The social history podcast which explores the history of rugby league, rugby union, and the other football codes around the world.
…
continue reading
1
196. France's Expulsion from the 5 Nations.mp3
10:16
10:16
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
10:16
The Rugby Union World Cup has kicked off in France this week, so this episode of 'Rugby Reloaded' goes back in time to look at when France was expelled from the international game in 1931. Not only was France kicked out of the Five Nations but its clubs were banned from playing British teams. We look at how and why this happened, and explore how de…
…
continue reading
1
195. Rugby League in Thatcher's Britain with Anthony Broxton
50:43
50:43
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
50:43
Rugby Reloaded is back for a brand new series and we kick-off with a blockbuster interview with Anthony Broxton about his new book ‘Hope and Glory: Rugby League in Thatcher’s Britain’. Anthony’s book explores the history of the sport during a pivotal decade for Britain. It was the era of Hanley and Offiah, when the pro game expanded as far as Kent,…
…
continue reading
1
194. Football in South America with Matthew Brown
29:13
29:13
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
29:13
The latest 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Professor Matthew Brown about his new book 'Sports in South America. A History'. It's a panoramic view of the birth of modern sport on the continent from the mid-1800s to the first FIFA world cup in 1930. The book covers the full range of sports but our interview focuses on some of the key themes of football his…
…
continue reading
1
193. Cricket & Class with Duncan Stone
36:54
36:54
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
36:54
Duncan Stone's new book 'Different Class: The Untold Story of English Cricket' is both a history of cricket from the grassroots and an analysis of the roots of the sport's attitudes to race and class. Duncan uncovers the reality of cricket behind the myth, and reveals the true story of working-class cricket in the south of England. For anyone wanti…
…
continue reading
1
192. Geoff Armstrong on the history of St George Dragons
44:23
44:23
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
44:23
This week's episode talks to Geoff Armstrong about his latest book, the second volume of 'Spirit of the Red V', his in-depth history of St George Dragons. St George are one of the most significant clubs in the history of Australian rugby league. Famous for its unparalleled run of 11 straight premierships in the the 1950s and 1960s, the club's fortu…
…
continue reading
1
191. Huddersfield: A Town, A Club, and Rugby's Great Split
37:34
37:34
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
37:34
On 5 November I was invited to give a talk about Huddersfield and its role in rugby's split of 1895 by the Huddersfield Local History Society (https://www.huddersfieldhistory.org.uk). In it, I look at the growth of rugby in the town, the rise of the rugby club, the role of its most infamous administrator Frank Marshall, and how the split played out…
…
continue reading
1
190. Roy Francis, George Bennett, Race and Rugby League
35:32
35:32
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
35:32
On Friday, the 21 October 2022, I gave a talk at the Museum of Wigan Life titled 'Roy Francis, George Bennett, race and rugby league' as one of the museum's Black History Month events. The talk looks at the lives of the two players, examines the impact of the 1919 racist riots on their lives and the sport, and for the first time reveals how George …
…
continue reading
1
189. The 'Roaring Red Front' of football clubs
39:07
39:07
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
39:07
The new Rugby Reloaded talks to Stewart McGill and Vince Raison about their fascinating new book, 'The Roaring Red Front: The World's Top Left-Wing Football Clubs' (Pitch Publishing). They travelled around the world visiting soccer clubs which have a reputation for left-wing politics, sampling the match-day atmosphere, and exploring the histories o…
…
continue reading
Rugby History 101: the shape of the ball. The latest 'Rugby Reloaded' investigates why the rugby ball is oval - and, as usual, the answer is not as obvious as you might think. It's a long story where technology, traditions and tournaments converged in an evolutionary process to create the oval world. For more on the history of rugby and the other f…
…
continue reading
1
187. Farewell to Maurice Lindsay, administrator extraordinaire
10:22
10:22
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
10:22
The new 'Rugby Reloaded' looks at the career of Maurice Lindsay, who died last week. From Wigan to the RFL to Super League, Maurice changed the face of rugby league as radically as he divided opinion about himself. Part visionary, part inveterate self-publicist, Maurice created the greatest British rugby league team in generations, spearheaded the …
…
continue reading
1
186. The History of South African Rugby Union with Jonty Winch
41:33
41:33
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
41:33
The latest 'Rugby Reloaded' talks with Jonty Winch about his new book 'World Champions: The Story of South African Rugby'. For the first time, Jonty tells the complete story of South African rugby union from its beginnings to the present day by including all sections of society, black, white, 'coloured', and women. It's a major publication for the …
…
continue reading
1
185. Rugby's Concussion Crisis: A Short History (part two)
10:50
10:50
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
10:50
In the second episode of our two-part special on the history of rugby union and concussion, we take a look how attitudes changed with the coming of professionalism in the 1990s.For a sport that came into the world with deep links to the medical profession, the 21st century saw it abandon its past in favour of new relationships with sports scientist…
…
continue reading
1
184. Rugby's Concussion Crisis: A Short History
10:20
10:20
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
10:20
This week's episode is the first of a two-part special looking at the history of rugby union's changing attitude towards head injuries. The sight of Wales' Tomas Francis staggering around Twickenham during February's England-Wales match after a head clash has reignited the debate about rugby's treatment of concussion. I also have to declare a perso…
…
continue reading
1
183. 1997: Rugby League's Year of Living Dangerously, with Steve Mascord
34:46
34:46
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
34:46
The new 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to former 'Sydney Morning Herald' rugby league journalist Steve Mascord about his new book 'Two Tribes'. It chronicles the rollercoaster year of 1997, when rugby league down under split into two competitions, Super League and the Australian Rugby League. Featuring over 100 interviewees with the key protagonists, Steve…
…
continue reading
1
182. The History of Rochdale Hornets
42:31
42:31
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
42:31
Rochdale Hornets may not have been the most successful rugby league team but they are an exemplar of the sport's struggles and culture. The new 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Jim Stringer and Mark Wynn, the authors of a brand new history of the club - 'Triumph and Disaster : 150 Years of Rochdale Hornets' about the club's origins in Victorian England, h…
…
continue reading
1
181. The Obolensky Story, with Hugh Godwin
34:20
34:20
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
34:20
'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Hugh Godwin about his fascinating new biography of the England winger of the 1930s, Prince Alexander Obolensky. 'The Flying Prince' is a meticulously researched book which examines how a Russian noble came to be the hero of English rugby union by scoring two devastating tries in England's first ever win over the All Blacks…
…
continue reading
1
180. The 1946 'Indomitables' Tour with Martin Whitcombe & Huw Richards
32:33
32:33
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
32:33
It's 75 years since the British Rugby League Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand. And to talk about their new book about the 'Indomitables', as the tourists were nicknamed, 'Rugby Reloaded' is joined by Martin Whitcombe, grandson of tourist Frank Whitcombe, and acclaimed historian Huw Richards. We discuss the political origins of the tour, the …
…
continue reading
1
179. The Newcastle Utd takeover and the ghosts of football past, with Gavin Kitching
29:47
29:47
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
29:47
'Rugby Reloaded' this week talks to Professor Gavin Kitching, author of 'A Fateful Love; Essays on Football in the North-East of England 1880-1930' about what history can tell us about the recent takeover of Newcastle United by a Saudi Arabian investment fund. Is the hyper-commercialisation of football today a consequence of the commercialism which…
…
continue reading
1
178. The 1981 Springbok tour of the USA, with Derek Catsam
41:24
41:24
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
41:24
The new 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Professor Derek Catsam about his new book on the strange, sanction-busting Springbok of the USA in 1981, 'Flashpoint: How a Little-Known Sporting Event Fueled America's Anti-Apartheid Movement'. This is story of the interlocking of rugby union politics, apartheid, the Cold War and some inconsequential rugby matches…
…
continue reading
1
177. 'Keep On Keeping On' - Huw Richards on London rugby league
31:10
31:10
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
31:10
This month's 'Rugby Reloaded' chats with Huw Richards about the past, present and future of rugby league in London following the London Broncos' decision to revert to part-time pro status. We look at the history of the club and the problems facing rugby league expansion in London, as well as its achievements over the past 40 years, before gazing in…
…
continue reading
1
176. Hendrik Snyders on rugby league in South Africa
34:14
34:14
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
34:14
This month's 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Dr Hendrik Snyders about the attempts to start rugby league in South Africa in the 1950s and the influx of black, 'coloured' and white South Africans into British rugby league in the 1960s. It's a story of politics, race, RFL accommodation to apartheid, and British rugby league providing a home for non-white r…
…
continue reading
1
175. Dockers, Trawlermen and the Oval Ball City, with Trevor Gibbons
41:03
41:03
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
41:03
In the last of the current weekly series of 'Rugby Reloaded' I catch up with journalist and fellow Hull-born leaguie Trevor Gibbons to talk about growing up league in Hull, the psycho-geography of the city's sport, the eternal battle between the red and the black, and what it all means to the city of Hull. For more on the history of rugby and the o…
…
continue reading
On 4 July 1914 the greatest rugby league test match of all time took place - the third and decisive game of the 1914 Ashes series. Led by Harold Wagstaff, a nine-man British Lions team overcame Australia 14-6 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It set the template for international rugby league and became the benchmark for what was expected of players. B…
…
continue reading
1
173. The History of Hockey with Bruce Berglund
41:42
41:42
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
41:42
It's Game 4 of the Stanley Cup tonight and so this week's episode of 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Bruce Berglund about the history of ice hockey and his new book 'The Fastest Game in the World: Hockey and the Globalization of Sport'. We talk about hockey's origins at the same time as the emergence of the football codes, how it reflected Muscular Chris…
…
continue reading
1
172. 'Rugby League is Dying' - the history of a meme
10:49
10:49
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
10:49
'Rugby League is dying' has been a refrain that has dogged the sport throughout its history. But rugby league hasn't died, and in fact has survived numerous attempts to kill it off. So why does this 'meme' continue? The latest 'Rugby Reloaded' looks at its history, asks why it has re-emerged recently, and argues that the sport is no closer to death…
…
continue reading