IRLB
- For the other governing body with these initials, see Imperial Rugby League Board.
| International Rugby League Board | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1948 |
| Ceased | 1998 |
| Replaced by | Rugby League International Federation |
| Area served | Worldwide |
The International Rugby League Board (IRLB) was rugby league football's former world governing body. Following its formation in 1948, the IRLB's role developed over time. In the late 1990s, the board's position was undermined as the game was divided during the Super League war. The board was disestablished in 1998 and replaced by the Rugby League International Federation.
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[edit] History
The IRLB was formed on 25 January 1948 in Bordeaux, France, at the impetus of the French, led by Paul Barrière.[1] Representatives of the Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII, New Zealand Rugby League and Britain's Rugby Football League met during the 1947-48 Kiwi tour of Europe and agreed to form an international board. At the meeting, it was decided that initially the RFL would oversee the sport's rules while the IRLB developed.[2] The Australian Rugby League joined the IRLB some months later.
Over the next few years the IRLB held meetings, one of the outcomes was the institution of a Rugby League World Cup which was first contested in 1954.
In the view of Harry Edgar, from the Board's establishment, "until his death in 1986, Bill Fallowfield was a dominant figure in its activities. Always a keen student of the rules of the game, [Fallowfield], like Australia's Tom Bellew in more recent times, strove to establish uniformity in the rules between all nations".[1]
Former RFL Chief Executive David Oxley, an attendee of International Board meetings for close to 20 years, confirmed that proceedings were not dominated by the Australians: "Despite their dominance of the game on the field, the Aussies did not get everything their own way on the old Board because frequently the New Zealanders were at loggerheads with them. The Kiwis would vote against the Aussies, and France would vote with Great Britain, leaving Papua New Guinea as Australia's only guaranteed supporter."[1]
Oxley reveals, "a lot of the really positive things were initiated by the British - certainly on rule changes, and the move to actually expand the role of the Board."[1] Oxley states: "it was a British idea to introduce the levy on all Test match receipts to go into an international development fund. It was only 2 percent, but it did apply to television broadcast fees as well as gate receipts, so it built up into sizeable amounts, and it was that fund that paid for all we did in Russia, South Africa and the fine work done by Bob Abbott in the South Pacific, plus a significant part of the Student World Cup."[1]
Oxley says that Kevin Humphries may have dominated for the Australians for a time but that was due to his personality.[1] At that time the Board's role was mostly restricted to discussion of rule changes.[1] Oxley states that it was the British who "established the procedure that the Board should meet on a more regular basis - at least once a year - and should look at ways of helping the expansion of the game."[1]
After 1948, when only four sanctioned international teams being overseen by the IRLB and competing in annual competition, the IRLB grew to see twelve full member nations join the federation along with around thirty member nations and countless affiliates.
In 1954, the Rugby League World Cup, the first for either code of rugby, was formed at the instigation of the French.
In 1966, the International Board introduced a rule ending the unlimited tackles that had that a team in possession was allowed three play-the-balls and on the fourth tackle a scrum was to be formed. This was increased to six tackles in 1972 and in 1983 the scrum was replaced by a handover.[3]
The Australians had always been strong in supporting expansion of the game including places such as "South Africa, America and Canada".[1] The Australians even took a lead role in aiding the game in France, in what might be considered the British sphere of influence, the ARL funded Tas Baitieri in a Development Officer position and they also provided coaching and player assistance and continued to have the Kangaroos tour France despite the costs.[1]
After the Australian Rugby League introduced the World Sevens in 1988, the International Board took a much more active part in worldwide developments.[1] Harry Edgar states: "Much of the successful participation in the 1995 World Cup came as a direct result of the ARL's World Sevens tournament"; "the game in Fiji was launched solely because of [the] World Sevens."[1]
Some nations were introduced to international rugby league through the British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA).[1] The RFL would often feel embarrassment at meetings when they "could claim to have done so little" while BARLA was praised by other attendees.[1]
Maurice Lindsay has been credited with ensuring the 10-team 1995 World Cup was accompanied by an Emerging Nations tournament of seven teams, supporting international growth.[1]
[edit] Super League war
- For further information, see: Super League war
The 1995 World Cup was the "swansong of the original Board".[1] With the Super League war underway, the Board held what would be their last meeting immediately before that tournament, it ended "acrimoniously" as every member nation except Australia "stated their intention to withdraw their membership" and to establish the Super League International Board (SLIB) to govern Super League worldwide.[1][4] The agreements that the former IRLB members signed with Super League had the effect of "usurping" the International Board's control and diminishing the influence of its director-general, the Australian Rugby League's chairman, Ken Arthurson.[4] The agreements removed international playing opposition for the Australian Rugby League's representative sides.[4][5]
The SLIB gave its Pacific island members full voting rights in a display of its democratic values towards the game, although some were sceptical that the representatives of the powerful richer nations would allow themselves to be overruled.[1] The Pacific island nations were only associate members of the IRLB with only the full members Australia, Great Britain, France, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea having a vote.[1]
[edit] Disestablishment
In 1998, a new organisation, the Rugby League International Federation, was formed as the Super League war ended in Australia and international rugby league reunited.[6][7][8] Worldwide governance of rugby league was handed back to the sport's national governing bodies.[7]
The meeting in Sydney at which it was agreed to form the RLIF was held at the request of the Australian and New Zealand rugby leagues.[1] Britain was represented by the Rugby Football League, rather than Super League (Europe), the company formed by its leading clubs.[1]
John McDonald, chair of the Australian Rugby League, became chair of the RLIF.[1][7] Maurice Lindsay, the chairman of the Super League International Board (SLIB), was bypassed after he had suggested that the SLIB, with him leading it, should carry on the governance of the international game.[1] Lindsay's candidature was weak due to his role in the Super League war.[1] The cessation of Super League operations in Australasia and the notice that had been given of the SLIB's intention to cease funding the sport in the Pacific islands, meant the SLIB could be left with only Britain as a member.[1] The French were happy to cut ties with SLIB and join the new Federation as, allegedly, "they never saw a penny of the ₤1 million they believed they had been promised to sign up with Super League".[9]
In 1998, there was regret that rugby league had been so badly damaged.[1] Harry Edgar, a rugby league writer, warned, "there can be no place for politics or individuals seeking personal glorification" as the "international game picks up the pieces after three years of bitter fall-out".[1]
[edit] References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 Edgar, Harry (1998), "Can League conquer the world?", Open Rugby (Brighouse, UK: League Publications) (210): 14–17, 1998-09, ISSN 0958-5427
- ↑ Goodman, Tom (1948-01-26). "Board urges trial of new R.L. rule". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 7. Archived from the original on 2012-01-02. http://www.webcitation.org/64OzEeSn5. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ↑ Collins, Tony (2006-04-18). Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain (1 ed.). Routledge. pp. 113–114. ISBN 978-0415396158.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Hadfield, Dave (1995-04-24). "France and PNG to join exodus". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2012-01-02. http://www.webcitation.org/64P01rkse. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
- ↑ Hadfield, Dave (1995-12-20). "Rugby league falling into the lawyers' hands". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2012-01-02. http://www.webcitation.org/64P05hAbk. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
- ↑ Clay, Graham, ed. (1998), Open Rugby (Brighouse, UK: League Publications) (210): 14 (published 1998-09), ISSN 0958-5427
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Hadfield, Dave (1998-08-20). "Lindsay suffers body blow". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2012-01-02. http://www.webcitation.org/64P0Bi8hl. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
- ↑ Coffey, John; Wood, Bernie (2008). 100 Years: Maori Rugby League, 1908-2008. Huia Publishers. pp. 300. ISBN 1869693310, 9781869693312. http://books.google.com/books?id=nklWo8vw-iIC. Retrieved 30 November 2009.
- ↑ Edgar, Harry (1998), "France look for outside help", Open Rugby (Brighouse, UK: League Publications) (210): 16, 1998-09, ISSN 0958-5427
