In 1982 an England Students side travelled to Japan to play a match against Japan at the Hanazono Stadium in Osaka. If the stadium felt familiar to the team it was probably because it was modelled on Twickenham, when built at the behest of Prince Chichibu in 1929.
The strong England team included seven future England internationals, amongst them Simon Halliday and Brian Moore. Facing them were a Japan side captained by Takeo Ishizuka, with a youthful Seiji Hirao in the backs. Continue reading
Some kicks seem to have been destined for immortality be they penalty goals, drop goals or the now long forgotten scoring device called goals from a mark.
Whether the longest kick in international history was the Springbok Gerry Brand’s colossal drop goal to seal victory in the final minutes against England at Twickenham in January 1932; or the massive goal from a mark by the All Black Don Clarke five minutes from the end of a very close match to beat England and win the two-match series at Christchurch in June 1963; or the monster 70-yard penalty goal kicked by the Welsh full back Paul Thorburn against Scotland in February 1986, these players were nevertheless all full backs whose kicking prowess was an essential part of the reason they were selected for their countries. Continue reading
This Christmas Card was made in Bavaria, Germany and is believed to date from the late 19th Century. Printed on the inside is the following poem-
“With fortune’s football at your feet
This merry Christmas Day,
May you attain your goal, and meet
With few kicks on the way”
Handwritten on the reverse is the simple message-
‘To Ted from Daisy’
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all at the World Rugby Museum!
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Keith Gregson, Sunderland RFC’s archivist and historian has, through a combination of knowledge, effort and luck, pieced together the wartime records of all 45 rugby players who were selected to play for Sunderland RFC 1st, 2nd and 3rd XVs on 17 January 1914 – just over 6 months before the outbreak of the First World War. This is an abridged introduction to the full work, Can you do nothing to mend my broken heart? THE ASHBROOKE BOYS – A SPORTS CLUB AT WAR (1914 -18) which is available to purchase.
Members of the 1911/12 Sunderland RFC 1st XV. Front row (L-R) Charles Pickersgill, John Hopper and John Gillies; back row (L-R) Herbert Todd and Edward Moore, James Adamson and William Laing). All saw active service in the First World War. Pickersgill was wounded; Laing became a prisoner of war; Moore and Adamson never returned.
On that particular Saturday Sunderland Rugby Football Club (SRFC) 1st XV played Monkseaton 1st XV at Sunderland’s Ashbrooke ground while the 2nd XV reversed the fixture. The 3rd XV was due to travel to Durham City to take on Bede College.
Of the 45 chosen to represent SRFC on 17 January 1914, twelve died as a result of the war.
In late April 1911, the Monmouthshire Evening Post reported on a charity game held at Rodney Parade. A “Married” team was turned out in a variety of shirts owned by the side’s skipper, Charlie Pritchard. A fixture in the fearsome Newport side for the first decade of the twentieth century, Charlie was a core forward in the Welsh pre-First World War “Golden Age” side. Most famously, he was many pundits’ choice as “Man of the Match” on that famous day in December 1905 when Wales beat the All Blacks. He is sat in the centre of the shot, the ball resting on his bandaged knee, his gentle gaze fixed on the camera. He is proudly wearing an All Black shirt. On his left is another Newport legend, George Boots, who is wearing an Anglo-Welsh touring shirt from 1908. Two to his right is Jehoida Hodges, sporting a Springbok shirt from their very first tour in 1906. There are also shirts from Australia (again, the Wallabies’ first ever tour in 1908), each of the Home nations, an Ulster shirt and from club sides such as Cardiff and Watsonians. To see Charlie’s collection of shirts is to see a potted history of the growth of the game.
Across this blog and other social media channels, the World Rugby Museum has commemorated every international rugby player to fall during the First World War. Today is the final entry in the ‘Lest We Forget’ series. With thanks to all those who have contributed articles over the past 4 years.
Photo Credit: Welsh Rugby Union
By the end of October 1918, Fred Perrett had been on active service on the Western Front for three years and, having already been twice wounded, he may well have felt that he had done his bit. For three months now, the German army had been on the retreat and rumours of a ceasefire were spreading. Tragically, however, only a week before the Armistice was signed, Fred was to be caught up in the last major British offensive of the war, the Battle of the Sambre. Continue reading
Sydney Coopper was secretary of the RFU from 1924 to 1947. In 1916 his ship was sunk during the nighttime exchanges during the Battle of Jutland. Coopper survived. This is the story of what happened that night on board HMS Sparrowhawk…
Having had the worst of the daytime exchanges British Admiral John Jellicoe ordered his fleet to spread out in the hope of cutting off the attempted retreat of the German High Seas Fleet. As the sun slipped over the horizon it would be the smaller craft and destroyer flotillas that continued the battle at close range throughout the night. Continue reading
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