Rugby Reloaded 181 - The Prince Obolensky story, with Hugh Godwin

The latest episode of 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Hugh Godwin about his fascinating new biography of the England winger of the 1930s, Prince Alexander Obolensky.

'The Flying Prince' is a meticulously researched book which examines how a Russian noble came to be the hero of English rugby union by scoring two devastating tries in England's first ever win over the All Blacks in 1936.

Along the way, it paints a detailed picture of the sport in the interwar years, discusses the history of international eligibility, and reveals the truth behind Obolensky's death in World War Two.

The book is available here and you can follow Hugh on Twitter at @hughgodwin_ You can see Obolensky’s two tries agains the All Blacks at Twickenham in the newsreel below.

Rugby Reloaded 180 - The 1946 'Indomitables' tour, with Martin Whitcombe and Huw Richards

This episode of Rugby Reloaded looks back 75 years to the 1946 British Rugby League Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand. And to talk about their new book about the 'Indomitables', as the tourists were nicknamed, 'Rugby Reloaded' is joined by Martin Whitcombe, grandson of tourist Frank Whitcombe, and acclaimed historian Huw Richards.

We discuss the political origins of the tour, the backdrop of World War 2, the reception in Australia, the tour's controversial end, and Martin's moving story about the writing of the book. This is most definitely essential listening! 

You can order The Indomitables - Rugby League’s Greatest Tour direct from the publishers here.

Martin’s earlier book about his grandfather, Bradford and Great Britain prop-forward Frank Whitcombe, The Indomitable Frank Whitcombe, is also available here.

Rugby Reloaded 179 - The Newcastle Utd takeover and the ghosts of football past, with Gavin Kitching

Newcastle fans greet Joe Harvey with the FA Cup in 1951 - but whose club is it anyway? (credit: Northcliffe Collection)

This episode of 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Professor Gavin Kitching, author of 'A Fateful Love; Essays on Football in the North-East of England 1880-1930' about what history can tell us about the recent takeover of Newcastle United by a Saudi Arabian investment fund.

Is the hyper-commercialisation of football today a consequence of the commercialism which led to the creation of the Football League in the 1880s - or does it represent something new? Why don't fans reject billionaire takeovers of their clubs - and what does it even mean to talk about 'their' clubs? The Newcastle takeover illustrates the issues which face not just soccer, but all sports which base themselves on free-market capitalist commercialism.

For details of a publisher’s discount on Gavin’s book and our discussion about nineteenth century football in the North East of England take a look at Rugby Reloaded episode 169.

Rugby Reloaded 178 - The 1981 Springbok tour of the USA, with Professor Derek Catsam

The new 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Professor Derek Catsam about his new book on the strange, sanction-busting Springbok of the USA in 1981, 'Flashpoint: How a Little-Known Sporting Event Fueled America's Anti-Apartheid Movement'.

Derek’s book tells the story of the interlocking of rugby union politics, apartheid, the Cold War and some inconsequential rugby matches.

Coming straight after the the hugely controversial 1981 test series between the All Blacks and the Springboks, the American tour probably qualifies as one of the strangest events in rugby history.

To discover more about Derek’s work check out his university web page or follow him on Twitter.

Rugby Reloaded 177 - 'Keep On Keeping On' - history of the London Broncos with Huw Richards

The latest 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to journalist, historian and all-round sports renaissance man Huw Richards about London Broncos' recent announcement that from 2002 the club will go part-time.

We examine the ramifications of and reasons for the decision, and then segue into the eventful history of the London club. Along the way we talk about the geography of London, Leo Dynevor, Tony Gordon, regional accents, and Richard Branson, before attempting to answer the unanswerable: what does the future hold for rugby league in London?

Those were the days my friend: Fulham’s side for the very first match in 1980.

Rugby Reloaded 176 - Rugby League in South Africa with Dr Hendrik Snyders

This month's 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Dr Hendrik Snyders about the attempts to start rugby league in South Africa in the 1950s and the influx of black, 'coloured' and white South Africans into British rugby league in the 1960s. It's a story of politics, race, RFL accommodation to apartheid, and British rugby league providing a home for non-white rugby stars.

You can buy a copy of Hendrik and Peter Lush’s excellent book Tries and Conversions: South African rugby league players here from London League Publications. Hendrik’s article on South African rugby union’s attack on rugby league ‘‘Preventing Huddersfield’: The rise and decline of rugby league in South Africa, c.1957–1965’ can be found here.

Rugby Reloaded 175 - Dockers, Trawlerman and the Oval Ball City, with Trevor Gibbons

Baines Card for the 19th Century ‘Hull Unity’ club - not a name that has much appeal for league fans in the city today…

In the last of the current weekly series of 'Rugby Reloaded' I catch up with journalist and fellow Hull-born leaguie Trevor Gibbons to talk about growing up league, the psycho-geography of the sport, the eternal battle between the red and the black, and what rugby league means to the city of Hull.

Rugby Reloaded 174 - The 1914 3rd Rugby League Ashes Test Match - 'Wagstaff's Match'

This week’s episode goes back to 4 July 1914, when the greatest rugby league test match of all time took place - the third and decisive game of the 1914 Ashes series.

Led by Harold Wagstaff, a nine-man British Lions team overcame Australia 14-6 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It set the template for international rugby league and became the benchmark for what was expected of players.

But why did it become known as the 'Rorke's Drift' test match, despite the towering performance of Wagstaff? The new 'Rugby Reloaded' looks at the controversies that dogged the game and explains why it became the sport's totemic match.

You can read Harold Wagstaff’s account of the match and the 1914 tour in the excellent A Northern Union Man - The life of Harold Wagstaff, published by London League Publications. For the history of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift, the best account is Ron Lock and Peter Quantrill’s Zulu Victory: The Epic of Isandlwana and the Cover-up.

The 1914 Northern Union rugby league tourists - Harold Wagstaff is seated in the centre with the ball.

Rugby Reloaded 173 - The History of Ice Hockey: The Third Rugby Code?

It's Game 4 of the Stanley Cup tonight and so this week's episode of 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Bruce Berglund about the history of ice hockey and his new book The Fastest Game in the World: Hockey and the Globalization of Sport.

We talk about hockey's origins at the same time as the emergence of the football codes, how it reflected Muscular Christianity, how it spread around the world, the role played by women, and much else besides.

How far from the truth is it to call hockey the third rugby code?

Rugby Reloaded 172 - 'Rugby League is Dying': The History of a Meme

This latest episode examines the curious case of the death that never happened. 'Rugby League is dying' has been a refrain that has dogged the sport throughout its history.

But rugby league hasn't died, and in fact has survived numerous attempts to kill it off, whether from rugby union, the Vichy government or self-inflicted wounds from itself.

So why does this 'meme' continue? We look at its history, ask why it has re-emerged recently, and point out that the sport is no closer to death today than it was at any other time when its imminent demise was being predicted.

Can’t keep a good meme down: the ‘Melbourne Age’ gives its verdict in 1983.

Rugby Reloaded 171 - Joseph Platt & the problems of rugby league administration

This week's 'Rugby Reloaded' looks at the life of Joseph Platt, the founding secretary of the Northern Union.

Joe Platt was the man who organised the historic meeting at the George Hotel in August 1895 and he remained secretary of the Northern Union for 25 years.

He steered the NU through the split, rule changes, international expansion, and World War One - yet his attempts to expand the game were hamstrung by the self-interest of the founder clubs.

Has British rugby league has changed significantly in the century since Platt's death or is the game still haunted by the problems that were present at its birth?

Rugby Reloaded 170 - Rugby League, Class & Mental Health with Jon Bell

Psychotherapist and former Huddersfield Giant Jon Bell joins us on the podcast this week to talk about his work on vulnerability, mental health and rugby league.

Over the past decade, mental health has become an increasingly important issue in the game, and is linked to issues such as masculinity, de-industrialisation and the changing nature of professional rugby league - and is part of a general mental health crisis affecting large numbers of working-class people.

This new episode discusses Jon's unique insights into these problems and looks at rugby league is doing to help. You can find out more about his work at www.jonbellcounselling.co.uk  and follow him on Twitter at @JBellCounsellor.

Rugby Reloaded 169 - Sunderland and the origins of football in the North East, with Gavin Kitching

The new 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Professor Gavin Kitching about Sunderland, Sunderland Albion, and how soccer overtook rugby in the North East of England in the 1870s and 1880s.

Gavin's new book A Fateful Love: Essays on Football in the North-East of England 1880-1930 is a detailed investigation of the myths and realities of football's rise, and also deeply thoughtful exploration about the nature of football, its appeal and what is perhaps its fateful contradiction.

You can get a 30% discount on the book by using the form below. For a flavour of the book, download Gavin’s 2015 article, The Origins of Football: History, Ideology and the Making of ‘The People's Game.

Rugby Reloaded 168 - Poetry, rugby union and World War One

This week 'Rugby Reloaded' looks at the literature and poetry of rugby union, and explores how its patriotic message helped the game expand dramatically after World War One.

'Tom Brown's Schooldays' helped launch rugby union in the mid-19th century and its themes became part of the sport's culture. Poets like Rupert Brooke were fans of the game and poems were written in praise of famous players.

World War One gave rugby union its most important moral mission, and its success in promoting its militarist message meant the 1920s became the decade of the 'Rush to Rugby'.

Rupert Brooke - Rugby School three-quarter and poet.

Rugby Reloaded 167 - How Leicester Tigers saved English rugby union

Leicester captain Edward Redman, pub landlord and former Manningham FC forward.

This week's episode of 'Rugby Reloaded' looks at how Leicester Tigers saved rugby union in the early 1900s. The history of folk football in Leicestershire extends back into the middle ages, and rugby was the first football code to take root there in the 1870s. Just as in the north of England, rugby became a mass spectator sport run on professional lines.

But after 1895, the Tigers made themselves a bulwark of the RFU, which in turn whitewashed the club's many breaches of amateurism. If Leicester had switched codes, the history of rugby would have been very different - but, instead, they became the club that saved English rugby union from the rugby league threat.

You can download an article I wrote in 2017 about the early history of rugby in Leicester and why the Tigers stayed loyal to the RFU from here.

Rugby Reloaded 166 - The Origins of Rugby in Hull: When East was West...

The Hull Football Almanack for 1889.

This week's 'Rugby Reloaded' looks at the origins of rugby in Hull and its strange twist of geographical fate. The city was and remains a heartland of rugby dating back to the 1860s.

Like the rest of the north of England, the game in Hull was begun by former public schoolboys, but it quickly captured the imagination of dockers, shipbuilders and factory workers across the city. And East Hull was the home of Hull FC and Hull KR were the pride of West Hull...

This new episode explores the social history of early rugby in Hull and investgates how its premier sporting rivalry was flipped on its head.

Rugby Reloaded 165 - Sheffield's Youdan Cup: the trophy that inspired the FA Cup?

It's the FA Cup Final on Saturday - so this episode of 'Rugby Reloaded' investigates whether the FA Cup was directly inspired by Sheffield's Youdan Cup tournament.

The Youdan Cup kicked off in Sheffield in 1867 and was won by Hallam FC by two rouges to nil. Many Sheffield fans believe the cup was the model that FA secretary Charles Alcock used for the FA Cup when it kicked off in 1871. But as usual in football history, the truth is far more complex and fascinating than this simple origin myth.

As this new episode explains, the Youdan Cup and its successor the Cromwell Cup were early, failed models of football's commercial, sponsored future - but they came at a time when football's local and national leaders believed that football was the antithesis of popular entertainment.

For a detailed look at the early history of football in Sheffield and full reports on the Youdan Cup, see Martin Westby’s A History of Sheffield Football 1857-1889, the chapter on Sheffield football in my How Football Began and Rugby Reloaded episode 22 on Sheffield.

The Sheffield Daily Telegraph advertises the Youdan Cup’s first round matches, 16 February 1867.

Rugby Reloaded 164 - Rugby & Art: Robert Delaunay's 'The Cardiff Team'

In 1913 the French modern artist Robert Delaunay exhibited his ground-breaking painting 'The Cardiff Team'. It was an important painting in 20th century French art which used rugby as a metaphor for the newly industrialising nation which France was becoming.

Rugby was part of the 'shock of the new' heralded by avant-garde artists like Delaunay. But why was the painting named after Cardiff FC? What was the link between France and Wales? As this new episode of 'Rugby Reloaded' explains, 'The Cardiff Team' is much more than a depiction of a rugby match.

To read more about ‘The Cardiff Team’ order Bernard Vere’s Sport and modernism in the visual arts in Europe, c. 1909–39 for your library (health warning: nose-bleed inducing prices from an academic publishers

Robert Delaunay ‘L'Équipe de Cardiff’ (1913), Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris

Rugby Reloaded #163 - Rugby League and the coal-mining industry

The new episode of Rugby Reloaded looks at the long history of coal-mining and rugby league. Rugby and coalminers in the north of England formed an unbreakable bond as far as back as the 1880s. Rugby league was built on pit villages and mining towns - of the first ten members of the RFL Hall of Fame, three were miners.

But as this episode explains, this link went much deeper, because both mining and rugby league were seen as exemplars of working-class toughness, teamwork and identity, a spirit which continues even today, long after the last pits have closed.

Boys playing rugby league outside Haig Pit near Whitehaven in 1951.

Rugby Reloaded #162 - 'Going North': From the Great Split to the Great Depression

For 140 years, Welsh rugby players have travelled to the north of England to find fame and fortune. At first they went to play for the powerhouse clubs of northern rugby union, and when those clubs created rugby league, Welsh players became an integral part of the 13-a-side game. This week's 'Rugby Reloaded' investigates the players who 'went North' from the 1880s to the 1930s, looking at their stories and motivations.

For more on the history Welsh players in rugby league, look no further than Robert Gate’s two volume ‘Gone North’ first published in 1986. For an examination of the racial discrimination that would force black Welsh players to rugby league, watch the BBC documentary ‘The Rugby Codebreakers’ and listen to an interview with presenter Carolyn Hitt here on Rugby Reloaded episode 136.

William ‘Buller’ Stadden (Cardiff, Dewsbury & Wales)