Referees haven't always stayed neutral!

17 July 2014

In a letter I found at home recently this short bit of refereeing whimsy was passed on down to me by the late, great writer Sir Terry ('T.P') McLean. Terry was commenting to me about referees in general and recalled that in the 1920s during the great Hawkes Bay Ranfurly Shield era, the top local whistle-man was a man called Bill O'Neill.

In those days 'home' referees controlled the games when visiting teams came to challenge for the famous trophy. In one challenge the visiting team was ever so slightly alarmed to hear Bill O'Neill when he had called a scrum, say out loud, 'OK boys, we'll scrum it here...and it's our ball in !'

Its a short piece which I publish here just because I can!

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Every day there is Rugby History 14 June 1969

Click to show A world record is scored by a great Cantabrian

NZ beats Wales 33-12 on Eden Park and Fergie McCormick scores 3 conversions, a drop goal and five penalties - 24 points - then the world test record.

A-Z of Rugby

Click to show ALLAN, TREVOR

ALLAN, TREVOR
New South Wales and Australia
14 internationals for Australia 1946–49

A brilliant centre three-quarter, Trevor Allan was, in two seasons in particular, one of Australia’s most successful test captains. He assumed the leadership of the Wallabies on the 1947–48 tour of Britain after the original skipper, Bill McLean, suffered a broken leg.

At just 21, Allan was the youngest of all international touring captains. That Wallaby team may not have won the Grand Slam over the four home unions, but it maintained a record of not conceding a try in those games.

The injury to McLean meant the young man was put in charge of a team made up mainly of World War II veterans. Yet Allan was enormously success with them and the team displayed tremendous loyalty to him.

In 1949 Allan led Australia to its ﬁrst away win in the Bledisloe Cup series against New Zealand, although New Zealanders will be quick to point out that the leading 30 All Blacks of that year were involved in another series in South Africa at the same time.

Trevor Allan quit rugby for the professional game in 1951, playing rugby league in England for Leigh. He named a daughter after the town of that name.

After retiring from all football in 1954 he became a respected television rugby commentator.