Bob Craig (rugby)

Infobox Rugby biography
name=Bob Craig
birthname=Robert Robertson Craig
nickname =
dateofbirth=1 September, 1881
placeofbirth = Sydney, NSW
height=
weight=
ru_position= Lock
ru_amateurclubs=
ru_amateuryears =
ru_amupdate =
ru_nationalyears = 1908
ru_nationalteam = flagicon|AUS Australia
ru_nationalcaps = 1
ru_nationalpoints = (0)
ru_ntupdate = 31 December, 2007
super14 =
super14caps =
super14points =
super14years =
super14update = 31 December, 2007
ru_province = New South Wales
ru_provinceyears = 1907
ru_provincecaps =
ru_provincepoints =
ru_provinceupdate = 31 December, 2007
ru_sevensnationalyears =
ru_sevensnationalteam =
ru_sevensnationalcomp =
ru_sevensupdate =
ru_coachclubs =
ru_coachyears =
ru_coachupdate =
rl_position = Second rower
sooyears = 1910-1911
sooteam = New South Wales
sooteam pre-1980 =yes
soocaps = 2
soopoints = (0)
rl_nationalteam = flagicon|AUS Australia
rl_nationalyears = 1910-1914
rl_nationalcaps = 7
rl_nationalpoints = (3)
rl_ntupdate = 31 December, 2007
rl_amateuryears =
rl_amateurclubs =
rl_amupdate = 31 December, 2007
rl_clubyears = 1910-1919
rl_proclubs =
rl_clubcaps = 92
rl_clubpoints = (47)
rl_clubupdate = 31 December, 2007
other = no
occupation =
family =
spouse =
children =
relatives =
school =
university =

Robert Robertson Craig (September 1, 1881 – March 5, 1935) was a pioneer Australian rugby union and rugby league player and represented his country at both sports. He was one of the Australia's early dual code rugby internationals. He was a member of the Australian rugby union team, which won the gold medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics.

All round sportsman

Prior to his rugby careers Craig was one of Australia's greatest all-round sportsmen. He won eight consecutive State swimming championships between 1899 and 1906; he appeared in four Sydney premiership winning water polo sides and in 1905 he was a member of the Balmain soccer club which that year won the State premiership.

Rugby union career

Craig toured Britain and North America with the 1908-09 Wallabies and at the end of that tour won Olympic Gold medal in London in the team captained by Chris McKivat.

On his return to Australia he joined the fledgling code of rugby league along with 13 of his Olympic teammates.

Rugby league career

His club football was played with the Balmain Tigers whom he helped to four premierships between 1915 and 1919.

Craig made his international league debut in the First Test in Sydney on 18 June 1910. Four of his former Wallaby team mates also debuted that day John Barnett, Jack Hickey, Charles Russelland Chris McKivat - making them collectively Australia's 11th to 15th dual code internationals. This repeated a similar occurrence two years earlier when five former Wallabies in Micky Dore, Dally Messenger, Denis Lutge, Doug McLean snr and
Johnny Rosewell all debuted for the Kangaroos in the first ever Test against New Zealand.

He played in both rugby league Tests against Great Britain in Australia in 1910 and was selected on the 1911 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain. He played 31 tour matches and scored 7 tries. He played at second row in all three victorious Tests of the tour.

He returned to representative honors in 1914 playing two Tests when Australia hosted the Great Britain tourists. All up Craig played in 7 rugby league Tests and 35 times for Australia. .

ources

* Whiticker, Alan (2004) "Captaining the Kangaroos", New Holland, Sydney
* Andrews, Malcolm (2006) "The ABC of Rugby League", Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney

External links

* [http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=CRAIGROB01 profile]