Claud O'Donnell
Encyclopedia
Claud Augustus O'Donnell (30 January 1886 – 4 August 1953) was an Australian rugby union
and rugby league
player and represented his country at both sports - a dual-code rugby international.
in 1912 and the following year made two Test appearances as hooker for the Wallabies
against the All Blacks
in the 1913 tour of New Zealand.
against New South Wales
over four years and in 1919 was selected in the Australian team as hooker. He played in all four Tests of the 1919 rugby league tour of New Zealand
. He is listed as Australia's 97th representative on the Australian Rugby League's Kangaroo register.
His international rugby league debut against New Zealand in Wellington on 23 August 1919 alongside Clarrie Prentice
saw them become Australia's 20th and 21st dual code rugby internationals. It wasn't until 18 years later that Doug McLean, Jr. would become the next Australian dual representative.
He returned to Sydney for a final season with North Sydney
in 1923 and was aged 37 when he finally hung up his boots at the end of that year.
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...
player and represented his country at both sports - a dual-code rugby international.
Rugby union career
O'Donnell played rugby union with the Glebe club in inner city Sydney. He made his representative debut for New South WalesNew South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super 15 Super Rugby competition...
in 1912 and the following year made two Test appearances as hooker for the Wallabies
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...
against the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
in the 1913 tour of New Zealand.
Rugby league career
Switching to rugby league O'Donnell joined the Glebe Dirty Reds in 1915 and had three seasons in the Sydney premiership. In 1918 he moved to Brisbane and joined the Carltons club, one of the early incarnations of the Souths Magpies. From there he made state appearances for QueenslandQueensland rugby league team
The Queensland rugby league team have represented the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1908...
against New South Wales
New South Wales Rugby League team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
over four years and in 1919 was selected in the Australian team as hooker. He played in all four Tests of the 1919 rugby league tour of New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
. He is listed as Australia's 97th representative on the Australian Rugby League's Kangaroo register.
His international rugby league debut against New Zealand in Wellington on 23 August 1919 alongside Clarrie Prentice
Clarrie Prentice
Clarence Warwick Prentice was an Australian rugby union and rugby league footballer who represented his country at both sports - a dual-code rugby international...
saw them become Australia's 20th and 21st dual code rugby internationals. It wasn't until 18 years later that Doug McLean, Jr. would become the next Australian dual representative.
He returned to Sydney for a final season with North Sydney
North Sydney Bears
The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on...
in 1923 and was aged 37 when he finally hung up his boots at the end of that year.
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