Charles McMurtrie
Encyclopedia
Charles H. McMurtrie (1 May 1878 – 9 August 1951) was a pioneer Australia
n rugby union
and rugby league
footballer who represented his country at both sports. He competed in rugby union at the 1908 Summer Olympics
and was an early dual-code rugby international.
McMurtrie won Olympic Gold in London in 1908 playing rugby union for the Wallabies
in the team captained by Chris McKivat
.
On his return to Australia he joined the fledgling code of rugby league
along with a number of his Olympic teammates. He was selected in 1911 for the 2nd Kangaroo tour of Great Britain
and played in 7 tour matches scoring 3 tries. Along with Peter Burge
and Bob Stuart
, McMurtie made his international league debut in a tour match in 1911 but did not play in any Tests. Collectively they were Australia's 17th to 19th dual code rugby internationals.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer who represented his country at both sports. He competed in rugby union at the 1908 Summer Olympics
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
and was an early dual-code rugby international.
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
in the team captained by Chris McKivat
Chris McKivat
Christopher Hobart McKivat was an Australian rugby union and rugby league player – a dual-code rugby international. He represented the Wallabies in over 20 Tests and tour matches from 1907 to 1909 and the Kangaroos in 5 Tests from 1910 to 1912...
.
On his return to Australia he joined the fledgling code of rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
along with a number of his Olympic teammates. He was selected in 1911 for the 2nd Kangaroo tour of Great Britain
1911-12 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain
The 1911-12 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain was the second ever Kangaroo tour and was actually a tour by an "Australasia" team, which included four New Zealand players, rather than the Australian team alone...
and played in 7 tour matches scoring 3 tries. Along with Peter Burge
Peter Burge (rugby)
Peter Harold Boyne Burge was an Australian rugby footballer and coach. He represented his country in both rugby league and rugby union...
and Bob Stuart
Bob Stuart (rugby)
Robert Stuart was an Australian rugby union and rugby league player and represented his country at both sports - a dual-code rugby international....
, McMurtie made his international league debut in a tour match in 1911 but did not play in any Tests. Collectively they were Australia's 17th to 19th dual code rugby internationals.
Sources
- Andrews, Malcolm (2006) The ABC of Rugby League, Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney
- Whiticker, AlanAlan WhitickerAlan J. Whiticker is an Australian non-fiction author with currently over 30 published books.Whiticker writes primarily on matters pertaining to the history of the sport of rugby league in Australia, but has also published works on subjects as diverse as the Wanda Beach Murders and an adaptation...
& Hudson, Glen (2006) The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players, Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney