Clash of Codes is a term in sports used to describe a match played between two teams who play different codes of the same sport. Games are usually played with the codes changing at half-time, or across two matches of the difference codes with an aggregate score.
Usually associated with the codes of football, and especially rugby, several games have occurred throughout history.
The first clash of codes match between American football and rugby league was played between Jacksonville Axemen and Jacksonville Knights. The league side Axemen defeated the American football side Knights 38–27. [1]
In September 1909 the national league and union sides of Australia played a four match test series resulting in two wins a piece for either side. The exact format and rules of the game are unknown. All games were played at the Agricultural Oval in Sydney.
The first clash of codes game in the UK between rugby league and rugby union received a lot of media attention and was labelled as The Clash of the Codes . The game was between Bath and Wigan and saw league side Wigan win with an aggregate score of 101–50 across two games. [2] [3]
In January 2003, St. Helens took on Sale Sharks in a single game played at Knowsley Road, which had one half under league rules and the other under union rules. At the time Sale had the been a professional side for almost a decade which helped improve both strength and fitness that was necessary for them to adapt to the constant tackling required in rugby league, as well as being able to call on the services of a number of ex-league players, most notably Jason Robinson, who had played for Wigan in 1996, factors which were thought to have resulted in a much closer game compared to that of Bath vs Wigan. Having built up a 41–0 lead under union rules, St Helens were restricted to only 39 points under league rules. [4]
27 January 2003 |
St. Helens ![]() | 39 – 41 | Sale Sharks |
---|---|---|
Tries: Joynt 1 Maden 1 Newlove 1 Gardner 2 Kirkpatrick 1 Hooper 1 Goals: Long 2 | Report | Tries: 1 Cueto 2 Hanley 2 Davies 1 Turner 1 Schofield Goals: 3 Wigglesworth |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() St Helens | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Sale Sharks |
In February 2014, eleven years after the first dual code single game, it was announced that the AJ Bell Stadium would see another fixture, scheduled for 26 August 2014, between the facility's two tenants, Salford Red Devils and Sale Sharks, to raise money for various charities. [5] However, in July the same year it was subsequently announced that the game was being postponed owing to the difficulties of the two clubs' respective league schedules - the original date was between two important fixtures towards the end of Salford's league season, while Sale had yet to start their own league season. [6]
In October 2015, Western Suburbs Magpies played Randwick DRUFC in Australia's first Clash of Codes games of domestic teams in what was described as "hybrid rugby". The game was 13-a-side and featured league rules when in the teams own half and union rules when in the opposition half, as well as 60 second transitions. The league side won 47–19, with union points for tries, and league points for conversions, penalties, and drop goals. [7]
The first Clash of Codes game in England for over a decade will be played on 17 November at Headingley Rugby Stadium featuring legends from the England national rugby league team against legends from the England national rugby union team. The game will be 13-a-side and operate with unlimited tackles in the attacking team's own half but six after halfway, uncontested scrums and line-outs, five points for a try, two for conversion, and two for drop goal. Proceeds from the match will be donated to the Rob Burrow Foundation for Motor Neurone Disease Awareness. [8]
The teams for the match was announced 12 November: [11]
Aaron Murphy, Adrian Morley, Anthony Thackeray, Ben Westwood, Bob Beswick, Danny McGuire, Danny Brough, Darrell Griffin, Ewan Dowes, Gareth Ellis, Gary Connolly, Jacques O’Neill, Keith Senior, Kyle Wood, Kylie Leuluai, Luke Ambler, Luke Gale, Matt Diskin, Paul McShane, Ryan Atkins, Scott Murrell, Tom Minns, Wayne Goodwin, Wayne Price
Alex Waller, Andy Forsyth, Anthony Allen, Billy Twelvetrees, Ethan Waller, Danny Cipriani, Dom Waldouck, Finlay Stewart, Geordan Murphy, Graham Kitchener, Guy Thompson, Joe Simpson, Josh Matavesi, Johne Murphy, Kian Stewart, Kyle Trainer, Lee Dickson, Matt Banahan, Matt Cornwell, Matt Garvey, Michael Holford, Micky Young, Paddy McAllister, Phil Dowson, Richard Hibbard, Tom Cruse, Tommy Bell, Tom Youngs, Tom Wood, Tom Johnson
Bath Rugby are a professional rugby union club in Bath, Somerset, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Founded in 1865 as Bath Football Club, since 1894 the club has played at the Recreation Ground in the city centre.
Jason Thorpe Robinson is an English former dual-code international rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. Playing as a wing or fullback, he won 51 rugby union international caps for England and is the first black man to captain the England team. He was part of the 2003 World Cup winning rugby union England team.
Salford Red Devils are a professional rugby league club in Salford, England. They play home games at Salford Community Stadium in Barton upon Irwell and compete in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league.
The Salford Community Stadium is a rugby stadium in Barton-upon-Irwell, England, built to replace Salford rugby league club's ground the Willows for the 2012 season. Sale Sharks rugby union club have also played at the stadium since the 2012–13 season.
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Adrian Michael Hadley is a Welsh former dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and coached rugby union in the 1990s and 2000s. He played representative rugby union (RU) for Wales, at invitational level for the Barbarians F.C., and at club level for Cardiff RFC, and the Sale Sharks, as a wing, or centre, and representative rugby league (RL) for Wales, and at club level for Salford and Widnes, as a wing, and coached club level rugby union (RU) for Sale Sharks.
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Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom. Its team play in Premiership Rugby, and have been in England's top division of rugby union continuously since 1995. Originally founded in 1861 as Sale Football Club, it is one of the oldest existing football clubs. It adopted the nickname Sharks in 1999.
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Clash of the Codes was a special two match inter-code series between rugby union side Bath and rugby league side Wigan, played in May 1996. Other Clash of Codes games have also taken place.
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