An Oral History of England International Rugby Union Players, 1945-1995 Joe Hall
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An Oral History of England International Rugby Union Players, 1945-1995 Joe Hall International Centre for Sports History and Culture, De Montfort University Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, awarded by De Montfort University Research funded by an Arts and Humanities Research Council Collaborative Doctoral Award, in collaboration with the World Rugby Museum Submitted September 2017 This thesis is dedicated to Lynne and Steve Hall, and to Sophie Herdman. I couldn’t have done it without you. 3 Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................. 5 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. 6 Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter One: Introduction ................................................................................................ 9 Aims and historiography ................................................................................................ 9 Methodology .................................................................................................................. 22 Thesis structure ............................................................................................................. 32 Chapter Two: Return to Normality: 1945-1959 ............................................................ 36 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 36 Education ....................................................................................................................... 38 Class ................................................................................................................................ 60 Work and playing the game ......................................................................................... 73 National service ............................................................................................................. 92 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 101 Chapter Three: Transition: 1960-1979 ......................................................................... 104 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 104 Education ..................................................................................................................... 107 Class .............................................................................................................................. 126 Work and playing the game ....................................................................................... 145 4 English rugby union and apartheid South Africa .................................................. 177 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 195 Chapter Four: Change? 1980-1995 ............................................................................... 201 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 201 Education ..................................................................................................................... 203 Class .............................................................................................................................. 218 Work and playing the game ....................................................................................... 234 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 277 Chapter Five: Conclusion .............................................................................................. 281 Appendices ....................................................................................................................... 307 Appendix One: List of interviewees ........................................................................ 307 Appendix Two: Secondary schools of England internationals ............................ 310 Appendix Three: Interview documents ................................................................... 312 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 317 5 Abstract This thesis is the first oral history study of English rugby union. Through personally conducted interviews, it focuses on the experiences of men who played rugby union for England in the post-war, amateur era, and considers what they can tell us about both the sport and the society of which it was a part. The period it covers begins with the end of the Second World War, in 1945, and ends when rugby union ceased to be an amateur sport, in 1995. These fifty years were a time of both change and continuity, and it is a primary concern of this thesis to consider the extent of each in both rugby union and in wider society. Through looking at, in particular, English rugby union’s links with education, its relationship with work in a period in which its players were amateur, and its place on the spectrum of class, this study demonstrates, above all, the durability of rugby union’s social core, even in the midst of outward change to the sport. In doing so, it makes an important contribution to the historiography of both British sport and post-war Britain more generally, arguing for consideration of social continuity among a field largely dominated by notions of change. It also constitutes a unique study of a particular group of middle-class men, and demonstrates that sport – and oral history – can add much to our understanding of post-war social history. 6 Acknowledgements When I saw, in the summer of 2013, that De Montfort University was looking for someone to take on a PhD project entitled ‘An Oral History of England International Rugby Union Players, 1945-1995’ – and thanks should go to both my dad and to Mike Hobbiss for alerting me to that – I could not believe that someone had conceived an academic project quite so up my street. Thank you first of all, therefore, to Tony Collins and to Mike Rowe at the World Rugby Museum for doing so, and for choosing me to carry it out. Thank you also to the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Rugby Football Union for helping to fund it. Tony has been a fantastic supervisor. He has offered intellectual guidance and personal support in equal measure and, importantly, has been a friendly and approachable counsellor from the beginning. I could not have hoped for more, and this work owes a huge debt to him. At the World Rugby Museum, Mike Rowe, Richard Steele and Phil McGowan have all been hugely supportive, always willing to help and playing a crucial part in this research coming to fruition. At De Montfort University, Neil Carter not only stepped in as second supervisor for the final year of the research but also provided sound guidance and friendly support throughout. Dave Dee and Martin Polley were particularly supportive during my time teaching, and Victoria Dawson was a kind and helpful ‘evil twin’, as she would put it. This study exists because of the willingness of several ex-rugby union players, often along with their families, to give up their time and share their experiences. I will be forever grateful to them for doing so and for providing me not just with the material to write this thesis but with a set of cherished experiences. Thank you to all of them. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the memories of Phil Judd, Ted Woodward, Don Rutherford and 7 Chris Winn, who have all sadly passed away since I visited them. I am particularly grateful to have had the chance to hear their stories. It’s impossible to imagine getting through a PhD without your friends and family being there to support you in different ways. Thank you to Toby Davies, John Gibbons, Tim Grady, Mike Hobbiss and Matt Roberts – you have all helped me in ways you’re aware of as well as ways you’re probably not. To Sue Herdman and Ian Pike, thank you not only for your editors’ eyes but for your wise counsel and encouragement throughout. To Soph – you once said that the idea of me finishing my PhD nearly made you cry with happiness, and I don’t think that was because you were particularly enraptured by its conclusions. It’s an impossible task to put into words how much having you by my side has helped me and meant to me – always has and always will. Thank you. I honestly will clean the bathroom now. To Amy, thank you for listening to me, encouraging me and always being a kind and positive presence. You are everything anyone could hope for in a big sister. To Mum and Dad, there is no way to properly express all that you’ve given to me and done for me, not just in the context of this work but over the course of my life. All that I can say is thank you for all of it, from the very bottom of my heart. 8 Abbreviations FA Football Association FIFA Fédération Internationale de Football Association GAA Gaelic Athletic Association ICI Imperial Chemical Industries IRB International Rugby Board LAC Leading Aircraftman LEA Local Education Authority MCC Marylebone Cricket Club PGCE