Melbourne Rebels Rugby History - ColonialRugby.com.au

Rugby in the Colony of Victoria

Sean Fagan - ColonialRugby.com.au

Tour Programme issued for the 1895 visit to Sydney of the Victorian Rugby Union team.

Traditional folk football of some description was first held in Victoria in the late 1840s and into the 1850s.

Strong circumstantial evidence points to rugby football, of some description, being played in Melbourne by the mid 1850s.

The 1963 summer issues of the VFL's "Football Record" include a series of articles held in the VFL archives written TJ Marshall in the 1890s.

Marshall played football in the 1850s, and wrote: "Early in the '50s games under Rugby rules were played by the miners of many of the 'diggings' and during these exciting times a small coterie of Rugbyites kept the ball rolling in Melbourne."

A number of games were played in Melbourne in 1858, which have been described as "close in style to Rugby School football" [refer Greg de Moore, Tom Wills].

The Argus of 16 August 1858 [i.e. the winter before the rules of Australian football were first devised on 17 May 1859] described football in Melbourne:

"Football seems to be coming into fashion in Melbourne, and as it is a most manly and amusing game we hope that it may continue to grow in favour until it becomes as popular as cricket."

"Let those who fancy there is little in the game, read the account of one of the Rugby matches which is detailed in that most readable work, Tom Brown's Schooldays, and they will speedily alter their opinion."

From "The Argus" 16 August 1858.

Melbourne's Age newspaper of 1 August 1908 wrote:

"According to authentic records, and within individual memory, the Australian game was developed in 1858 [sic] through public dissatisfaction with brutal exhibitions of rough play under the old rugby rules."

"New laws, which rendered the game playable without undue risk of life or limb, were then adopted by the leading Melbourne clubs."

From the "Age" 1 August 1908.

The most prominent match in 1858 was between Scotch College and Melbourne's Church of England Grammar School. The game was umpired by former Rugby School student, Tom Wills.

In Australian football lore, this contest is often cited as the first match under 'Victorian rules' - however, this is impossible as such rules were not devised until a meeting the following year amongst four prominent footballers of the newly formed Melbourne FC.

"This proceeding is the more necessary as exceptions were taken last year to some of the Rugby regulations, which even a perusal of Tom Browns Schooldays has not made altogether palatable to other than old Rugbians."

From "The Argus" 16 May 1859, reporting on the formation of the Melbourne FC and its first rules committee.

Each of these footballers had played under varying rules in Britain's schools and universities, including the main initiator of the movement, Wills.

The resultant 'Victorian rules' code is a mix of the preferred rules taken from various English games, including strong elements of rugby's kicking and ball-handling.

Greg de Moore, author of Tom Wills biography adds: “Australian Rules football owes its defining features – emphasis on handling the ball, the importance of kicking, the shape of the ball, receiving a free kick after marking the ball and much more – to the Rugby School rules that Tom Wills brought.”

The first known game played under rugby union laws in Victoria took place in late June 1878. Sydney's Waratah rugby club and Melbourne's Carlton FC were keen to broker a 'football fusion' between NSW and Victoria. To further their cause, the clubs played matches under both codes in Sydney (1877) and then Melbourne (1878 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground).

In an intriguing reference back to the earlier history of football in the Victorian capital and its rugby origins, The Argus observed (29 June 1878) in its preview of the inter-code match that "it will be played under the rugby union rules, which are never used here now."

The Carlton-Waratah plan failed to ignite either a merger of the codes, or any support for a permanent place for rugby in Melbourne (though the latter was not an objective of the project).

Former Blackheath FC (rugby) captain James Pearson migrated from England - settling in Craigieburn in Melbourne's north, in 1879 (The Argus, 16 January) he called on other old rugby players to come together and form a rugby club for Victoria. Nothing came of Pearson's solitary call.

Melbourne though was the end-point of sea journeys between Britain and Australasia, and this proved to ensure some life was regularly breathed into the rugby code in Victoria during the following decades.

A rugby team, including Pearson, was raised by the Melbourne Cricket Club from amongst the city's residents in June 1881. Styled as the "Wanderers," the MCC's rugby side played against officers of the British Navy's "Detached Squadron" at the MCG. A dour match, enjoyed by the players but offering little in the way of thrills to the inquisitive spectators, was won by the visitors (scoring a try and a goal to the home team's nil).

The impending arrival of the British rugby team in 1888 was sufficient to again ignite interest, leading to the founding of the Melbourne RFC. Organised by former Cambridge University rugby player CE Chapman, a young teacher at Melbourne Grammar School (South Yarra), within weeks the city's first rugby club boasted over 100 members, with most being former rugby footballers "who have long been debarred from indulging in their favourite game."

After playing internal trial matches, a team was selected to take on the British. The Victorians put in a respectable performance in front of a crowd of 6,000 at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground, losing 15-5 to the tourists.

A fortnight later, the Melbourne side took on the 'New Zealand Native Football Team'. Comprised mostly of Maori, the New Zealanders were on their way to England. Before more than 5,000 spectators, the Natives won 3 (tries) to nil. The home team surprised all by holding the visitors to a draw in the second match.

At the Melbourne club's first annual meeting in April 1889, it was agreed to again adopt the full laws of rugby union, and to seek direct affiliation with the English RFU (as the NSWRU and QRU had already done).

It was also agreed that the size of the club warranted a division of the playing strength via the formation of new clubs - Pakeha (New Zealanders) and North Melbourne were subsequently created.

In May the New Zealand Natives returned, playing (and winning) three further matches - against the Melbourne club, a British Navy side (comprised of officers from two visiting warships), and combined Victoria.

Later in the season, the Victorian team travelled to Sydney to take on NSW. As expected, the Victorians were beaten, though the scores of 13-6 and 17-14 were more than respectable.

Feeling that it's readers needed an explanation as to the surprising competiveness of the Victorians, The Sydney Mail wrote that the entire team was "young Englishmen and New Zealanders who learnt rugby elsewhere and brought it to the colony." The team's captain, F.L. Scarborough, speaking at Sydney reception for his side, said: "I regret to say there is not a single native-born Victorian in the team."

Club football began in 1890 with Melbourne and Pakeha meeting in a match, but that was the final report of any rugby in Melbourne - all interest in the code suddenly collapsed.

Rugby did not re-emerge until early 1893 when The Sydney Mail reported "a Rugby Union [body] has again been formed in Melbourne, and four clubs – the Pioneers, Rovers, Crusaders and Pirates – have joined. There was a Rugby Union [body] in Melbourne three or four years ago."

Most of the games were held on the "Friendly Societies Ground" (which today is the site of Olympic Park) and the East Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Support held up well enough through 1893 that four clubs again took to the field the following year. A Victorian Rugby Union had been formed, and it took the positive step of writing to the NSWRU seeking inter-colonial matches. Agreement was readily found and a NSW representative team travelled to Melbourne.

In a major shock, Victoria defeated NSW 3-0 in the first match. However, the Victorians could not repeat the dose in the second match of 1894.

As with the Victorian teams of the late 1880s, The Sydney Mail found the competitiveness was not so unlikely given "the Victorian ranks have been recruited from New Zealand, England, and NSW."

In 1895, the local competition still comprised the clubs formed in 1893, apart from a new Melbourne RFC replacing the Crusaders.

A Victorian team played NSW in Sydney in 1895. Held at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the tourists were defeated 25-6 and 19-5.

Again, interest in rugby in the southern colony evaporated - no rugby is known to have been played in Melbourne during 1896 to 1898.

In a now obvious pattern, the impending arrival of the 1899 Great Britain tourists saw another Victorian team of old rugby players roused into action. In the British team's final tour match, they crushed the Victorians 30-0.

Interestingly, the Victorian team and the match were organised by the Victorian Football League. An Australian rules game was played as the early match, and a crowd of over 10,000 attended.

The "Victorian Rugby Club" played a "practice match" in May of 1900 at the Middle Park Ground (Albert Park), but failed to trigger any renewed interest in rugby and it too vanished. Not even the visit of the 1904 British team was able to revive rugby in Melbourne, and, with more than a little justification, all hope for the code appeared over.

With news that the Australian Wallabies would be arriving in Melbourne in August 1908 to join their ship bound for England, the "Victorian Rugby Union" was hastily formed in preparation for the visit and hope for a match.

The NSWRU agreed and the MCG was secured as the venue. Unsurprisingly, almost all the Victorian team were men who had learnt to play rugby elsewhere. A crowd of 1,500 attended, watching on as the Wallabies won 26-6. The Victorian team wore blue and gold jerseys.

This renewed push for rugby though was not the 'false dawn' of earlier attempts. Rugby finally placed itself on a more assured footing with the establishment of the Melbourne club competition in 1909. The founding clubs were Melbourne, East Melbourne, South Melbourne, St Kilda and University.

Melbourne won the first premiership, securing the 'Dewar Shield'. A combined Victorian team also played against "Officers of the Navy" from visiting British warships.

In July 1909 the Sydney University team journeyed to Melbourne, playing matches against Melbourne University and Victoria. The Sydney men won the inter-varsity clash 15-3. In 1910 the Melbourne University team came to Sydney, playing against Sydney University and a visiting American [Californian] Universities side. In July 1910 the New Zealand Maori side met Victoria in Melbourne.

Despite the promising growth in the code in Melbourne, The Sydney Mail cautioned: "The material on hand for rugby is limited, and although great enthusiasm prevails amongst those interested in the game, it will be some considerable time before they will produce a side to be reckoned with."

References.
Sean Fagan, The Rugby Rebellion
Greg de Moore, Tom Wills
Geoffrey Blainey, A Game Of Our Own: The Origins Of Australian Football
Greg Ryan, Forerunners of the All Blacks
Jack Pollard, Australian RU: The Game and the Players
The Referee
NSWRU / ARU archives