The Tyranny of Deference: Anglo–Australian Relations and Rugby Union before World War II

Historians have traditionally viewed sport in Australia as a vehicle for nationalist sentiment. This paper explores the history of Australian rugby union and its relationship with Britain in the first half of the twentieth century to argue against that assumption that sporting rivalry automatically means national rivalry at a cultural or political level. It suggests that the reality is much more complex and that, for rugby union at least, Australians were far more deferential to Britain than has hitherto been believed.