Rugby in the Colony of Victoria

Sean Fagan - ColonialRugby.com.au

Traditional folk football was first played in Victoria in the late 1840s and into the 1850s. By 1857 rugby games were held in Melbourne.

However, disatisfaction with how the game was played led to the Melbourne FC in May 1859 adopting its own revised laws of football [refer to "Melbourne's Lost Rugby History"]

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

Rugby was not played again in Victoria until June 1878 when Sydney's Waratah rugby club met Melbourne's Carlton FC - the two clubs were keen to broker a 'football fusion' between NSW and Victoria.

To further their cause, the Waratahs met Carlton in 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).

Shortly afterwards, former Blackheath FC (rugby) captain James Pearson migrated from England to Victoria, settling in Craigieburn in Melbourne's north. In 1879 (The Argus, 16 January) Pearson 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" and wearing dark blue jerseys, the MCC's rugby side played against officers of the British Navy's "Detached Squadron" (white jerseys with a crown insignia over the breast) 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 "Squadron" (scoring a try and a goal to the home team's nil).

The Sydney Mail (2 July 1881) reported that the inaugural NSW "Victorian rules" team during its Melbourne visit played two matches under rugby rules against the "Squadron" side.

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 (though the latter club at least may have already been in existence in some form, given The Sportsman of 13 June 1888 records a rugby match between North Melbourne and Melbourne at the Carlton Cricket Club ground on 9 June 1888).

In May 1889 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 for the 1890 season commenced 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
Ron Grainger, Rugby in Victoria:The Early Years (held by the State Library of Victoria)

© Copyright - Sean Fagan - ColonialRugby.com.au