Australian Deaf Rugby League Team: New Zealand Tour

1990 •

A homemade Sydney documentary on the Australian Deaf Rugby league team’s tour of New Zealand in 1990 from preparation, the tour, the tests, and triumphant return home.

A home-made film chronology of the Australia Deaf Rugby League team’s trip to New Zealand. Footage includes prior to leaving Australia, during the tour, and after the tests! John Herbert, Liza Clews and Tony Clews host a homemade Sydney show titled ‘Wide World of Sports’, covering the Australian Deaf Rugby league team’s tour of New Zealand in 1990. It starts by explaining how the tour came about, with the New Zealand team visiting Sydney in June 1988 and playing matches against NSW, Queensland, and the Australian team. It goes on to cover the selection of the Australian team and their training sessions, before taking a trip across the ditch to play three tests against the Deaf Kiwis over the space of six days in Auckland.

The first test was at Carlaw Park on 3 June 1990, won by Australia 24–4. The second test was at Thompson Park on 6 June 1990, won by Australia 16–6. The third and last test was at the Auckland Domain on 9 June 1990, won by Australia once again 20–6 for a clean sweep.

The footage also covers the Australian team’s trip to Rotorua, and the prizegiving evening.

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NZSL story – Taonga source: John Mansell

Part 3: Making a Statement in Christchurch

In 1986, John moved to Christchurch for work as a supervisor and continued refereeing. He was warmly welcomed into the local rugby league scene and received several awards for his efforts. In one memorable game on the outskirts of Christchurch, a hearing coach was badmouthing John from the sideline. John caught it from the corner of his eye, blew the whistle, and firmly told the coach to be quiet using clear gestures. The coach was stunned that a Deaf referee had spotted it. The crowd erupted in support. After the match, John simply said, “Deaf can do it.”

NZSL story – Taonga source: John Mansell

Part 1: John’s First Whistle – A Deaf Ref Takes the Field

John shares how he got into rugby league refereeing after approaching a ref at his local Glenora Bears club, where he used to play. His first game was in Manurewa, and both teams were told in advance that the referee was deaf. The match was even filmed, with none other than the Mad Butcher, Peter Leitch, watching from the sidelines keeping a close eye on John. He rose to the challenge. John used clear, sharp signals and wasn’t afraid to use his voice to keep the game moving. He even added some of his own flair – a bold “I’ve had enough!” gesture. He got a big thumbs up from the Mad Butcher and was later picked to referee the final of the season. That same year, he was also given an award for his refereeing.

NZSL story – Taonga source: John Mansell

Part 4: Flying the Flag as a Deaf Referee

In 1990, John was stunned to be selected as the New Zealand XV referee for an international tour to England and France. He embraced the experience, swapped ties with other referees, and visited the Leeds Deaf Club. England won the match 25 to 11. Later, John passed a refereeing exam to move up a level and went on to officiate another international between New Zealand and France, where France won by just one point. No issues were raised about his performance. He was proud to show that a Deaf referee could do the job just as well as anyone else.

NZSL story – Taonga source: John Mansell

Part 2: Refereeing Across Regions – Hawke’s Bay to Wellington

After his time with the Auckland Rugby League Referees Association, John moved to Hawke’s Bay where he continued refereeing while settling into a new job. He quickly adapted to their systems and wasn’t shy about calling out fights or handing out penalties. His gestures were sharp and clear, especially when sending someone to the sin bin for ten minutes. Later, he moved to Wellington where his name was already known. Although there was some hesitation at first, John worked hard to ease concerns and became a popular and respected referee. Clubs often invited him to events, but he kept things modest and only accepted one pint.

Chris (Christopher) Spencer

Chris (Christopher) Spencer

Graeme Phinney

Jimmy Trethowen

Jimmy Trethowen

Malcolm Clausen

Malcolm Clausen

Maurice Ratapu

Michael Collett

Michael Collett

Michael Wi

Nigel Pumipi

Peter Musgrave

Richard Peri

Ricki (Richard) Pointon

Ricki (Richard) Pointon

Robert Marquet

Tinga Katipa

Tony Clews

Wayne Andersen

Taonga source:

Tony Clews

Produced by:

John Herbert

Original format:

MP4

Reference number:

SignDNA – Deaf National Archive New Zealand, TC03-01-SPO90

Copyright status:

This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Note:

This item has been compressed and/or edited.

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