Peter Reilly in his rugby union days
Brisbane Brothers’ rugby league club officials reinforced the club’s ban on spiked running shoes at training after former Wallaby rugby union star, Peter Reilly received a deep gash in the right leg during a night session at Corbett Park, Grange.
Reilly needed eight stitches after a head-on clash with a lower grade player, who was wearing the spikes, in breach of club rules.
“There are always some of the lower graders wearing them, and this is what happened to Peter,” said angry Brothers’ president, Don ‘Doc Alroe.
Reilly, who played 10 Tests for the Wallabies, was highly regarded by Brothers’ teammates, but didn’t rise to any great heights in the 13-man code, largely because of injury. In the 1970 finals series he played in the front row with Wayne Abdy at lock, the position Reilly filled in union. Reilly signed with Brothers after the Wallabies’ 1969 South African tour. Born in the rugby league stronghold of Roma, he attended Gregory Terrace in Brisbane, and then signed with the Brothers’ rugby union club.
The international rugby league focus in 1970 was the Great Britain Lions’ tour, with the series at 1-all after Australia won the First Test in Brisbane, while the Brits bounced back with a convincing win in the Second Test in Sydney.
Don Lancashire was referee for the first two Tests and was appointed for the decider at the SCG on July 4.
Lancashire was criticised in some quarters for not being strict enough in the way he policed scrum infringements. Remember, scrums were hotly contested in those days and hookers and halfbacks would do almost anything to win the ball.
“There will be no run of scrum penalties if I consider playing the advantage rule in the scrums,” Lancashire told the Sydney media. “Being able to play the advantage rule successfully along with all other phases of the game is the art of refereeing. I aways like to consider the people who pay their 70 cents or $1.50 for the Test that they pay at gate. The less they see of me the better.”
Oh for someone like Don Lancashire in the NRL. Mind you, he wouldn’t be allowed to exhibit the art of refereeing in this day and age when we have the bunker and scrutiny of every decision made by the people in the middle.
Great Britain went on to win the Third Test to regain the Ashes Trophy.
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