Rugby at the 1908 Summer Olympics on:
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Rugby union at the 1908 Summer Olympics. The event was summarised under the "Football" heading along with
The visiting team competed in the London Olympics in conjunction with the inaugural Australia national rugby union team, Australia 1908-09 Australia rugby union tour of the British Isles and France, tour of the United Kingdom of 1908-09, in which they would ultimately go 25-5-1 (win, draw, lose) in their 31 matches. The Australian team entered the rugby tournament and were the only other team alongside Cornwall (who were representing Great Britain).
Australia had already beaten Cornwall, the English County Championship (rugby union), county champions early in the tour – an 18–5 defeat of Cornwall in their third tour match at Camborne RFC on 3 October 1908.The First Hundred Years - The story of rugby in Cornwall by Tom Salmon 1983 (published by the Cornwall RFU) Both Scottish Rugby Union, Scotland and Irish Rugby Football Union, Ireland had declined the Rugby Football Union's invitations to participate in the Olympic competition, while French Rugby Federation, France withdrew, leaving just the Australian and Great Britain to play for gold and silver medals.
The interest in the Olympic rugby final was only lukewarm, with the final being held in the last week of the Games, that had taken place over six months.
In 1908 Twickenham Stadium was still being built: the match was played at the White City Stadium, London, on an area alongside the Olympic Games swimming pool, which measured 110 yards in length with a long line of netting stretched beside to catch flying balls. Large mattresses were spread along the rim of the pool to prevent injuries to falling players. One day was allocated to the Olympic rugby tournament, with the game taking place in a thick mid-week London fog at a virtually deserted White City in wet conditions. Often, a kick for touch saw the ball end up in the pool, and it was said that the Australians were more adept at handling the slippery ball.
Penzance RFC and England international winger Barrie Bennetts had to withdraw with an injury in the morning and was replaced by Barney Solomon – the elder brother of the much more famous Bert. Cornwall had five current or future England players – captain John Jackett of Falmouth at full back, Bert Solomon at centre, England and British and Irish Lions, British Lions fly-half John "Maffer" Davey at fly half who partnered St Ives and England scrum half, Tommy Wedge. The pack which Scrum (rugby union)#History, scrummaged on a first up/first down principle in those days included another England man A J Wilson who was a student at Camborne School of Mines.
Australia outscored Great Britain six tries to one to win the gold medal by 32-3. Silver was awarded to Cornwall and no bronze was awarded. The Cornish silver olympic medal was 'drawn for' by the players and won by Thomas 'Chicky' Wedge and it has been on display at the St Ives, Cornwall, St Ives RFC clubhouse ever since. After the match, the Cornish people, Cornish players were 'entertained to dinner' by the Cornish Members of Parliament.
Zavos quotes a contemporary newspaper account by Major Trevor in The Daily Telegraph on 27 October, 1908, ''"It will be remembered that less than a month ago there was a match played between Australia and Cornwall at Camborne and although the Australians also won on that occasion, the beaten side then played on the whole, a very good game. Yesterday the champion England county was practically at full strength, but from start to finish they were outplayed. The methods by which this victory was gained were even more creditable to the winners than the completeness of the victory itself and it is only fair to the Australians to speak of their play in terms of unqualified praise. The ground was very slippery and very heavy and as a result of several hours of continuous rain the ball was very greasy. The excellence of the play of the Australian backs therefore surprised the spectators. They gave a display of football which would have done credit to a Welsh international side, at its best. They scored eight tries and so good was the play leading up to each of them that it would be hard to say which was the best.''"
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
. The host 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 i ...
was represented by Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, the 1908 county champion. Defending Olympic champions France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
withdrew, leaving Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologi ...
, (represented in rugby by the Australia national team exclusively) as the only other remaining entrant.
History
The visiting team competed in the London Olympics in conjunction with the inaugural Australia national rugby union team, Australia 1908-09 Australia rugby union tour of the British Isles and France, tour of the United Kingdom of 1908-09, in which they would ultimately go 25-5-1 (win, draw, lose) in their 31 matches. The Australian team entered the rugby tournament and were the only other team alongside Cornwall (who were representing Great Britain).
Australia had already beaten Cornwall, the English County Championship (rugby union), county champions early in the tour – an 18–5 defeat of Cornwall in their third tour match at Camborne RFC on 3 October 1908.The First Hundred Years - The story of rugby in Cornwall by Tom Salmon 1983 (published by the Cornwall RFU) Both Scottish Rugby Union, Scotland and Irish Rugby Football Union, Ireland had declined the Rugby Football Union's invitations to participate in the Olympic competition, while French Rugby Federation, France withdrew, leaving just the Australian and Great Britain to play for gold and silver medals.
The interest in the Olympic rugby final was only lukewarm, with the final being held in the last week of the Games, that had taken place over six months.
In 1908 Twickenham Stadium was still being built: the match was played at the White City Stadium, London, on an area alongside the Olympic Games swimming pool, which measured 110 yards in length with a long line of netting stretched beside to catch flying balls. Large mattresses were spread along the rim of the pool to prevent injuries to falling players. One day was allocated to the Olympic rugby tournament, with the game taking place in a thick mid-week London fog at a virtually deserted White City in wet conditions. Often, a kick for touch saw the ball end up in the pool, and it was said that the Australians were more adept at handling the slippery ball.
Penzance RFC and England international winger Barrie Bennetts had to withdraw with an injury in the morning and was replaced by Barney Solomon – the elder brother of the much more famous Bert. Cornwall had five current or future England players – captain John Jackett of Falmouth at full back, Bert Solomon at centre, England and British and Irish Lions, British Lions fly-half John "Maffer" Davey at fly half who partnered St Ives and England scrum half, Tommy Wedge. The pack which Scrum (rugby union)#History, scrummaged on a first up/first down principle in those days included another England man A J Wilson who was a student at Camborne School of Mines.
Australia outscored Great Britain six tries to one to win the gold medal by 32-3. Silver was awarded to Cornwall and no bronze was awarded. The Cornish silver olympic medal was 'drawn for' by the players and won by Thomas 'Chicky' Wedge and it has been on display at the St Ives, Cornwall, St Ives RFC clubhouse ever since. After the match, the Cornish people, Cornish players were 'entertained to dinner' by the Cornish Members of Parliament.
Zavos quotes a contemporary newspaper account by Major Trevor in The Daily Telegraph on 27 October, 1908, ''"It will be remembered that less than a month ago there was a match played between Australia and Cornwall at Camborne and although the Australians also won on that occasion, the beaten side then played on the whole, a very good game. Yesterday the champion England county was practically at full strength, but from start to finish they were outplayed. The methods by which this victory was gained were even more creditable to the winners than the completeness of the victory itself and it is only fair to the Australians to speak of their play in terms of unqualified praise. The ground was very slippery and very heavy and as a result of several hours of continuous rain the ball was very greasy. The excellence of the play of the Australian backs therefore surprised the spectators. They gave a display of football which would have done credit to a Welsh international side, at its best. They scored eight tries and so good was the play leading up to each of them that it would be hard to say which was the best.''"
Result
Medal table
Team rosters
Australasia (Australia)
Great Britain (Cornwall)
Centenary celebration match
As part of the centenary celebrations, the British Olympic Association arranged a match between Australia national rugby union team, Australia and the Barbarian F.C., Barbarians which was held at Wembley Stadium on 3 December 2008. The Barbarian players, who normally wear their club socks, all wore gold and black socks to represent Cornwall, in a game which Australia won 11-8.Bibliography
* * * Zavos, Spiro (2000) ''Golden Wallabies'' Penguin SydneyReferences
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Olympics 1908 Summer Olympics events, Rugby union Rugby union at the Summer Olympics, 1908 Rugby union in Cornwall Rugby union in London 1908 rugby union tournaments for national teams 1908 in Australian rugby union 1908–09 in English rugby union International rugby union competitions hosted by England Men's events at the 1908 Summer Olympics