The Meeting Of The Giants

Sean Fagan of RL1908.com

It was the match that saw rugby league become Australia's favourite rugby code.

Barely half way through its third season in Sydney, rugby league delivered to the sports-mad city the football contest it had dreamed of.

On 9 July 1910, at the Agricultural Ground, Australasia played Great Britain (called by all as 'England').

While today the idea of Australia, New Zealand and Britain all appearing in the same match is highly unlikely, 96 years ago it was the premier of sporting contests.

With Australia still less than a decade old as a nation, the concept of the Australasian colonies (including New Zealand) combining to take on 'Home' (England/Great Britain) was the true test of sporting capability. 'Australasian' teams were formed for the Olympics (1908) and in tennis' Davis Cup. The Home nations combined, so why shouldn't the colonies?

While British rugby union teams had already toured 'down under' three times, in-fighting between the NSWRU and NZRU scuppered plans for an Australasian Test team.

Indeed, in 1899, on the eve of the Australian rugby union team's first ever Test, The Referee reflected the mood of the Sydney public, writing, 'having New Zealand unrepresented is absurd from a purely football point of view.'

The cross-Tasman 'war' between the Union authorities led directly to the NZRU negotiating for a New Zealand team, instead of Australasia, to tour Britain in 1905. That team famously became known as the 'All Blacks'.

Despite their success (losing only to Wales), the All Blacks were taunted by many that they had not faced the 'cream of English rugby', for they all resided in the Northern Union (rugby league). With over half the rugby clubs and footballers in England playing rugby league, it was a difficult argument to counter.

The challenge led directly to formation of the New Zealand rugby league team ('All Golds') and the NSWRL in 1907. A year later, when the best rugby players from Australia toured as the 'Kangaroos' and 'Wallabies', the latter were also challenged that the English rugby union side they had beaten was a pale imitation of the country's rugby league team.

Towards the end of the 1909 season, when it became known that a British rugby league team would be touring Australia in 1910, over half the Wallabies accepted offers to convert to the 13-man code. No doubt the money was their primary motivator, but the appeal of taking on the best footballers from England and Wales was very significant to many of the Wallabies.

As far as the Sydney sporting community was concerned, the British rugby league team of 1910 would be the greatest football side to yet visit Australia. When the tour itinerary was announced, it was quickly seen that the Australian-leg would culminate in two 'Australasia v England' matches - the excitement and anticipation was everywhere.

Even before the Lions arrived, the Sydney club competition began attracting much larger crowds than in League's first two seasons. Denied use of the city's larger grounds, the major rugby league matches in Sydney were held at the Agricultural Ground at the southern end of Moore Park.

The Lions first two matches (against NSW) each drew 33,000 - a record for rugby league. The Test match against Australia attracted 39,000, which seemed to be the capacity of the ground.

Attention then turned to the 'Australasia v England' match. The Referee was looking 'forward to the match of the tour', while The Sydney Morning Herald described it as 'the northern hemisphere against southern hemisphere at Rugby League football - the combination of representative footballers from New South Wales, Queensland and New Zealand into an Australasian side, opposed against those from England and Wales. This is the first time the representation has been as wide in football'. As far as everyone was concerned, this was the premier contest of the tour.

The two most popular New Zealand rugby league players, Albert 'Opai' Asher and Riki Papakura (both Maori) crossed the Tasman Sea to join the team. Also included was dual New Zealand and Australian Test player Con Sullivan. The Australian players were a mix of Kangaroos (headed by Dally Messenger), Wallabies (most notably Chris McKivat), and the best younger players (including Bill and Viv Farnsworth).

The English team was a 'who's who' of the greatest pre-WW1 footballers: James Lomas, Billy Batten, James Leytham, James Sharrock, Bert Jenkins and Albert Avery among them.

The NSWRL expected the public interest to rival the 39,000 that attended the Test match. They underestimated. 'For hours before the "meeting of the giants" just one continuing stream of people flowed through the clinking turnstiles,' reported The Sydney Sportsman, 'and the silver pattered into the League moneyboxes. The faces of the secretary Ted Larkin and the League officials fairly beamed with joy and gratification. The barrackers for the new game were jubilant, and took every opportunity of drawing the attention of the Union barrackers they happened to tumble across. It was like rubbing it in, but seemingly they were unable to resist the opportunity.'

On a perfectly fine winter's afternoon, the attendance reached over 42,000. (£18,000 taken at the gate). The Herald noted the crowd was the third largest ever seen at a football match in Australia, and would have broken the record if the League had not been refused use of the SCG by the rugby union authorities (who held an exclusive use agreement).

The match was described by The Herald as 'a great one'. The highlights were some spectacular runs by Messenger, and 'a terrific butting bout' between opposing wingers, 'Opai' Asher and Billy Batten, as each tried to leap over the other at every opportunity.

Britain staged a dramatic comeback from 13-5 down, to snare a 13-all draw with a late converted try. As soon as the referee called full-time, many of the spectators rushed the ground in excitement.

This article is based on Pioneers of Rugby League.

The match signalled the surrender of the NSWRU in its fight against rugby league. The Union representative and Test matches could barely break 10,000 patrons, denying the NSWRU of much needed income. Unable to compete financially against the NSWRL, rugby union could not pay the medical insurance and other benefits to keep its footballers reasonably satisfied.

The NSWRU changed tact - deciding that from then on it would appeal to footballers who wanted to play 'for the love of the game' and nothing else. In working-class Australia, footballers who would play for nothing were in the minority.

The afternoon that Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain first came together on the rugby league field, was day that Australian rugby union's empire collapsed. The 'rugby war' was over.