The whistle, the coin they use
Rugby World Cup has seldom been filled with character. A lot of it is drawn out and traditions are not obvious. But there are two artefacts which are full of character and tradition, and they have been to every World Cup so far.
They reside in the marvellous Rugby Museum in the New Zealand city of Palmerston North, but they emerge to start each World Cup.
In Paris on Friday night Tony Spreadbury will set the sixth World Cup in motion, He will get the two captains together, Raphael Iba?ez of France and Agustin Pichot of Argentina. He will not need to introduce them as they will know each other well from playing club rugby in France’s Top 14. But he will want them to spin a coin to decide which way they will play and who will kick off to start the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
Out on the field after all the ceremonies, Spreadbury will blow the whistle to get the match under way.
The artifacts that he will use – the whistle and the coin – are treasures of rugby memorabilia.
The whistle originally belonged to the referee Gil Evans, who was a national hybrid. He came from Swansea, for whom he played in 1892, but refereed as an Englishman, belonging to the Midland Counties and Birmingham Societies. In 1905 he used the whistle to referee the match between England and the first All Blacks at Crystal Palace before 70,000 spectators. He also refereed their matches against Midland Counties, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea. On the first Springbok tour of 1906-07 he refereed three of their matches, including their defeat at the hands of Cardiff. In 1908 he refereed the match between Wales and Australia. Apparently he was regarded as sufficiently detached from both England and Wales! He refereed only the two Tests in his career.
In 1924 Welshman Albert Freethy refereed two remarkable matches, and Gil Evans gave him his whistle to do them. He refereed the final of the Olympic Games in Paris when the USA beat France. And he refereed the match between New Zealand and England at Twickenham and he sent off All Black forward Cyril Brownlie. It was a huge affair for the time, the very first time a rugby player had been sent from the field in a Test match and that in the eighth minute of the match and in front of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII. Brownlie was sent off for kicking an opponent. Brownlie protested his innocence and at the aftermatch the Prince of Wales offered to intervene on his behalf. Despite being a man short, the All Blacks won 17-11.
Freethy was a schoolmaster at Cwrt Sart School in Neath, whose playing career was cut short. He then became a coach of schoolboys and boys who had just left school and a famous referee. In all he refereed six Varsity matches, was the first Welshman to be invited to referee club rugby in England, and refereed 16 internationals, as well as the Olympic Final.
Freethy was elected a life member of the Welsh Rugby Union and was for a time a national selector.
That whistle is now in the museum in Palmerston north but has been used to start each World Cup – by Bob Fordham at Eden Park, Jim Fleming at Twickenham, Derek Bevan at Newlands, Paddy O’Brien at Millennium Stadium and Paul Honiss at Tetra Stadium.
Freethy also used the coin. When England and New Zealand came to toss, neither the captains nor Freethy had a coin. Standing nearby was a New Zealand supporter, Hector Gray. He took a florin from his pocket and gave it to Freethy who used it for the toss.
Gray was so chuffed that he had the coin embossed with a rose on one side and fern on the other.
The coin, too is in the museum at Palmerston North – except when it journeys to the World Cup for the toss and the first whistle. Gil Evans’s whistle is back in Paris for the first time in 83 years to start a rugby match.
