Welcome back to Curtis Woodward and the81stminute.com’s long-running Quick Tap column.
A fantastic NRL premiership season has come to an end and finally – the international game gets its annual fifteen minutes of fame.
But it feels like a little bit more than that this time around.
The Kangaroos have landed in the United Kingdom for the first Ashes series since 2003.
In the southern hemisphere, the Pacific nations are fired up and have all picked strong squads.
But the history is with Australia and their tour of England…
WE CAN THANK A KIWI POSTAL CLERK FROM WELLINGTON
In the early 1900s, disenchanted rugby union players in England were desperate for better conditions. From that unrest came forth the birth of the greatest game of all. In the southern hemisphere, a man from Wellington named Albert Baskerville was determined to organise a tour to Great Britain. He wrote to the Northern Union – the breakaways – proposing a tour. He would quickly be disowned by his rugby union club and banned from attending union matches in New Zealand.
“Present appearances indicate that the professional Rugby scheme has fizzled right out,” a NZ Truth article began.
“Baskiville [sic], who is credited with being the arch-conspirator, has attained a very fair measure of notoriety throughout the colony at the expense of being “put up” for concocting such a vile project and attempting to besmirch the fair fame of New Zealand Rugby.”
Baskerville was undeterred.
He convinced eight All Blacks from the 1905 tour of Britain to join his rebels.
The Sydney media labeled them the ‘All Golds’ – everyone else called them the ‘Professional All Blacks’.
A few years later, Baskerville’s team was in Sydney playing rugby league.
THE AUSSIE SKIPPER SACKED FOR BEING CATHOLIC
Len Smith was a Wallabies legend, future journalist, war hero and the man behind the Miracle Mile. Smith was converted to rugby league while playing the game with other soldiers during World War II.
Smith helped lead Newtown to a barnstorming premiership in 1943 – the club’s last title.
Such was his form in 1948, the best player in the NSWRL was named Kangaroos captain/coach in his debut series.
“Playing his first Rugby League match for Australia today Len Smith has the double honor of captaining the home side,” the match-day program began.
“He is the bulwark of the Australian defence and the spearhead of attack, a strong running centre three quarter whose soundness in every phase of the game makes him such a desirable type to lead in an international match.”
Selectors read out the touring Kangaroos squad after an NSW versus QLD with Smith in the room.
Story goes, Smith as the current Australian captain/coach didn’t even make the touring squad because he was Catholic.
The selectors were masons.
Smith retired immediately and never played again.
RUGBY LEAGUE IN FRANCE: ON ICE
The very first rugby league test match in France was played between Australia and England on New Year’s Eve 1933. The Lions had already wrapped up the series 3-0 but with the help of Kangaroos manager Harry Sunderland and contacts in France, Paris would get its very first taste of rugby league on a frozen track at Stade Pershing. Incredibly, despite losing all three test matches, Australia hammered England 63-13, running in fifteen tries. The irresistible Dave Brown scored three tries and kicked nine goals.
“PICK YOUR F****** ACT UP, WILLIE!”
After downing Great Britain in 2003 in the United Kingdom, ‘The Impossibles’ stopped off in Philadelphia on the way home to play the USA on a freezing night in Philadelphia.
You may remember the hosts doing a number on the Kangaroos in the first half.
Less remembered is Australian coach Wayne Bennett’s half-time spray for his own side in the sheds.
We’d only have this thanks to ‘Rugby League is the Winner’ author Gary Jarjoura who filmed Bennett ripping into players – including Willie Mason – on his YouTube channel.
OFFIAH VS OUDENRYN
During the 1992 Lions Tour of Australia, Great Britain headed up to Parramatta Stadium for a midweek game against the struggling Eels in front of 20,000 fans.
The world’s fastest rugby league player, Englishman Martin Offiah was challenged to a pre-match 100-metre sprint against Parramatta youngster Lee Oudenryn.
In a major boilover, Oudenryn won the sprint.
There have been rumours ever since that bets were put on the race and that British players had chucked a few quid on Oudenryn and had reportedly conned Offiah into throwing the race so his teammates could collect.
Ashes to Ashes: The ten greatest rugby league matches ever played at the iconic Wembley Stadium
Nevertheless, Offiah then came out and scored two tries but it wasn’t enough with the Eels scoring a shock victory against the mighty Lions.
Another very British moment stood out with big Leeds front-rower Karl Harrison penalised in the first minute for the straightest forearm you could ever imagine which almost decapitated a poor Eel. On the call, Stephenson labeled it a fair shot with first contact in the chest.
COVID KILLS KANGAROOS VS TORONTO MATCH
Remember the Toronto Wolfpack? A club in Canada that was on everyone’s lips a few years ago. Packed crowds, a winning team and a guy called Sonny Bill Williams. Their momentum was so strong, the Kangaroos were set to play the Wolfpack on their way home from the planned 2020 tour of Great Britain.
Then COVID reared its ugly head and the 2020 tour was canned and local Canadians getting to see the Kangaroos in the flesh never happened.
Toronto…
What could have been.
