Rugby League
Bravehearts
The History of
Scotland Rugby League
by Gavin Willacy
London League Publications
Despite
never having a professional club, Scotland has a rich Rugby League history.
Its story actually begins way back in 1909 when the visiting Kangaroos
played against an England selection at Celtic Park in Glasgow.
However,
the "Northern Union" game did not take hold in Scotland as
the working class had already well-embraced soccer, while the middle
classes stuck rigidly to the rugby union game.
The
local press commented: "It appears to us rather as attenuated Rugby
football with the more cumbersome features eliminated." Author
Gavin Willacy then notes: "that most of us would agree with that
(observation) a century on." [No argument here!]
From
the sport's earliest years, there have been Scottish players in English
Rugby League, including Great Britain internationals such as Dave Valentine,
David Rose and George Fairbairn.
Over
the century only 14 Scottish RU international players crossed over to
the professional code (compared to nearly 150 from Wales). Willacy explains
that this was largely due to RU players in Scotland generally being
of middle-class backgrounds.
However
in the Borders region, where most of the populace were low paid agricultural
workers, RU was the more popular sport. This meant that many men from
the Hawick-Kelso region moved south in search of rugby league earnings
in Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Players
from Scotland, and other countries, who based themselves in the English
League competition became eligible for the "Other Nationalities"
team that often graced the international arena. The book provides an
interesting chapter on this lesser known representative team, including
a team list and result from every game.
The Other Nationalities team first appeared in 1904 to provide England
with a challenging opponent - O.N. won the first game by 9-3 at Central
Park, Wigan. As the author states: "They were certainly a superb
rugby league team, packed with fantastic players".
Since
1995, Scotland have competed on the international stage, including the
2000 Rugby League World Cup.
After
the barriers between Union and League come down, a Scottish domestic
league was launched and Challenge Cup Finals were staged at Murrayfield.
This
book includes:
-
A full record of Scotland's international matches
-
Interviews with Scotland players including Darren Shaw, Scott Cram,
Lee Penny, Billy Gamba and Michael Hubbard
-
Profiles of past Scottish professionals from Dave Valentine and Roy
Kinnear to Alan Tait and George Graham
-
Scottish players' participation in representative matches
-
Scottish Students and domestic amateur Rugby League
Lavishly
illustrated, this book will be of interest to all Rugby League supporters
and those interested in the development of sport in Scotland.
Rugby
League Bravehearts ISBN 1-903659-05-1
Published
by London League Publications Ltd
PO Box 10441, London E14 0SB
Rugby League Bravehearts ($A25 plus postage)
More info / available from: rlbravehearts @ hotmail.com
