Australia v New Zealand: Ross Taylor discovers his family rugby league, NRL links
New Zealand’s soon-to-be greatest ever run-scorer recently discovered more about his family’s sporting pedigree – but the shock came when he found out more about his great grandfather.
Cricket
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cricket. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Unexpected silver lining to Smith’s Wagner struggles
- Illness strikes Kiwi camp with skipper quarantined
Ross Taylor is the proud Kiwi who last week discovered his sporting ancestry stretches all the way back to a national rugby league jersey … for Australia.
New Zealand’s soon-to-be greatest ever Test cricket run-scorer was shocked to learn that his great grandfather Charles McIntosh Ross was picked in a Kangaroos side that played a touring New Zealand Maori team in an international in Brisbane in 1909.
Ross was alerted to the previously unknown feature of his family tree thanks to famed rugby league historian David Middleton who has spent the past seven years conducting an exhaustive manhunt to discover who the mysterious C Ross was who featured in the Kangaroos team, yet was otherwise absent from all statistical and historical records.
Watch every single KFC BBL match LIVE & On-Demand on KAYO with FOX CRICKET’s unmatched commentary line-up. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
The former Black Caps captain, with a rich Samoan heritage, is an avid Warriors NRL fan and is cousins with the club’s former robust forward, Kiwi international, Iafeta Paleaaesina.
At school, Taylor’s principal couldn’t pronounce his Samoan first name, ‘Luteru’, so his grandmother told them to “just call him ‘Ross’.”
Taylor is slightly hesitant about how loud to shout from the rooftops that the Ross name was in fact once adorned on an Australian jersey – as chuffed and grateful as he has been by Middleton’s historical discovery.
“As a family we knew he’d played for Queensland and played rugby union for Canterbury (in NZ) because my great aunty had the two caps at home. I’ve always supported Queensland in the State of Origin (because of that). But it was a surprise to myself and my dad that he played for Australia,” Taylor told The Daily Telegraph.
“We always felt like we were a sporting family. Obviously we’re proud of a great grandfather representing Australia, but with the rivalry, I’m not sure that’s still the same now!
“But it’s always nice to see where the family line comes from.
“My grandmother passed away when I was touring Sri Lanka in 2012 and it would have been nice if I’d known some of that information then to have asked some of those questions.
“My dad’s middle name is Charles and my middle name is Ross … obviously because of the family last name.”
Middleton said Charles Ross’s Kangaroos selection was a fascinating story on two levels.
Firstly, he was given his cap during a travelling stint where only appeared to be in Australia for a six-month period.
And then when he returned home to New Zealand, he somehow managed to sneak back into rugby union – a rarity in those days because league converts were usually black banned by the 15-man code.
“It was interesting in that it was incredibly hard to pin down who this bloke was, whose name I only ever saw as C Ross … and he seemingly came from nowhere,” said Middleton.
Little known fact: @RossLTaylor's great grandfather Charles McIntosh Ross played rugby league for @Kangaroos #AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/zCHsDGsgMO
— David Middleton (@Middleton_David) December 27, 2019
“One reference said he was a New Zealander and in those days there was no such thing as selection criteria and quite a few players switched between countries or represented countries not from the land of their birth.
“He comes straight into Brisbane football in 1909 and goes straight into first grade and represented Australia.
“It took me about seven years to finally track down what his background was. This mysterious, C Ross.”
Originally published as Australia v New Zealand: Ross Taylor discovers his family rugby league, NRL links
Young gun’s remarkable Shield statement
It took some early luck, but a teenage opener is doing all he can to bolt into Australia’s Test squad against India.
Aussies rocked as Green eyes summer-ending surgery
Australia’s plans for the summer have been blown to bits by the news they will likely be without star all-rounder Cameron Green for their five-Test series with India.