Email:

rollom@iinet.net.au

RESEARCH TOPIC:

A tale of ‘two rugbies’.

PROJECT OUTLINE:

BIOGRAPHY:

Finalising the detail of the years immediately after the split of 1908 and seeking further documentation of Rugby League players who have switched to Rugby Union since 1995.

OUTCOMES:

Gave two presentations on the subject of the “Two Rugbies” at the ASSH conference following my research for the Tom Brock scholarship and

RolloManning_ASSH_July01.pdf

RolloManning_ASSH_July03.pdf

A paper at the 2008 Centenary of League Conference held in Sydney.

A book being written that will trace the relationship between rugby union and rugby league especially in the post WW2 years during which time some 55 Wallaby representatives switched from the amateur code to the professional game. Since 1995 when rugby union became professional; there have been no defections and some 13 players have switched from rugby league to rugby union and gone on to play for the Wallabies.

This study commenced in the year 2000 and the awarding of a Tom Brock Scholarship in 2002 gave the recipient the opportunity to spend time in Sydney to interview a number of key people in the story as well as taking time to visit the Tom Brock Collection at the Uni of NSW.