Brawls, falls and dodgy scrum calls: Revisiting Wallabies’ 1954 loss to Fiji

On June 26, 1954, the White Australia policy was still in place, a 27-year-old Queen Elizabeth II had just completed her inaugural royal tour and tries were still worth three points. Nick Shehadie was also wrestling Taniela Ranavue at the SCG.

The Wallabies captain had just been awarded a try and Fiji’s players were not happy, swarming referee Don Furness in protest. The 33,000 spectators in the stands were not happy that the Fijians were not happy, and hooted angrily at the opposition.

This was the last time – 69 years before Monday morning’s historic World Cup humiliation – Australia lost to the Pacific islanders, after a back-and-forth affair which ended 18-16 in the visitors’ favour under a whopping cloud of controversy.

But at this point, at least, the hosts appeared on track for a second consecutive win in the two-Test series, with Shehadie’s disputed second-half try putting his side ahead 14-12 before Herb Barker converted for a 16-12 lead.

It had come about when Randwick back-rower Keith Cross made a stirring run down the left wing and was forced into touch just shy of Fiji’s try line – but then, seeing Shehadie in position, leapt up and took a quick throw-in to send his teammate over unopposed.

Cue Shehadie rolling around on the ground with fullback Ranavue, and just about every other Fiji player storming Furness and linesman Frank Hodgson to ask who should have been given the decisive throw-in.

Action from the second Test between Australia and Fiji at the SCG on June 26, 1954.Credit: Harry Martin

Drama was the middle name of this match, underscored by on-field exchanges so heated Furness afterwards said the encounter was “hard to control”.

In the next day’s Sun-Herald, journalist Frank Tierney wrote that the match was characterised by “fights on the field, cautions by the referee, hooting of the Fijians, doubtful tries, and widespread argument over a penalty after the bell”.

That last incident is the most memorable.

“Australia seemed certain to win with only five minutes left,” Tierney wrote. “However, a penalty to Fiji saw Ranavue goal for 15-16, and a series of thrilling incidents was climaxed with the penalty after the bell.

“It was learned after the match that the scrum had been ordered before the bell ended play. Before the penalty was awarded, two scrums had been ordered through the ball not being put in properly.

The fiery second Test between Australia and Fiji at the SCG on June 26, 1954. Credit: Harry Martin

“Players’ opinion was that the match had ended with the first scrum when the ball was not put in correctly. This conforms to the decision of the NSW Rugby Union Rules Committee which in 1946, after investigating a similar incident in a Manly-Gordon match, ruled that the ball was ‘dead’ when not put in the scrum correctly.

“Furness said yesterday he considered the ball was still in play when he awarded the penalty. Fijian team manager Mr W.E. Goodsir said last night he considered the refereeing of the match did not satisfy either team.”

The officiating only amplified an already bitter contest which had been fuelled by the first Test in Brisbane on June 5 – a 22-19 Wallabies win.

At the Brisbane Exhibition Ground (now the Brisbane Showground), Ranavue traded blows with several Australian players and left winger Eddie Stapleton with two cracked ribs. The June 6 Sun-Herald reported Stapleton “returned to play after 10 minutes, but he was useless and was sent off”.

The five-tries-to-four victory came largely thanks to Australian full-back Dick Tooth, who repeatedly snapped Fiji’s defences in front of a Queensland-record crowd of 29,753, and despite the reported “rough tactics throughout”.

“The psalm-singing islanders lost some of their reputation for gentlemanly football in many fierce rucks and scrimmages in which haymakers were thrown,” the report read.

Interestingly – and perhaps unsurprisingly – the tone of the reports about the 1954 tour differed depending on the country from which they came.

In 2014, the Fiji Times wrote that it “did not have the good nature of the first tour of 1952 and the first Test was marred by brawls as the Aussies resorted to foul play to distract the Fijians”.

Nick Shehadie after being elected lord mayor of Sydney in August 1973.Credit: Pearce/Fairfax Media

In that piece, Kameli Rakoko wrote: “Ranavue began a big brawl after he had been watching helplessly from the back as a big Australian prop of Lebanese origin NM Shehadie was throwing punches in the scrum, rucks and mauls.

“Ranavue called out: ‘Someone has to punch that prop, he has been using a lot of foul tactics. (Me dua e vacuka mada natamata oqori sa rui levu tiko nona qito ca)’. But no one was heeding his advice.

“In the ensuing scrum Shehadie threw another punch and the Fiji full-back took off from 20 metres to give the Lebanese a punch on the face while the scrum was formed.

“It sparked off a brawl with Shehadie receiving attention with a big black eye. The fight was stopped and the game continued like nothing had happened.”

The Sun-Herald also pointed out that Ranavue “swung a great punch at Shehadie” in Brisbane. By the time they met again three weeks later, both sides were ready to tear strips off each other.

Tierney wrote of “boots, fists and late tackling” and men “going down like ninepins” as the two nations traded points.

Fiji’s historic win came despite effectively playing with 14 men – centre Mesake Biumaiwai had a leg injury and could only hobble, so was moved to the wing and replaced in the centre by Josefa Levula.

Levula’s long strides and high-knee running action earned him the moniker The Flying Fijian – which became the national team’s nickname – and his exploits earned a “roar” from the crowd.

That was especially the case when he tackled Cross, whose first-half try had kept Australia in the game despite trailing 9-8 at the break.

Shehadie, the late husband of former NSW governor Marie Bashir, went on to become Sydney’s lord mayor and chairman of SBS and TAFE. In the last of his 30 Tests, during Australia’s 1957 tour of Europe, the “gentle giant” knocked out an opposing Irish forward but remained on the field and claimed he was provoked.

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