View source for Rugby union at the 1908 Summer Olympics

{{Short description|Rugby at the Olympics}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox Olympic event
|event = Men's rugby union
|games = 1908 Summer
|image = White_City_Stadium_1908.jpg
|image_size = 250px
|caption =
|venue = [[White City Stadium]]
|date = 26 October
|competitors = 30
|nations = 2
|longnames = yes
|gold = [[Australia national rugby union team|Australia]]
|goldNOC =  ANZ
|silver = [[Rugby union in Cornwall|Cornwall]]
|silverNOC = GBR
|bronze = 
|prev = [[Rugby union at the 1900 Summer Olympics|1900]]
|next = [[Rugby union at the 1920 Summer Olympics|1920]]
}}

'''Rugby union at the 1908 Summer Olympics'''. The event was summarised under the [[Rugby union|"Football"]] heading along with [[football (soccer)|association football]]. The host [[Great Britain at the 1908 Summer Olympics|Great Britain]] was represented by [[Cornwall Rugby Football Union|Cornwall]], the [[1907–08 Rugby Union County Championship|1908 county champion]]. Defending Olympic champions [[France national rugby union team|France]] withdrew, leaving [[Australasia at the 1908 Summer Olympics|Australasia]],<ref>[https://www.topendsports.com/events/summer/countries/australia.htm Australia at the Olympics] on Topend Sports</ref> (represented in rugby by the [[Australia national rugby union team|Australia national team]] exclusively) as the only other remaining entrant.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080102230222/http://www.uidaho.edu/clubs/womens_rugby/RugbyRoot/rugby/FAQ/Trivia/olympics.html Rugby in the Olympics] on University of Idaho</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Australia squad 1908.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The {{nrut|Australia}} national team represented [[Australasia at the 1908 Summer Olympics|Australasia]], winning the Gold Medal]]
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.<ref name="ReferenceA">The First Hundred Years - The story of rugby in Cornwall by Tom Salmon 1983 (published by the Cornwall RFU)</ref> 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.<ref>Zavos p111</ref>

[[File:Cornwall rugby olympics 1908.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Rugby union in Cornwall|Cornwall RFU]] team won the Silver Medal representing [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Great Britain]]]]
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.<ref>Zavos p114</ref> 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.<ref>[http://www.olympics.org.uk/contentpage.aspx?no=420 British Olympic Association - Rugby World Cup Stirs Olympic Memories]</ref>

[[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 (rugby union)|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]].

[[File:Olympic Rugby 1908.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Scene of the final at White City Stadium]]
Australia outscored Great Britain six tries to one to win the gold medal by 32-3.<ref>[https://www.cornwallforever.co.uk/history/cornwall-v-australia-london-olympic-games-rugby-union-final Cornwall v. Australia - 1908 London Olympic Games Rugby Union Final] on Cornwall Forever website</ref> 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.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

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.''" <ref>Zavos p113</ref>

==Result==
{{rugbybox
|id=
|date= 26 October 1908
|time=
|home= [[Rugby union in Cornwall|Great Britain]] {{flagicon|GBR}} 
|score= 3–32
|away= {{flagicon|Australasia}} [[Australia national rugby union team|Australasia]] 
|report= [https://web.archive.org/web/20200418130629/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1908/RUG/mens-rugby.html Report]
|try1=
|con1=
|pen1=
|drop1=
|try2=
|con2=
|pen2=
|drop2=
|stadium= [[White City Stadium]], [[London]]
|attendance=
|referee=
}}
{| style="width:100%" class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
!Team details
|-
|
{| width=92% |
|-
|{{Football kit
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|pattern_so= _2_gold_stripes
|leftarm= 000000
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|title= G. Britain
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|{{Football kit  
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|title= Australasia
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{{smalldiv|1=
*'''Great Britain:''' [[John Jackett (rugby union)|John Jackett]], [[Barney Solomon]], [[Bert Solomon]], [[Frederick Dean (rugby union)|Frederick Dean]], [[Jimmy Jose]], [[Thomas Wedge (rugby player)|Thomas Wedge]], [[James Davey (rugby union)|James Davey]], [[Richard Jackett]], E. J. Jones, [[Arthur Wilson (rugby player)|Arthur Wilson]], [[Nicholas Tregurtha]], A. Lawrey, [[Charlie Marshall (rugby union)|Charlie Marshall]], A. Wilcocks, [[John Trevaskis]]
*'''Australasia:''' [[Phil Carmichael]], [[Charles Russell (rugby footballer)|Charles Russell]], [[Daniel Carroll (rugby player)|Daniel Carroll]], [[Jack Hickey (rugby)|Jack Hickey]], [[Frank Smith (rugby player)|Frank Smith]], [[Chris McKivat]], [[Arthur McCabe]]<br>[[Tom Griffin (rugby)|Thomas Griffin]], [[John Barnett (rugby footballer)|John Barnett]], [[Patrick McCue]], [[Sydney Middleton]], [[Tom Richards (rugby union, born 1882)|Tom Richards]], [[Malcolm McArthur]], [[Charles McMurtrie]], [[Robert Craig (rugby player)|Robert Craig]]
}}
|}

==Medal table==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!data-sort-type="number"|Rank !! style="width:150px;"|Team  
|-
| {{gold01}} ||align=left| {{flagicon|Australasia}} [[Australia national rugby union team|Australasia]] 
|-
| {{silver02}} ||align=left| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Rugby union in Cornwall|Great Britain]]

|}

==Team rosters==
===Australasia (Australia)===

[[Image:Sydney Middleton 1919.jpg|right|thumb|150px |Syd Middleton [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]], [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]]]
[[Image:Charles Boxer Russell 1920.jpg|right|thumb|100px| [[Charles Russell (rugby)|Boxer Russell]]]]
[[Image:Tom Richards WWI.jpg|right|thumb|150px| [[Tom Richards (rugby union, born 1882)|Tom Richards]]]] [[Image:Chris McKivat.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[Chris McKivat]]]] [[Image:Dan Carroll 1908.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[Daniel Carroll (rugby union)|Dan Carroll]]]]

{| class=wikitable
! Position || Name
|-
| Back || [[Phil Carmichael]]
|-
|rowspan=4| ¾-backs || [[Charles Russell (rugby player)|Charles Russell]]
|-
| [[Daniel Carroll (rugby union)|Daniel Carroll]]
|-
| [[Jack Hickey (rugby)|John Hickey]]
|-
| [[Frank Smith (rugby player)|Frank Smith]]
|-
|rowspan=2| Halfbacks || [[Christopher McKivatt]]
|-
| [[Arthur McCabe]]
|-
|rowspan=8| Forwards ||  [[Tom Griffin (rugby)|Thomas Griffin]]
|-
| [[Jumbo Barnett]]
|-
| [[Patrick McCue]]
|-
| [[Sydney Middleton]]
|-
| [[Tom Richards (rugby union, born 1882)|Tom Richards]]
|-
| [[Malcolm McArthur]]
|-
| [[Charles McMurtrie]]
|-
| [[Robert Craig (rugby player)|Robert Craig]]
|}

===Great Britain (Cornwall)===

{| class=wikitable
! Position || Name
|-
| Back || [[John Jackett (rugby union)|John Jackett]]
|-
|rowspan=4| Three-quarter-backs ||  [[Barney Solomon]]
|-
|[[Bert Solomon]]
|-
|[[Frederick Dean (rugby union)|Frederick Dean]]
|-
|[[Jimmy Jose]]
|-
|rowspan=2| Halfbacks || [[Thomas Wedge (rugby player)|Thomas Wedge]]
|-
|[[James Davey (rugby union)|Maffer Davey]]
|-
|rowspan=8| Forwards ||[[Richard Jackett]]
|-
|E. J. Jones
|-
|[[Arthur Wilson (rugby player)|Arthur Wilson]]
|-
|[[Nicholas Tregurtha]]
|-
|A. Lawrey
|-
|[[Charlie Marshall (rugby union)|Charlie Marshall]]
|-
|A. Wilcocks
|-
|[[John Trevaskis]]
|}

==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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/7758526.stm|title=Barbarians 11-18 Australia|date=3 December 2008|publisher=bbc.co.uk|access-date=26 January 2013}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book | last = Cook | first = Theodore Andrea | year = 1908 | title = The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report | publisher = British Olympic Association | location = London}}
* {{cite web | last = De Wael | first = Herman | year = 2001 | url = http://users.skynet.be/hermandw/olymp/rug1908.html | title = Rugby 1908 | work = Herman's Full Olympians | access-date = 7 May 2006 }}
* Zavos, Spiro (2000) ''Golden Wallabies'' Penguin Sydney

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Rugby union at the 1908 Summer Olympics}}
* {{SR/Olympics sport at games|sport=Rugby|archive=20160304085126}}

{{EventsAt1908SummerOlympics}}{{Rugby sevens at the Summer Olympics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olympics}}
[[Category:Events at the 1908 Summer Olympics|Rugby union]]
[[Category:Rugby union at the Summer Olympics|1908]]
[[Category:Rugby union in Cornwall]]
[[Category:Rugby union in London]]
[[Category:1908 rugby union tournaments for national teams]]
[[Category:1908 in Australian rugby union]]
[[Category:1908–09 in English rugby union]]
[[Category:International rugby union competitions hosted by England]]
[[Category:Men's events at the 1908 Summer Olympics]]