August 15, 2009

The events of 1995 brought to an end rugby's colourful but unforgiving amateur era, writes Phil Wilkins.

Like the Olympic Games, professionalism transformed rugby union - raising standards, making it more entertaining (in theory, anyway), providing player security and ending the long-running cancer of the game, "shamateurism".
For decades, Australia had produced brilliant individuals but struggled to field outstanding combinations capable of winning trophies and Test series.

One crucial factor was the raids of rugby league, locally and by wealthy English clubs, pecking the eyes out of rugby - the game which had whelped league back in 1907 through its neglect of injured players. The poaching of representative players occurred on a regular basis after the rejection of rugby for league by the colossus Dally Messenger, his imprints followed by immortals such as Trevor Allan, Ray Price and Wally Lewis.

Whatever the validity of rugby's claim that it provided players with the priceless experience of camaraderie and travel, from school to club to representative ranks, there was no escaping the fact that players returned from memorable tours stone broke.

Before Australia toured New Zealand in 1972, coach Bob Templeton learned Test half John Hipwell, centre Geoff Shaw, lineout forward Stuart Gregory, prop David Dunworth and hooker Bruce Taafe were unavailable. The team was beaten in all three Tests and became vilified as the "Woeful Wallabies". A year later, Tonga beat Australia 16-11 in Brisbane.

Australian rugby was on its knees. More representative games and more sophisticated coaching were needed. The establishment of a national coaching organisation, headed by former Wallabies centre Dick Marks, was of huge importance.

In 1982, coach Bob Dwyer's preference of Mark and Glen Ella over Queensland's Paul McLean and Roger Gould for the Brisbane Test against Scotland caused much angst. The Queenslanders were reinstated for the second Test, and Australia squared the series. Subsequently, nine players withdrew from the tour of New Zealand, citing financial difficulties. Remarkably, Mark Ella led a resilient Wallabies side to a 19-16 second Test win in Wellington, only for the Kiwis to win the decider and regain the Bledisloe Cup.

When, in 1984, Mosman cricketer David Lord announced he had signed 200 players and 40 officials for World Championship Rugby - despite the professional breakaway never eventuating - the pathway was clear. Rugby was ripe for a takeover by an entrepreneur such as Kerry Packer.


This was the scene when Alan Jones became Australian coach later that year. He was an inspirational leader with a strong captain in Andrew Slack, a champion scrummager in prop, Enrique "Topo" Rodriguez, and a two-metre lineout winner in Steve Cutler. Australia went down by a whisker, the Kiwis winning by a point in the third Test for a 2-1 series win.

The Jones-Slack combination's 1984 grand slam victory in Britain and Ireland was history-making. Two years later, by reclaiming the Bledisloe Cup in New Zealand for the first time since 1949, it confirmed its immortality.
In the inaugural World Cup in 1987, Australia were eliminated in a thrilling semi-final by Serge Blanco's try for France at Concord, with New Zealand eventually lifting the Webb Ellis Trophy with a 29-9 win over the Tricolours.

In 1990, the Bledisloe already lost, Australia won in Wellington when flanker Sam Scott-Young emerged from his sick bed to inspire a mighty 21-9 scoreline. The celebrations of hooker Phil Kearns, standing over Sean Fitzpatrick after the Test's only try, will never be forgotten.

Nick Farr-Jones led Australia into the 1991 World Cup, gaining a superb 16-6 semi-final win over the Kiwis before defeating England 12-6 in the final. John Eales made a try-saving tackle on five-eighth Rob Andrew, and prop Tony Daly scored the Test's only try.

The effective ending of apartheid in South Africa and democratic elections in 1992 paved the way for the Rainbow Nation's return to international rugby, but only after Bob Dwyer's Australians beat a powerful New Zealand team 2-1 to confirm their No.1 standing.

By the World Cup year of 1995, rugby was deeply cast in the shadow of professionalism on two fronts. The World Rugby Corporation threatened to take over the game, while another breakaway, Super League, was intent on skimming more of the rugby cream to the rugby league ranks.

To save the game, the Australian, New Zealand and South African unions accepted the reality of professionalism, announcing a 10-year, $US550 million television rights agreement, and signed players to contracts. Within hours, South Africa were kings of the game after winning the World Cup on home soil.

If greed is evil, money is good. Players opted for the certainty of contracts rather than a questionable future with a rebel body, and Australia entered their financial new world with a beggarly 43-6 loss to New Zealand in their first Tri Nations clash in 1996. In a howling Wellington storm, the game's most destructive player, Jonah Lomu, tore the heart out of the Wallabies, reaffirming coach Dwyer's observation: "I don't think there's ever been anyone like him."

Next week: Part V: Legends of the game … the giants of 50 years.

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