The Courtney Goodwill Trophy is a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

trophy that was awarded for competition between the national rugby league teams of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

between 1936 and 1988. The trophy is displayed in the Heroes and Legends Museum at Rugby League Central in Moore Park, Sydney.

History

The trophy was donated and designed by New Zealand businessman and rugby enthusiast Roy Courtney. The intention was that it would generate a feeling of goodwill between the then four test playing nations. The trophy was handed over to the

Australian Rugby League Board of Control The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australian Rugby Footbal ...

at the first test between Australia and Great Britain in Sydney on 29 June 1936. With Great Britain winning the trophy in 1936 following victories over Australia and New Zealand, the trophy was held in Great Britain until 1951 although it was returned to Australia for safe storage during the Second World War. It was also considered for use as a substitute for the Ashes Cup when that trophy went missing in 1937. Until the 1950s the trophy was awarded ever time the holders played one of the other three teams but then the award was made every five years to the team with the highest winning percentage of test matches during that period. With the continued expansion of the

Rugby League World Cup The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league tournament contested by the top national men's representative teams. The tournament is administered by the International Rugby League and was first held in France in 1954, which was ...

and difficulties in transporting the trophy the awarding of the trophy was withdrawn in 1988. The trophy is now displayed in the Heroes and Legends Museum at

Rugby League Central Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Holders

* 1936: Great Britain * 1950: Australia * 1951: France * 1965–1970: New Zealand (based on test performances between 1960 and 1964) * 1970–1975: Australia * 1975–1980: France * 1980–1985: Australia * 1985–1988: Australia

Description

The trophy is on a square base that is on each side, stands tall and weighs almost . The base is wooden and is in the form of a stepped pyramid inlaid with timbers from each of the four countries and carries an embossed silver globe mounted on four dolphins. Each dolphin has a scroll attached with an inscription from each country. These read ''Peace and Goodwill'' (England), ''Liberte, Fraternite'' (France), ''Unity and Equality'' (Australia), and ''Honour and Justice'' (New Zealand). Atop the globe is a figure representing Peace, holding a laurel wreath and a flaming torch. On the steps of the base are symbolical figures in silver, again representing the four nations;

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

and the lion (England), the crest of the Republic and a

rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

(France), the kangaroo and aboriginal man (Australia), and the kiwi, silver fern and Maori (New Zealand). On plates around the base are images of four pioneering rugby league players in action; James Lomas (England),

Jean Galia Jean Galia (born 20 March 1905 in Ille-sur-Têt, Pyrénées-Orientales, died 17 January 1949 in Toulouse) was a French rugby union and rugby league footballer and champion boxer. He is credited with establishing the sport of rugby league in Fran ...

(France),

Dally Messenger Herbert Henry Messenger, nicknamed "Dally" and sometimes "The Master" (12 April 1883 – 24 November 1959) was one of Australasia's first professional rugby footballers, recognised as one of the greatest-ever players in either code. He played f ...

(Australia), and

Albert Henry Baskerville Albert (Bert) Henry Baskerville (born as "Baskiville") (15 January 1883 – 20 May 1908) was a Wellington postal clerk, a rugby union forward, author of the book "''Modern Rugby Football: New Zealand Methods; Points for the Beginner, the Pla ...

(New Zealand). The trophy is completed with a domed shrine of remembrance bearing the inscription: "In commemoration of the supreme sacrifice and glorious deeds of sportsmen whose devotion to duty was in the cause of Peace and Goodwill."

References

{{coord, -33.8892, 151.2252, type:landmark_region:AU-NSW, display=title, name=Heroes and Legends Rugby League Museum Rugby league trophies and awards 1936 establishments in Australia 1988 disestablishments in Australia