Good Sports? Scotland, Empire and Rugby c.1924–1928

Abstract

ABSTRACTBefore the Great War rugby union was ascribed an important role in developing and strengthening good relations between Britain and her imperial dominions by helping cultivate shared values, values encapsulated by the phrase ‘fair play’. It was not always successful. Bad feeling generated by perceived unsporting behaviour during the New Zealand (1905) and Australia (1908–9) tours of Britain and the Anglo-Welsh tour of New Zealand (1908) endured. Despite their touring Britain in 1924–5, Scotland refused to play the All Blacks until 1935. Nevertheless, sport as a unifying force continued to be promoted after the First World War. This paper will examine a little known episode in Scottish rugby history, the match against the New South Wales Waratahs in 1927. Though not a formal international, this keenly anticipated game was popularly accorded Test status, due to the fact that Scotland had not played a southern hemisphere team since 1912 and to the presence of the Waratahs captain, A.C ‘Johnnie’ Wallace. Wallace had played in the 1925 Grand-Slam-winning Scottish team and by exploring this success in relation to the All Blacks tour of 1925 and the Waratahs of 1927 the paper will examine the impact of colonial sporting tours on Scottish-Australian relations.