Robert Graves (rugby)

Infobox Rugby biography
name = Robert Graves


caption =
birthname = Robert Henderson Graves
nickname =
dateofbirth = Sept 1st, 1883
placeofbirth = Sydney, New South Wales
dateofdeath = Feb 15th, 1958
placeofdeath = Hurstville, New South Wales
height =
weight =
ru_position = Prop Forward
ru_amateuryears = 1901-02
1903-1904
1905
ru_amateurclubs = Grosvenor Club
Gipps Club
Balmain
ru_amupdate =
ru_nationalteam = flagicon|AUS Australia
ru_nationalyears = 1907
ru_nationalcaps = 1
ru_nationalpoints = (0)
ru_ntupdate =
ru_clubyears =
ru_proclubs =
ru_clubcaps =
ru_clubpoints =
ru_clubupdate =
super14 =
super14years =
super14caps =
super14points =
ru_currentclub =
super14update =
ru_province = Metropolis (Sydney)
ru_provinceyears = 1905
ru_provincecaps =
ru_provincepoints =
ru_provinceupdate =
ru_sevensnationalyears =
ru_sevensnationalteam =
ru_sevensnationalcomp =
ru_sevensupdate =
ru_coachclubs =
ru_coachyears =
ru_coachupdate =
rl_position = Forward
sooyears = 1908–1909
sooteam =
soocaps = 17
soopoints = (12)
sooupdate =
sooteam pre-1980 = no
rl_nationalteam = flagicon|AUS Australia
rl_nationalyears = 1908–1909
rl_nationalcaps = 6
rl_nationalpoints = (3)
rl_ntupdate =
rl_amateuryears =
rl_amateurclubs =
rl_amupdate =
rl_clubyears = 1908–1913
rl_proclubs =
rl_clubcaps = 57
rl_clubpoints = (42)
rl_clubupdate =
other = yes
occupation =
family =
spouse =
children =
relatives =
school = Fort St High School
university = Hawkesbury Agricultural College

Robert Graves (1 September, 1883 - 15 February, 1958) was a pioneer Australian rugby league and rugby union player and one of his country's first dual-code internationals. He was a versatile Forward for the Australia national team. He played in 6 Tests between 1908 and 1909 as captain on 1 occasion.

Rugby union career

Graves grew up in inner city Balmain in Sydney. He played rugby union at Fort Street School and later represented for his senior school Hawkesbury Agricultural College. From there he was graded to play rugby union with the West Sydney Juniors - an inner city club. He played with the Grosvenor Club (another inner Sydney club) until 1902. He then joined the Gipps Club in the Balmain area with whom he won the Sydney rugby union premiership in 1904.

He joined the Balmain club in the metroplitan rugby competition in 1905 and from there was selected to represent Metropolis (Sydney) in a fixture against Country played over Easter in 1905. He continued in a coaching role for the Grosvenor club even while himself playing rugby for those other sides from 1903 to 1907.

Dual international recognition

Both the Whiticker and Whiticker/Collis references record that in 1907 Graves represented New South Wales in rugby union and in that same year came on as a replacement for John Rosewell in the Wallabies v All Blacks 1st Test in Sydney. This makes Graves a dual code rugby international and he is listed as such in the 1991 edition of the Andrews reference.

He is however not listed amongst the Australian dual-code internationals in sources such as the "2005 Rugby League Annual" or in editions of "Australian Sporting Records". Presumably (and erroneously) this may be due to his status in making his single Wallaby appearance as a reserve rather than from the run-on side.

Rugby league career

Graves was at the foundation meetings of the break-away code in 1908 and was named as foundation captain of the Balmain Tigers. He led the Tigers in their first ever game on 20 April 1908 against Easts.

He was selected in all three games against New Zealand for Australia's inaugural Test series of 1908.

Graves was a member of the first Kangaroo side which toured Britain in 1908-09. He appeared in 23 games on tour including the deciding 3rd Test at Birmingham in February 1909.

In 1909 he played in the 1st and 3rd Tests against New Zealand in Sydney. He captained his country in the 3rd Test victory becoming at that point Australia's sixth Test captain.

The second wave of Wallaby defectors to rugby league in 1909 (Chris McKivat's Olympic Gold Medal Wallabies) spelled the end of Graves' representative career. Though only 26 years old he did not play another Test. He played a further 5 seasons with Balmain retiring in 1913.

ources

* Whiticker, Alan (2004) "Captaining the Kangaroos", New Holland, Sydney
* Andrews, Malcolm (2006) "The ABC of Rugby League" Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney
* Whiticker, Alan & Collis, Ian (2006) "The History of Rugby League Clubs", New Holland, Sydney