Rugby
in the Colony of South Australia
Sean Fagan - ColonialRugby.com.au
The
first reports of folk football in Adelaide were in 1843 and sporadic
games took place over the following decade. In 1854 English migrant
John Acraman is said to have imported round footballs from England
and erected goal posts on a local field. In 1860 Acraman placed
a newspaper advert which led to the formation of the Adelaide
FC.
The
Adelaide club devised its own playing rules, but were not particularly
unique, with a match described in The South Australian Advertiser
as players "engaged in this ancient game." Games under
variously agreed elements of rugby, soccer and Melboune rules
were then played until 1877.
Support for rules that allowed running with the ball (i.e. rugby)
were led in the 1860s/70s by Nowell Twopenny of the Adelaide FC.
His club also called for a change from goals being scored below
a rope/crossbar as in soccer, to the rugby method.
In
1869 The Observer reported that at a club meeting it was
decided that "in future the ball be kicked over instead of under
the crossbar of the goal".
Though the popularity of rugby-style
rules was growing in Adelaide in the 1870s, it coincided with
moves to adopt the football rules of Melbourne. As occurred elsewhere,
there came a point at which it was found desirable for all clubs
to meet and agree on uniform rules. In 1877 twelve local clubs
met, forming the South Australian Football Association (SAFA).
In negotiations about playing rules,
Twopenny "spoke very warmly in favour of running with the
ball, urging that it was sine qua non [the indispensable
ingredient] of genuine football, and that, from English experience,
he could vouch for there being no disputes when the rule was played".
As for Victorian rules, "bouncing the ball had led to endless
rows here, and left a great deal too much to the umpire".
South Adelaide FC's Charles Cameron
Kingston took an opposing view, and was determined to see South
Australia forge a strong connection with Victorian rules.
In the end, Twopenny and his supporters
lost out in the final vote and the SAFA began on its path towards
full adoption of Victorian rules. The most common reason given
is that such a move would provide for inter-colonial matches against
Victoria.
It seems unlikely that the SAFA clubs
did not know of the existence of the Southern RFU (later NSWRU)
in NSW. However, the closer proximity and economic links between
Melbourne and Adelaide no doubt had a strong influence. Whatever
the cause, the SAFA decision immediately saw crossbars removed
and ended any hope of rugby union claiming another Australian
colony.
The British rugby union team visited
Adelaide in 1888, playing four matches under Victorian rules against
local clubs (South Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Adelaide and Norwood).
A rugby union match was also played
against an "Adelaide XV", which the British won 28-3.
Some accounts indicate the home team actually took the field with
20 players.
A later report in The Register
noted there were sufficient "rugbyites" to form a team
without too many problems: "When the Englishmen were here
last the local rugby players got a side together, but the South
Australians were rusty and sadly out of form." In the wake
of the 1888 tour "a club was started here, but it died young".
Forlorn efforts to introduce rugby
appear to have continued from time to time, and in 1902 The
Advertiser made a passing observation that "attempts
to make Rugby football popular in South Australia have failed."
The newspaper though published amendments to rugby's playing laws
in 1903, suggesting some interest existed in the code.
Annual
stop-over visits by the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Challenger
to Port Adelaide from 1906-08 saw three rugby matches played on
the Adelaide Oval between the sailors and a "South Australia"
team (3-all in '06, SA won 9-0 in '07, Challenger won 20-0 in
'08).
The formation of the 'state' team though did not lead to any permanent
playing of rugby fixtures, and the code fell again into obscurity.
References.
Contemporary newspapers as mentioned.
South Australian Football: The Past And The Present 1860-1965
edited by C.K.Knuckey.
Fullpoints
Footy
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Copyright
- Sean Fagan - ColonialRugby.com.au
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