John Brass is an Australian former rugby union and rugby league footballer - a dual-code international. He made twelve international representative rugby union appearances with the Wallabies from 1966–68 and six representative rugby league appearances for the Kangaroos in 1970 and 1975, as national captain on one occasion.
His junior football was with the South Coogee juniors. He was educated at Sydney Boys High School, graduating in 1963 and went on to play first grade rugby with the Randwick rugby club in their premiership winning sides of 1965 to 1967. He won national selection with the Wallabies in 1966 playing Tests against the British Isles at home. In 1966-67 and 1968-69 he was selected on Wallaby overseas tours where he made further Test appearances.
Rugby league career
Switching to rugby league in 1969 he joined the Eastern Suburbs club on a then record contract of A$30,000 pa. In 1970, he was made captain of the Roosters' first grade side and was selected for New South Wales in the interstate series against Queensland. He represented Australia in rugby league in all three Tests against Great Britain in 1970. His international rugby league debut against Great Britain in Brisbane on 6 June 1970 alongside Phil Hawthorne saw them together become Australia's 32nd and 33rd dual code rugby internationals. For family reasons, he made himself unavailable for the 1972 Rugby League World Cup and the 1973 Kangaroo Tour but he was selected for the 1975 World Cup series and captained Australia to victory in a game against New Zealand in that campaign. He is listed on the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo No.440. He was part of the Roosters' premiership winning sides of 1974 and 1975, kicking two goals in the 1974 Grand Final and scoring two tries in the 1975 decider. During the 1976 NSWRFL season, Brass played as a for Eastern Suburbs in their unofficial 1976 World Club Challenge match against British champions St. Helens in Sydney.
Post playing
Brass coached the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Group 18 competition in 1977-78. He had a long career in shopping centre management. In 1995 he was asked to join the board of Super League and remained on the Board when the truce between the warring factions was called in 1997 and the National Rugby League was formed. He remained on the board until 2005, when he was replaced by Gorden Tallis.
