Other Nationalities rugby league team
The Other Nationalities rugby league team was a rugby league representative team that consisted non-English players living in the United Kingdom. They competed in the first ever rugby league international in 1904, against England,[1][2] fielding players from Wales and Scotland. The team was later represented by players from Australia, Fiji, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa. The Other Nationalities team wore green shirts.
| Team results | |
|---|---|
| First game | |
 England 3–9 Other Nationalities(Wigan, England; 5 April 1904) | |
| Biggest win | |
| England 10–35 Other Nationalities (Wigan, England; 11 April 1951) Other Nationalities 30–5 Wales  (Bradford, England; 7 October 1953) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
 Lancashire 36–7 Other Nationalities(St. Helens, England; 25 November 1975) |
The team played one-off matches against England until the 1930s. Between 1949 and 1955, they competed in the European Nations Cup, winning the 1952/53 and 1955/56 tournaments. In 1964 Other Nationalities played their only match in the Southern Hemisphere in a one-off match vs Sydney Colts at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The match was played as a curtain-raiser to the Australia vs France 3rd Test and was arranged in order to boost the attendance due to France's poor form on tour. The team was made up of foreign players from the NSWRL competition that year plus two Frenchmen that missed selection in France's 3rd Test team. In 1965, Other Nationalities also played New Zealand in a Kiwi tour match at Crystal Palace, London. In 1974 and 1975 the team competed in the County Championship, facing Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Cumbria, twice each over both years.
The team ceased to exist after 1975 as Wales began to compete on a regular basis and New Zealand began selecting overseas-based players. In 2011, England head coach Steve McNamara revived the concept under the name Exiles, however, only players from the Southern Hemisphere were eligible for selection.
In 2021, the Other Nationalities team was, for all intents and purposes, reformed under the name Combined Nations All Stars for a match against England on 25 June 2021, at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington although this team also contained other English players.[3]
Results
| Date | Result | Competition | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 April 1904 | England 3-9 Other Nationalities | Friendly | Central Park, Wigan | 6,000 |
| 2 January 1905 | England 26-11 Other Nationalities | Friendly | Park Avenue, Bradford | 6,000 |
| 1 January 1906 | England 3-3 Other Nationalities | Friendly | Central Park, Wigan | 8,000 |
| 5 February 1921 | England 33-16 Other Nationalities | Friendly | Lonsdale Park, Workington | |
| 15 October 1924 | England 17-23 Other Nationalities | Friendly | Headingley, Leeds | 3,000 |
| 4 February 1926 | England 37-11 Other Nationalities | Friendly | Recreation Ground, Whitehaven | 7,000 |
| 20 March 1929 | England 27-20 Other Nationalities | Friendly | Headingley, Leeds | 5,000 |
| 7 April 1930 | England 19-35 Other Nationalities | Friendly | Thrum Hall, Halifax | 2,000 |
| 1 October 1930 | England 31-18 Other Nationalities | Friendly | Knowsley Road, St Helens | 10,000 |
| 30 March 1933 | England 34-27 Other Nationalities | Friendly | Lonsdale Park, Workington | 11,000 |
| 19 September 1949 | England 7-13 Other Nationalities | 1949–50 European Rugby League Championship | Derwent Park, Workington | 17,500 |
| 22 October 1949 | Wales 5-6 Other Nationalities | 1949–50 European Rugby League Championship | The Park, Abertillery | 2,000 |
| 15 January 1950 |  France 8-3 Other Nationalities | 1949–50 European Rugby League Championship | Stade Vélodrome, Marseille | 25,000 |
| 10 December 1950 | France 16-3 Other Nationalities | 1950–51 European Rugby League Championship | Stade du Parc Lescure, Bordeaux | 28,000 |
| 31 March 1951 | Wales 21-27 Other Nationalities | 1950–51 European Rugby League Championship | St Helens Rugby Ground, Swansea | 5,000 |
| 11 April 1951 | England 10-35 Other Nationalities | 1950–51 European Rugby League Championship | Central Park, Wigan | 17,000 |
| 3 November 1951 | Other Nationalities 17-14 France | 1951–52 European Rugby League Championship | Craven Park, Hull | 18,000 |
| 1 December 1951 | Wales 11-22 Other Nationalities | 1951–52 European Rugby League Championship | The Park, Abertillery | 3,386 |
| 23 April 1952 | England 31-18 Other Nationalities | 1951–52 European Rugby League Championship | Central Park, Wigan | 20,000 |
| 18 October 1952 | England 12-31 Other Nationalities | 1952–53 European Rugby League Championship | Fartown Ground, Huddersfield | 20,000 |
| 23 November 1952 | France 10-29 Other Nationalities | 1952–53 European Rugby League Championship | Stade Vélodrome, Marseille | 18,000 |
| 15 April 1953 | Other Nationalities 16-18 Wales | 1952–53 European Rugby League Championship | Wilderspool, Warrington | 8,449 |
| 7 October 1953 | Other Nationalities 30-5 Wales | 1953–54 European Rugby League Championship | Odsal Stadium, Bradford | 14,646 |
| 18 October 1953 | France 15-10 Other Nationalities | 1953–54 European Rugby League Championship | Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux | 12,000 |
| 28 November 1953 | England 30-22 Other Nationalities | 1953–54 European Rugby League Championship | Central Park, Wigan | 19,000 |
| 12 September 1955 | England 16-33 Other Nationalities | 1955–56 European Rugby League Championship | Central Park, Wigan | 18,234 |
| 19 October 1955 | Other Nationalities 32-19 France | 1955–56 European Rugby League Championship | Hilton Park, Leigh | 7,000 |
| 18 July 1964 |  Sydney Colts 25-16 Other Nationalities | Curtain-raiser to Australia vs France 3rd Test | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | 16,731 |
| 27 January 1965 | Other Nationalities 2-19 St. Helens | Friendly (switching-on of new floodlights) | Knowsley Road, St Helens | 15,000 |
| 18 August 1965 | Other Nationalities 7-15  New Zealand | Kiwi Tour Match | Crystal Palace, London | |
| 11 September 1974 | Lancashire 14-13 Other Nationalities | County Championship | The Willows, Salford | 2,000 |
| 18 September 1974 |  Yorkshire 6-104 Other Nationalities | County Championship | Craven Park, Hull | |
| 25 September 1974 |  Cumbria ?-? Other Nationalities | County Championship | Recreation Ground, Whitehaven | |
| 25 November 1975 | Lancashire 36-7 Other Nationalities | County Championship | Knowsley Road, St Helens | 29,000 |
| 6 December 1975 | Yorkshire 8-68 Other Nationalities | County Championship | Odsal Stadium, Bradford | |
| 20 December 1975 | Cumbria 19-14 Other Nationalities | County Championship | Craven Park, Barrow-in-Furness | |
| 25 June 2021 | England 24 - 26  Other Nationalities | Friendly | Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington[4] [5] |
Player statistics
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† 5 April 1904 match, against England, was a 12-a-side game.
†† Although originally from South Africa, David "Dave" Barends also represented Great Britain.
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References
- "The History Of Rugby League". Rugby League Information. napit.co.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- "Scotland". rlwc2013.com. Rugby League International Federation. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - "England to face Combined Nations All Stars in June in Shaun Wane's first match". BBC. 16 March 2021. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- "2021 England v Combined Nations All Stars". YouTube. Sky Sports. 26 Jun 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 27 Jun 2021.
- "England beaten by All Stars in Shaun Wane's first game in charge". The Guardian. 26 Jun 2021. Retrieved 27 Jun 2021.
- "Programme 'Yorkshire County Rugby League - Challenge Cup Final - 1957 - Huddersfield v. York'" (PDF). huddersfieldrlheritage.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.