, more like the modern lock of today and, complimented by an inspired performance by Balmain's Fred de Belin, Smith's plan worked and the Aussies won 13-4.

This dominant display went a long way to restoring hope for a successful Kangaroo tour. The press reported: "Smith figured prominently in the victory by the way he played and also by the way he handled the side on the field."

However what was to transpire in the selection of the Kangaroo Tour squad has been described as the greatest injustice ever perpetrated against an Australian sportsman.

A week after the Test, the players were still in Brisbane after the Smith-captained NSW side had defeated Queensland 17-13. At a post match function held by Brisbane bookmaker Billy McLeod at his home at New Farm, the tourists names were to be read out and the celebrations would continue into the night - it was expected that the majority of the NSW players would make the squad.

When the tour team was announced the fact that Len Smith’s name was absent went unnoticed by everyone present - everyone except for Len Smith.

Smith took the blow with dignity. "I was determined to front up like a sportsman. I went round and congratulated all those who had made it. It was a blow..... of course it was. The same as anyone else, I wanted to go and play Tests against England. But life has to go on, it was something I had to face up to."

When asked asked recently to recall that night, former Manly and Easts player and Test five-eigth Wally O'Connell simply shook his head for what seemed to be an eternity, before he finally said, "It was bloody terrible", such was his dismay even 50 years later. O’Connell said that everyone was so happy at their announcement of the touring squad, they had simply assumed that Smith was included as captain-coach.

Smith had been so well revered by the 1948 Test players that they all had already bestowed upon him the tag of ‘coach’ whenever he was mentioned. Wollongong's 1948 Kangaroo hooker Kevin Schubert recalled recently: "He was such a gentleman, he congratulated me on making the tour. I had no idea - I only became aware of his exclusion some hours later. I approached Smith but I could not find the words to express my sorrow."

The great Clive Churchill recalled: "Len Smith took it on the chin like a gallant sportsman. But we were all astounded. Here was a player who was good enough to be captain of Australia, and its coach, and yet after winning a Test he was deemed not to be good enough in a team of 28 players to go on tour to England. To make matters worse, Len Smith had openly been groomed to lead Australia in England."

"Smith was a grand centre, a good captain, an astute coach and a fine personality. It is a blot on Test selection administration," Churchill said. He added, "This black blot became more and more emphasised during the 1948 tour of England. We were like a leaderless legion."

The Board of Control appointed Western Suburbs player Col Maxwell as Tour captain, even though he wasn't in the current NSW team. Maxwell thought so poorly of his selection possibility that he was on a train returning home to Newcastle for the off-season when the team was announced.

Immediately there was uproar in the press, and the Newtown club lobbied hard to overturn the travesty, to no avail. The ARL Board of Control would not alter it’s decision as to do so would amount to an admission that the selectors had got it wrong. Although its Chairman, Jersey Flegg, said: "It was not only a mystery to myself, but 99% of the general public."

What remained then is a question that to this day has still not been adequately answered - why was the incumbent Test captain and coach not selected?

Many have hinted that religious prejudice was the reason for Smith's sacking. At the time, it was common knowledge that several prominent members of the selection panel were Masons while Smith was known to be Catholic. This caused many to suggest his omission was based on religion, not ability or sportsmanship. Much of the work of a touring captain involved public speaking in clubs with Masonic links.

There is also evidence that this 'sectarian' split had its beginnings in the 1937-38 Kangaroo tourists who formed into two distinct cliques on the return boat journey to Australia. One senior official is claimed to have made it clear upon the 1937-38 Kangaroos return to Sydney that the possibility of such a split happening again would never be allowed to occur.

Smith himself also alluded towards the personal desires held by two of the selectors - each wanted to be the Tour coach. Latchem Robinson was coach of the 1948 NSW side and didn't hide his ambitions.

Smith said he ran into Robinson in a street outside his Sydney newspaper office not long after and asked him: "What is the problem - I've done nothing to deserve this - I don't even want the coaching job, I never asked for the job in the first place. He wouldn't answer me and just walked away."

Whatever the reason for his exclusion, Len Smith maintained a dignified public and behind-the-scenes silence. After his non-selection he returned to Sydney to complete his season's commitments with Newtown. Then he retired.

And the 1948 Kangaroos? They failed to win a test in England and Clive Churchill summed it up with: "Nobody will agree the Test selectors had a right to omit Len Smith from that team. The team's shocking tour record must be laid at the feet of the selectors."

However, Smith must have felt some quiet satisfaction in the next home Test series (in 1950) when Australia secured the Ashes for the first time in 30 years, with the involvement of many of the players he had nutured into the international game.

Len Smith went on to be a respected sportswriter and became involved in the trotting industry, including devising the famous "Miracle Mile" race in Sydney.

Post script: RL1908 met Len Smith in December of 1998 and eventually talk moved to discussing the 1948 season. We asked Len whether he thought the decision to exclude from the tour to England was based on religion - he reluctantly said, "Yes".

Len said he thought he was omitted because he was Catholic. At the time, he did not even consider that it would be an issue, after all he was the incumbent captain coach and they had beaten the Kiwis as demanded by 'Jersey' Flegg. Although he never said, it was apparent that the pain of missing that tour never really subsided.

By the account of every other player and League expert RL1908 have met or read about, Smith should have led the tour as captain. It is difficult to understand the implications or enormity of the incident 50 years later, although whenever the matter is raised with any of the remaining 1948 Kangaroos you can see in their responses that it causes anguish to all, even over 50 years later.

The closest analogy to today is that it would have been worse than if Mal Meninga had been excluded from the 1994 Kangaroo tour or Brad Fittler from the 2000 World Cup team.

Sources: interviews with Len Smith (1998 and 2000), Wally O’Connell (1999), Kevin Schubert (2000), Frank Hyde (1998), Col Maxwell(1999). Publications:Out Of The Blue (Newtown) by Terry Williams, The Kangaroos by Ian heads, Clive Churchill's Colourful Story (Biography) and 100 Years of Rugby League by the Daily Telegragh.

Copyright © 2006 - Sean Fagan. All rights reserved - the article above may not be reproduced (in full or part) in any form without written permission.