John Brass

Last updated

John Brass
Birth nameJohn Brass
Date of birth (1946-10-07) 7 October 1946 (age 77)
Place of birth Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
School Sydney Boys High School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Five-eighth
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1965–1988 Randwick DRUFC ()
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1966–68 Australia 12
Rugby league career
Playing information
Position Centre, Five-eighth
Club
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
1969-1976 Eastern Suburbs 142722
Representative
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
1970 New South Wales 26
1970, 1975 Australia 60

John Brass (born 7 October 1946) is an Australian former rugby union and rugby league footballer – a dual-code international. He made twelve international representative rugby union appearances with the Wallabies from 1966 to 1968 and six representative rugby league appearances for the Kangaroos in 1970 and 1975, as national captain on one occasion.

Contents

Background

John Brass was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Rugby union career

His junior football was with the South Coogee juniors. He was educated at Sydney Boys High School, graduating in 1963 [1] and went on to play first grade rugby with the Randwick rugby club in their premiership winning sides of 1965 to 1967. Brass credits watching Randwick scrumhalf prodigy Ken Catchpole in action at the Sydney Sports Ground in 1959 as the early inspiration for his wanting to play rugby. [2]

He made his debut for New South Wales against Queensland in 1966 at the age of 19, and nine days later played for New South Wales against the touring British Lions. Injured for the first Test against the Lions, he then debuted for Australia in the infamous 2nd Test in Brisbane, which saw an injury-hit Australia defeated 31-nil. [3] He then won national selection with the Wallabies for the coveted 1966–67 Australia rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland and France, playing in all five Tests and in 32 of the 36 tour matches. Partnering with veteran centre Dick Marks through all the internationals, Brass scored his first Test try for Australia against Scotland at Murrayfield. [4] He played with in the historic Wallaby victories over Wales and England, and scored his second Test try at Twickenham against the English. [5]

In the 1968 season, he played alongside Randwick centre Phil Smith in the 1st Bledisloe Cup Test 11–27 loss to New Zealand and the 11–10 victory over France in Sydney and was selected for the 1968 short tour of Scotland and Ireland, playing in the 3–10 defeat to Ireland and the 3–9 loss to Scotland. [6]

After a disappointing 1968 season for Australian rugby Union, Brass announced he was switching codes, after being offered a record contract to play Rugby League with Eastern Suburbs. [7] Brass would later reflect fondly on his amateur rugby touring days, telling film maker Theo Clark in 2016: "Overall, the encompassing thing was just what a wonderful experience it was – a dollar-a-day stuff but, you know, some people would say a dollar-a-day and we were probably overpaid." [8]

Rugby league career

Switching to rugby league in 1969 he joined the Eastern Suburbs ("Roosters") club on a then record contract of A$30,000 pa. [9]

In 1970, he was made captain of the Roosters' first grade side and was selected for New South Wales in the interstate series against Queensland.

He represented Australia in rugby league in all three Tests against Great Britain in 1970. His international rugby league debut against Great Britain in Brisbane on 6 June 1970 alongside Phil Hawthorne saw them together become Australia's 32nd and 33rd dual code rugby internationals.

For family reasons, he made himself unavailable for the 1972 Rugby League World Cup and the 1973 Kangaroo Tour but he was selected for the 1975 World Cup series and captained Australia to victory in a game against New Zealand in that campaign. He is listed on the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo No.440. [10]

He was part of the Roosters' premiership winning sides of 1974 and 1975, kicking two goals in the 1974 Grand Final and scoring two tries in the 1975 decider. During the 1976 NSWRFL season, Brass played as a centre for Eastern Suburbs in their unofficial 1976 World Club Challenge match against British champions St. Helens in Sydney.

Post playing

Brass coached the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Group 18 competition in 1977–78. He had a long career in shopping centre management. In 1995 he was asked to join the board of Super League and remained on the Board when the truce between the warring factions was called in 1997 and the National Rugby League was formed. He remained on the board until 2005, when he was replaced by Gorden Tallis. [11]

Related Research Articles

Russell Lance Fairfax is an Australian former Rugby Union and Rugby League player. A precocious talent, he played his first rugby international while still at school. Having played eight tests for the Wallabies, he moved to Rugby League's Eastern Suburbs Roosters in 1974. Following his retirement from Rugby League, Fairfax coached in the 1989 and 1990 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky Stuart</span> Australian rugby league player and coach

Ricky John Stuart is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the head coach of the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League (NRL) and a former rugby league footballer who played as a halfback in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Cleary (rugby)</span> Australian sportsman and politician

Michael Arthur Cleary AO is an Australian former rugby union and rugby league footballer of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and a politician. He represented Australia in both rugby codes as well as in athletics making him one of only four Australians who have represented their country at full international level in three different sports. He represented as a Wallaby in 6 Tests in 1961 and as a Kangaroo in 8 Tests from 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Halloway</span> Australian rugby league footballer and coach

Arthur 'Pony' Halloway (1885–1961), was a pioneering Australian rugby league footballer and coach. Born in Sydney, New South Wales he played for the Glebe Dirty Reds (1908), Balmain Tigers and Eastern Suburbs (1912–1914), in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership. He played for New South Wales in the first rugby match run by the newly created 'New South Wales Rugby Football League' which had just split away from the established New South Wales Rugby Football Union.

Phillip Francis Hawthorne was an Australian rugby league and rugby union footballer – a dual-code international. He represented the Wallabies in twenty-one Tests and the Kangaroos in three Tests. He captained Australia in rugby league the 3rd Test of the 1970 Ashes series. His mother was killed in a car accident in Newcastle when he was 14.

Scott Robert Gourley is an Australian former rugby league and rugby union footballer who played from 1986 to 1998 and achieved the status of a dual-code international representing his country in both sports. He made five Test appearances for the Wallabies and switched to rugby league in 1990 playing for the St George Dragons, the Sydney Roosters and making one Test appearance for the Kangaroos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Summons</span> Australian rugby league footballer (1935–2020)

Arthur James Summons was an Australian representative rugby union and rugby league player, a dual-code rugby international fly-half or five-eighth. He captained the Australian national rugby league team in five undefeated test matches from 1962 until 1964 and later also coached the side.

William Robert Hardcastle born in Wellington, New Zealand was a pioneer New Zealand and Australian rugby union player and an Australian rugby league footballer. He represented both countries in union and Australia in league. He was one of the first dual-code rugby internationals.

John Patrick Ballesty is an Australian former national representative rugby union player who also played first-grade rugby league with the Eastern Suburbs club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Thornett</span> Australian RL coach and former Australia international rugby league footballer

Ken Thornett, also known by the nickname of "The Mayor of Parramatta", was an Australian rugby league fullback. He represented the Kangaroos in twelve Tests during 1963 and 1964 and on the off-season Kangaroo Tour.

Darren Kevin Junee is an Australian former rugby union and rugby league footballer. He was an Australian rugby union representative and had a first grade rugby league career with the Sydney Roosters in the NSWRFL competition.

Between October 1966 and March 1967 the Australia national rugby union team – the Wallabies – conducted a world tour on which they played five Tests and thirty-one minor tour matches. Under the captaincy of John Thornett they toured UK, Ireland, France and Canada winning nineteen matches, losing fourteen and drawing three. At one stage they failed to win in four successive matches although in the Test match against England they gave the home side its heaviest defeat in 16 years. The tour marked the climax of the successful "Thornett Era" of Australian Rugby, buoyed by the leadership skills of skipper John Thornett and the outstanding abilities of greats of the game like Ken Catchpole, Peter Johnson and Rob Heming. Dick Marks and Peter Crittle also toured and would later become among the most influential administrators of Australian rugby.

Edward Francis Mandible was an Australia national representative rugby union fly-half and one of the pioneers who broke away from that code to take up rugby league in Sydney in 1910.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Johnson (rugby union)</span> Rugby player

Peter George Johnson was an Australian international rugby union player. He enjoyed a long state and international career throughout the 1960s and made 92 national appearances for his country. He captained the Australian side in five Test matches.

Robin John Heming was an Australian Lock/ No.8 rugby union player who played 21 tests for Australia between 1961 and 1967. Born in Namatanai in New Ireland off the then Australian Territory of New Guinea. He was educated at North Sydney Boys High School and qualified as an optometrist at what is now The University of New South Wales. He practised for many years on The Corso at Manly.

Bradford Thomas Burke is an Australian former rugby union international who represented Australia in one Test match. He also played rugby league for Eastern Suburbs.

Philip Vivers Smith was an Australian rugby union international who represented Australia in eight Test matches. He also played rugby league for South Sydney.

Terrence William Reid was an Australian rugby union international.

John Walter Cole is an Australian former rugby union international.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.shsobu.org.au/wp-content/uploads/sport.pdf Australian Sporting Representatives Archived 23 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Randwick and the 1966/7 Wallaby Tour; Theo Clark Media, published online 2019 (YouTube)
  3. ↑ John Ellis Brass Biography; /www.classicwallabies.com.au
  4. ↑ John Ellis Brass Biography; /www.classicwallabies.com.au
  5. ↑ Sometimes the Best Ever: The Story of the 1966/7 Wallabies; documentary by Theo Clark Media, 2017
  6. ↑ John Ellis Brass Biography; /www.classicwallabies.com.au
  7. ↑ John Ellis Brass Biography; /www.classicwallabies.com.au
  8. ↑ Sometimes the Best Ever: The Story of the 1966/7 Wallabies (Part 1); Theo Clark Media, published online 2021 (YouTube)
  9. ↑ John Ellis Brass Biography; /www.classicwallabies.com.au
  10. ↑ ARL Annual Report, 2005. page 54
  11. ↑ Masters, Roy (20 January 2005). "Woman on board as NRL turns a new page". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 6 October 2009.

Sources

Preceded by Australian national rugby league captain
1975		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.