Anzac Test donation boost to RSA

Anzac Test donation boost to RSA

Rugby league is not war, but over the past century, the two have crossed paths occasionally to share common ground in both triumph and defeat.

New Zealand Rugby League enjoyed a significant victory on foreign soil last month, when the NZ Kiwis beat Australia 26-12 for a rare Anzac Test victory – their third over the Kangaroos in succession – and subsequently snatched the #1 world ranking off their rivals.

So, it’s fitting that league should share the spoils of that win, achieved on the centenary of the Gallipoli landings, with New Zealand’s Returned and Services' Association (RSA).

NZRL chief executive Phil Holden welcomed his RSA counterpart, David Moger, to the game’s national headquarters in Auckland this week, offering him a few minutes with the Bill Kelly Cup and presenting a cheque for NZ$17,500 towards the RSA’s support of New Zealand’s former and current service people.

For each spectator at the test, New Zealand and Australian national bodies agreed to donate A$1 towards the returned servicemen and women of their respective countries in honour of the soldiers who gave their lives on the beaches of Turkey in 1915.

About 32,000 attended the game, so the NRL has committed A$16,000 to the Returned & Services League of Australia and this cheque was NZRL’s half of that pledge, subject to currency exchange rates.

Holden, a military history buff himself, had delivered a stirring Gallipoli-themed address to the Kiwis, Kiwi Ferns women and Junior Kiwis on the eve of the Anzac Test, and was proud of how all three teams respected the Anzac tradition.

That respect was perfectly captured when the Kiwis paused from their pre-game warm-ups and stood to attention, as the last post echoed around Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium moments before kick-off.

“We hear a lot of far-fetched comparisons between sport and war, but I think everyone in the black-and-white jersey understands and appreciates the true sacrifices made by those who risk everything to defend our way of life,” said Holden.

“In some ways, even in defeat, Gallipoli marked the birth of New Zealand as a formidable ally and adversary in the modern world.

“Certainly, that mentality of not blinking in the face of incredible odds has become part of our national culture and we can only hope that our Kiwis performances on the rugby league field live up to that standard in some small way.”

Moger was deeply moved by the gesture.

“To receive such a generous donation from such a momentous game, which we can use to help Kiwi veterans, is way beyond what we would ever have expected,” he said.

“On behalf of those that will benefit, I just want to say a big ‘thank you’ to New Zealand Rugby League.”

The Kiwis’ next campaign will see them touring England during Armistice Day celebrations (November 11) and Moger has graciously allowed NZRL to incorporate the official RSA poppy into its game jersey design.

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