Rugby History Thread

[Padge]

A three hour long video, Cherry and White Wigan Memories, a history of Wigan Rugby Club.

Best watched in bite sized chunks.

 

Edited March 10 by Padge

[Futtocks]

On 10/03/2025 at 10:20, Padge said:

A three hour long video, Cherry and White Wigan Memories, a history of Wigan Rugby Club.

Best watched in bite sized chunks.

 

A lot of fantastic footage, although you may want to alter your display's aspect ratio to suit the video.

[Futtocks]

That photo, plus the original article.

 

[Anita Bath]

can anyone see the ‘x’s that mark the ground improvements since then…my eyes are not that good.

[Futtocks]

 

[Anita Bath]

12 hours ago, Futtocks said:

 

Not just English beer……sheffield beer!

[Futtocks]

 

[lemmy xaan]

On 27/03/2025 at 19:31, Futtocks said:

That photo, plus the original article.

 

I have this photo on my office wall. I've always wondered why all the seats in the shale-end of the paddock in front of the long stand were kept unoccupied that day. Anyone know?

 

[Futtocks]

This has just been posted in the Australian section (link to full article in the post).

I'm putting a link to it here because it's an excellent read and I know some TRLers get homesick if they venture off the main forum.

 

Edited April 20 by Futtocks

[Futtocks]

When Wigan hosted Biarritz XIII between the Wars.

 

[JonM]

This is Côte Basque XIII who had won the French Lord Derby Cup a few months earlier - they were based in Biarritz/Bayonne. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Côte_Basque_XIII

Widnes had travelled to Biarritz to play them, along with Bordeaux, some months earlier.

The history of British clubs travelling to play in France in those years is quite interesting - Swinton, Castleford, Leeds, Salford and I think some others too. Accusations of bias and attacks on referees a feature right from the start...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1935_Match_of_Champions

Tommy Parker, who is mentioned, was a Welsh international who had played most of his career for Wigan, then moved to Barrow, followed by several years in Biarritz as player-coach at Côte Basque.

Edited May 7 by JonM

[marklaspalmas]

Someone from the RLRKC should come along and explain why this match was "forgotten" and how and why it's been "remembered" again.

On 06/05/2025 at 20:32, Futtocks said:

On 06/05/2025 at 20:32, Futtocks said:

 

 

 

[JonM]

 21st Oct 1936 Wigan 8 Cote Basque 2.

Cote Basque also played at Hull KR on October 17th, losing 33-16. They also played at Oldham on October 24th (against, I think, a "Northern League" team?)

Edited May 8 by JonM

[marklaspalmas]

31 minutes ago, marklaspalmas said:

Someone from the RLRKC should come along and explain why this match was "forgotten" and how and why it's been "remembered" again.

 

For some reason, Wigan, who can occasionally be a law unto themselves as far as rugby league history is concerned, never counted this fixture as an official match. The rested half a dozen first teamers for the game and always classified it as a friendly. But it was an officially sanctioned tour, and all the matches played count as official matches.

With Wigan being the first club to approach 5,000 official games in their history, efforts have been made by various people to pinpoint the correct date in 2025 when they will play their 5,000th match. This has recently been done.

 

Side note. What a shame Cote Basque are no longer part of the French RL set up, one of the original clubs in 1934, lost to the game after an ill-fated merger with Bayonne in the late 1940s.

[JonM]

22 minutes ago, JonM said:

 21st Oct 1936 Wigan 8 Cote Basque 2.

Cote Basque also played at Hull KR on October 17th, losing 33-16. They also played at Oldham on October 24th - edit to add that they lost to a Northern League XIII 32-5.

 

[JonM]

2 minutes ago, marklaspalmas said:

For some reason, Wigan, who can occasionally be a law unto themselves as far as rugby league history is concerned, never counted this fixture as an official match. The rested half a dozen first teamers for the game and always classified it as a friendly. But it was an officially sanctioned tour, and all the matches played count as official matches.

Presumably related to it being a midweek game after they'd played in the Lancashire cup final on the Saturday?

[marklaspalmas]

24 minutes ago, JonM said:

Presumably related to it being a midweek game after they'd played in the Lancashire cup final on the Saturday?

Possibly, yes. How and why it happened seemed to come from Wigan's weakened line up, for the reasons you state.

The perceived strength of the line up a club puts out is not part of the criteria for judging what is an official fixture. Wigan quite possibly didn't take the fixture too seriously or competitively given their line up (although they won the game  ), but it was an RFL officially sanctioned game and belatedly enters the club's history books.

It does, of course, possibly alter established career records of some prominent Wigan players.

[EggFace]

Please move this to Cross Codes if you like but found this link of the "Football the Rugby Union Game" published in 1892 by the Rev. Frank Marshall who we all knew wanted to keep Rugby Union as a strict amatuer game.

It's very well detailed and very long but interesting by the man who we all knew wanted to keep Rugby Union as a strict amatuer game but for Rugby League fans page 352 will be of interest with it going into the Northern clubs who 3 year later would split from the RFU.

Some great mug shots as well.

https://archive.org/details/footballrugbyuni00marsrich

[JDM]

19 hours ago, EggFace said:

Please move this to Cross Codes if you like but found this link of the "Football the Rugby Union Game" published in 1892 by the Rev. Frank Marshall who we all knew wanted to keep Rugby Union as a strict amatuer game.

It's very well detailed and very long but interesting by the man who we all knew wanted to keep Rugby Union as a strict amatuer game but for Rugby League fans page 352 will be of interest with it going into the Northern clubs who 3 year later would split from the RFU.

Some great mug shots as well.

https://archive.org/details/footballrugbyuni00marsrich

Very interesting, thanks. Particularly counties playing against the 'Rest of England'

"The gentleman player may at times be inclined to regret that the popularity of the game has resulted in the introduction of a class of players who may not be the equal socially of the player of former days. The working man has made the game his own, and has clearly demonstrated his ability and skill, and so has earned his place in the county and international teams. It is therefore greatly to be rejoiced at that such is the enthusiasm and keenness of the workman player that he is prepared to sacrifice work and wages for the coveted distinction of a County, Northern or International cap" 

Bless

 

 

[Padge]

21 hours ago, EggFace said:

Please move this to Cross Codes if you like but found this link of the "Football the Rugby Union Game" published in 1892 by the Rev. Frank Marshall who we all knew wanted to keep Rugby Union as a strict amatuer game.

It's very well detailed and very long but interesting by the man who we all knew wanted to keep Rugby Union as a strict amatuer game but for Rugby League fans page 352 will be of interest with it going into the Northern clubs who 3 year later would split from the RFU.

Some great mug shots as well.

https://archive.org/details/footballrugbyuni00marsrich

Marshall's book is a great go to reference for early rugby enthusiasts. I started this thread deliberately as rugby history, not rugby league history as league and union have a shared history pre 1895. The link belongs here.

[EggFace]

1 hour ago, Padge said:

Marshall's book is a great go to reference for early rugby enthusiasts. I started this thread deliberately as rugby history, not rugby league history as league and union have a shared history pre 1895. The link belongs here.

Which links ?

[Padge]

4 minutes ago, EggFace said:

Which links ?

The link you posted to Marshall's book, it belongs in this forum.

[EggFace]

1 minute ago, Padge said:

The link you posted to Marshall's book, it belongs in this forum.

Sorry post before me ?

[Padge]

2 minutes ago, EggFace said:

Sorry post before me ?

I really don't know what you are on about, sorry.

[EggFace]

5 minutes ago, Padge said:

I really don't know what you are on about, sorry.

Sorry I thought you meant you posted the same link as I did but much earlier in the forum.