Tales from Twickenham Stadium: England XV 3-18 Kiwis, 19th January 1946
Just a few months following the end of the Second World War, rugby returned to Twickenham Stadium on 19th January 1946.
While the annual Five Nations Championship would not officially return until 1947, the so-called Victory Internationals saw Allied representative sides face off for the first time since 1939.
International caps were not awarded by the British, Irish, or New Zealand unions, as many players were still serving in the European and Pacific theatres.
Despite this, the French Rugby Federation did award international honours, with Wales retrospectively awarding full caps to their players that faced France during the series in 2013.
In 2023, Scotland also awarded caps to players from the Victory Internationals, as well the services matches played during the war against England.
A British Army side faced France in Paris in January 1945, before a British Empire Forces XV hosted the French in April 1945 at the Richmond Athletic Ground, before the Second World War had even ended in Europe.
A further 20 matches would be played between January and April 1946 to celebrate the conclusion of the fighting, with Twickenham Stadium playing host to the ‘Kiwis’, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland.
England XV vs Kiwis
When the war ended in 1945, Twickenham re-opened for a series of matches known as the ‘Victory Internationals’ pic.twitter.com/xbOwIoglYv
— World Rugby Museum (@wrugbymuseum) April 24, 2020
With only captain Charlie Saxton previously capped for the All Blacks, New Zealand sent an inexperienced ‘Kiwis’ side to face England, having beaten Wales 11-3 two weeks prior.
Earning an 18-3 victory over their English hosts, sixteen members of the ‘Khaki All Blacks’ squad would go on to earn full New Zealand caps.
As would be expected with such little rugby being played in previous years, the quality of play was lacking, with both sides noted for their rusty performances in front of the 30,000-strong crowd.
Bigger than any stadium in New Zealand, this was the first New Zealand match at Twickenham in a decade, last visiting for their 13-0 loss in 1936.
The grandness of the ground caught the attention of New Zealand commentator Winston McCarthy, as highlighted in Mike Whatman’s 2005 book ‘Khaki All Blacks’.
McCarthy recorded: “Twickenham thrilled me. It is just ‘the finest ground in world—there can’t be anything better.
“Twickenham would look grand in any City in New Zealand; but how would we fill those 80,000 seats?”
The Kiwis would then lose to Scotland, before beating France twice, either side of their 12-0 victory over the Rhine Army XV – a side comprised of British Army forces stationed in Occupied Germany.
Twickenham Stadium during the war
The North Stand was used to store metal that would go to make bombs and aeroplanes pic.twitter.com/hO70v4dKoo
— World Rugby Museum (@wrugbymuseum) April 24, 2020
With international rugby on hiatus, Twickenham Stadium was utilised as a Civil Service depot to be used in case of attack during the Second World War.
Function rooms were transformed into dormitories, while the car parks were turned into allotments and coal dumps to help the war effort.
Similarly, during the First World War, with no rugby taking place, Twickenham Stadium had been used to graze cattle and horses.
Twickenham Stadium would once again be used to serve a national emergency during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the grounds used for coronavirus testing, while the adjacent Twickenham Stoop, the home of Premiership side Harlequins, was used as a vaccination centre.
It is no secret that rugby was deeply entwined with the World Wars, with British war propaganda promoting rugby values to encourage enlistment.
With the pipeline of public schoolboy rugby player to British military officer so clear cut during the wars, it is no surprise that the Victory Internationals served as such a grand commemoration.
