St Helen’s ArchivePreserving the past for the future
Five (End)
Transcript:
This is the final part in the five part audio trail following the story of the Australian rugby team’s tours to the UK between 1908, the first time Swansea beat the touring Wallabies, and 1992. This part explores the 1992 match through a number of objects that are now in the care of the St Helen’s archive, and are part of the display mentioned in the earlier parts in this trail.
The 1992 - 93 Australian tour, with this game held on the 4th November 1992, followed soon after the Rugby Union World Cup final held on 2nd November 1991 at Twickenham where The Wallabies beat England 12 to 6 to become World Champions for the first time. So they walked on to the St Helen’s ground as reigning world champions, almost exactly, and only a year after claiming their title.
However, a well drilled Swansea pack, led by Stuart Davies, completely outclassed the tourists, setting the platform for a first half try by centre Scott Gibbs and another by hooker Garin Jenkins poached from an Australian lineout in the second half when Dick Moriarty stole the throw in. Aled Williams controlled territorial play expertly and kicked one conversion, two penalties and a late drop goal to seal a famous win. The result: 21 to 6, Swansea.
Ten days later, on the 14th of November, the tourists would also lose to Llanelli at Stradey Park: 9 - 13. But they would go on to defeat the Welsh international side, 23 to 6 at Cardiff Arms Park, on the 21st of November, further underlining Swansea’s performance against them at St Helen’s.
As for the objects on display from this 1992 tour, the jersey is a Swansea jersey worn by captain and number 8, Stuart Davies. Stuart donated this jersey to the archive himself, which we are immensely thankful for, to create a focal point for this historic game within the display. The jersey itself is of course the Swansea white. It has vertical maroon stripes on the shoulders. The sponsors are the ‘B J Group’ with their logo centre front, and the ‘Cotton Oxford’ brand on the right breast. The Swansea castle badge is on the left breast. Beneath the badge ‘Australia 92’ is written. And lastly, on the jersey’s rear is the number 8 in navy blue.
Another such object, also on display, is another touch judge’s flag. Very much alike the one in the previous part in this trail. This flag is a green cloth, with the writing, ‘Swansea v. Australia, 4th N O V (for November) 1992.’ In the top left corner is the Swansea castle badge, and diagonally opposite is the Australian Rugby Union badge. Both the front and rear of the flag bear the same design.
The 1992 visit of Australia to Swansea was to be the last such occasion. The rugby union game turned professional within three years and the monetary value of players and the commercial demands on the game at international level reduced any inclination to play against leading club sides, and so most international touring sides have now abandoned these traditional club fixtures. Swansea would go on to play against South Africa in 1994, prior to that nation claiming the title of World Champions in 1995. But within months the game had turned professional – entering a new era.
Other mementos of this final Swansea v Australia match at St Helen’s include a tie, a plaque and a programme. The tie is blue, with both team’s badges on its front, along with the score beneath them. This latter detail makes the tie a commemorative piece, made to mark the third victory of the Swansea side against the Wallabies. The plaque is a plain wood with the Australian rugby crest and a scroll beneath it that reads, ‘Australian Rugby Football Union’ in gold on a green background. The crest is an engraved metal plate. The plaque was presented on the day of the match. Lastly, as for the programme, it is as you would imagine, packed full of interesting write-ups by prominent people at the Swansea club, including former Lion and Welsh international David Richard’s who ends his piece writing ‘In 1984 the floodlights failed, today it is time to put Australia’s lights out’. There are a couple of pages on the very topic of this trail, that is, the history of the Australian tours. All in all, the programme marks the occasion, and records the history behind the event without the knowledge that it would be the last, and yet still appropriately honours it as such.
This marks the end of the audio trail following the Australian tours in the UK, Wales and at St Helen’s. The back and forth of Swansea RFC’s history with challenging the Australian tourists creates an appealing and exciting narrative. Including the eventful 1984 game, and the way the games intersected with the international matches, there remains a real sense of the largest parts of the game of Rugby coming into the most local. While the reasons for the end of this era, heralded by the game going ‘professional’, are understandable it does seem to take something away from the game. It does however make this trail one complete story, one of a give and take, a challenge posed by the tourists but answered on more than occasion even at the most local level of rugby football.
Please don’t forget the display this audio trail records is part of a set of three, and so the trails continue with New Zealand and South Africa’s history at St Helen’s. The All Whites were the first club side to beat the ‘Big Three’ and so, there truly is an exciting perspective to be found here. Thank you for listening.