List of dual-code rugby internationals


A dual-code rugby international is a rugby footballer who has played at the senior international level in both codes of rugby, 13-a-side rugby league and 15-a-side rugby union.
Rugby league started as a breakaway version of rugby in Northern England in 1895 and in New Zealand and Australia in 1908, and consequently a number of early top-class rugby league players had been star players in the rugby union code. Accordingly, a high proportion of Australia and New Zealand's dual-code rugby internationals played in rugby league's formative years in those countries.
From 1910 to 1995, dual-code internationals were infrequent and with the single exception of Karl Ifwersen, the player had always first appeared as a union international before shifting to league, due to strict bans applied by administrators in rugby union, which remained amateur, to those players who crossed to the professional code. In 1995 rugby union itself turned professional and the tide of switches began to reverse. Since then the vast majority of cross-code representatives have debuted internationally in league before moving to union where there is now a larger audience and more money available.
Backs have more often been successful at the highest level of both games than forwards — approximately 65% of the players here listed are backs, although pre-1995 many notable forwards moved from union to league. Since 1995 nearly 90% of the league to union converts who went on to play internationally have been backs.
The following is an incomplete list of dual-code internationals, listed by country.

Australia

England

Fiji

France

Hong Kong

Qualifying on residency, New Zealand-born Jack Nielsen became Hong Kong's first dual-code international when the Hong Kong rugby league team played their first ever international match in November 2017.
No.PlayerInt'l DebutYearAtCross Code DebutDateAtPosition
1Jack NielsenRU Test v ???RL Test v Japan4 Nov 2017KowloonProp

Ireland

Italy

Germany

Malta

New Zealand

There have been 33 New Zealand dual-code internationals, including 18 who made their debuts before World War One. Only two people became dual-code internationals after first representing New Zealand in rugby league: Karl Ifwersen and Sonny Bill Williams.
No.PlayerTest debutYearAtCross-code debutDateAtPosition
1.Thomas CrossRU Test v British Lions1904WellingtonRL Test All Golds v Wales1 Jan 1908AberdareForward
2.Edgar WrigleyRU Test v Australia1905DunedinRL Test All Golds v Wales1 Jan 1908AberdareFive-eighth
3.Herbert TurtillRU Test v Australia1905DunedinRL Test All Golds v Wales1 Jan 1908AberdareFullback
4.Massa JohnstonRU Test Originals tour match1905BritainRL Test All Golds v Wales1 Jan 1908AberdareForward
5.William MackrellRU Test v France1906ParisRL Test All Golds v Wales1 Jan 1908AberdareForward
6.George SmithRU Test v Scotland1905EdinburghRL Test All Golds v Northern Union25 Jan 1908HeadingleyCentre
7.Duncan McGregorRU Test v Australia1903SydneyRL All Golds tour1908Britain & AustWing
8.Eric WatkinsRU Test v Australia1905DunedinRL All Golds tour1908Britain & AustForward
9.John SpencerRU Test v Australia1905DunedinRL 1st Test v Australia12 Jun 1909SydneyForward
11.Albert AsherRU Test v Australia1903SydneyRL Int'l Australasia v GB9 Jul 1910SydneyWinger
12.Ned HughesRU Test v Australia1907SydneyRL Test v Great Britain30 Jul 1910AucklandHooker
13.George A. GillettRU Test v Scotland1905EdinburghRL Kiwis tour match1911AustraliaFullback
14.Billy MitchellRU Test v Australia1910SydneyRL Kiwis tour match1911AustraliaWing
15.Arthur FrancisRU Test v Australia1905DunedinRL Kiwis tour match1911AustraliaForward
16.Harold HaywardRU Test v British Lions1908AucklandRL Kiwis tour match1912AustraliaFlanker
17.Dave EvansRU Test v Australia1910SydneyRL Kiwis tour match1912AustraliaFlanker
19.Dougie McGregorRU Test v Australia1913WellingtonRL 3rd Test v Australia6 Sep 1919AucklandWinger
20.Karl IfwersenRL Test v Australia1913AucklandRU Test v South Africa17 Sep 1921Wellington2nd 5/8
21.Jim O'BrienRU international v New South Wales1922SydneyRL 1st Test v Great Britain2 Aug 1924WellingtonForward
22.Charles FitzgeraldRU international v New South Wales1922SydneyRL 1st Test v Great Britain2 Aug 1924WellingtonCentre
23.Lou PetersenRU international v New South Wales1921ChristchurchRL 2nd Test v Great Britain6 Aug 1924WellingtonForward
24.Alphonsus CarrollRU international v New South Wales1920SydneyRL 1st Test v Great Britain2 Oct 1926WiganHooker
25.Bert CookeRU international v New South Wales1924SydneyRL 1st Test v Great Britain30 Jul 1932AucklandCentre
26.Herb LilburneRU Test v Sth Africa1928Port ElizabethRL 2nd Test v Australia2 Oct 1935AucklandWinger
27.George NepiaRU Test v Ireland1924EdinburghRL 2nd Test v Australia14 Aug 1937AucklandFullback
28.Hawea MatairaRU Test v Australia1934SydneyRL Kiwi tour match1939BritainForward
30.Jimmy HaigRU Test v Australia1946DunedinRL Test v England20 Dec 1947BradfordHalfback
31.Kurt SherlockRU All Black tour match1985ArgentinaRL 3rd Test v Australia23 Jul 1989AucklandBack
32.Frano BoticaRU Test v France1986ChristchurchRL 1st Test v Australia3 Jul 1991MelbourneFullback
33.John TimuRU 1st Test v Argentina1991Buenos AiresRL 1st Test v Australia7 Jul 1995SydneyCentre
34.Marc EllisRU Test v Scotland1993EdinburghRL 1st Test v Great Britain9 May 1996AucklandBack
35.Craig InnesRU Test v Wales1989CardiffRL Rest of the World v Australia11 Jul 1997BrisbaneBack
36.Sonny Bill WilliamsRL Anzac Test v Australia2004NewcastleRU Test v England6 Nov 2010TwickenhamCentre

All Golds

The 1907 Professional All Blacks left New Zealand in August 1907 for their ground-breaking tour of Britain via Sydney. The squad contained eight former All Blacks in George Smith, Thomas Cross, William Mackrell, Herbert Turtill, Duncan McGregor, Eric Watkins, Massa Johnston and Edgar Wrigley. These men became New Zealand's first dual-code internationals at the point they first played on the ten-month tour.
The three matches in Sydney between 17 and 24 August against professional New South Wales rugby rebels were played under rugby union rules so do not qualify as international rugby league appearances. But full internationals under "Northern Union" rules were played against Wales in Aberdare on 1 Januard 1908 and three Tests against Great Britain in Leeds on 25 January 1907, Chelsea on 8 February 1907 and Cheltenham on 15 February 1908. Three Test matches were played in Australia on the homeward leg before the All Golds arrived home in June 1908 having played 48 games as internationals.

Samoa

Scotland

No.PlayerInt'l DebutYearAtCross Code DebutDateAtPosition
1.Alex LaidlawRU Test v Ireland1897EdinburghRL Test Other Nationalities v England1905 or 1906Bradford or WiganForward
2.Roy KinnearBritish Lions v South Africa1924DurbanRL 1st Test Great Britain v Australia5 Oct 1929HullCentre
3.Dave ValentineRU Five Nations v Ireland1947EdinburghRL 1st Test Great Britain v Australia9 Oct 1948LeedsForward
4.David RoseRU Test v France1951ColombesRLWC Great Britain v Australia13 Nov 1954ParisThree-quarter
5.Alan TaitRWC v France1987ChristchurchRLWC Final Great Britain v Australia24 Oct 1992LondonBack
6.Andy CraigRL Test v Wales1999GlasgowRU Test v Canada15 Jun 2002VancouverCentre

South Africa

Tonga

No.PlayerInt'l DebutYearAtCross Code DebutDateAtPosition
1.Asa AmoneRugby World Cup1987Ballymore, BrisbaneRLWC1995Wilderspool Stadium, WarringtonFly-half
2.Tevita VaikonaRLWC v New Zealand1995WarringtonRU PNC v Japan4 Jun 2006FukuokaWing
3.Salesi FinauRLWC1995Warrington1998TongaWing
4.Eddie PaeaRLWC vs Samoa2008SydneyRU Test vs United States8 Jun 2011SurreyHooker
5.Taniela Moa2011 RLWC2011Halfback

United States

No.PlayerTest debutYearAtCross-code debutDateAtPosition
1.David NiuRL Test v ??RU Test v ??
2.Leonard PetersRU Test v ??RL Test v ??-
3.Luke HumeRL Test v ??RU Test v Canada9 Jun 2012Kingston

Wales

With 99, Wales have more than twice the number of dual-code rugby internationals than any other country.
No.PlayerInt'l DebutYearAtCross Code DebutDateAtPosition
1.Jack RhappsRU Test v England1897NewportRL Test Other Nationalities v England5 Apr 1904WiganForward
2.David JonesRU Test v England1902LondonRL Test v New Zealand All Golds1 Jan 1908AberdareForward
3.Billy O'NeillRU Test v Scotland1904SwanseaRL Test v England28 Dec 1908BroughtonForward
4.William DowellRU Test v England1907SwanseaRL Test v England28 Dec 1908BroughtonForward
5.Jake BlackmoreRU Test v England1909CardiffRL Test v England10 Dec 1910CoventryForward
6.Ben GronowRU Test v France1910SwanseaRL Test v England10 Dec 1910CoventryForward
7.Ernie JenkinsRU Test v England1910CardiffRL Test v England10 Dec 1910CoventryForward
8.Joseph PugsleyRU Test v Scotland1910LondonRL Test v Australia7 Oct 1911Ebbw ValeForward
9.William EvansRU Test v Ireland1911CardiffRL Test v England20 Jan 1912OldhamForward
10.Percy ColdrickRU Test v England1911SwanseaRL Test v England15 Feb 1913PlymouthForward
11.Gus MerryRU Test v Ireland1912BelfastRL Test v England15 Feb 1913PlymouthForward
12.William DaviesRU Test v Scotland1912SwanseaRL Test v England14 Apr 1914SwanseaBack
13.Rees RichardsRU Test v Scotland1913InverleithRL Test v England14 Apr 1914SwanseaForward
14.Bobby LloydRU Test v Scotland1913InverleithRL Test Great Britain v Australia3 Jul 1920SydneyHalf-back
15.Brinley WilliamsRU Test v Scotland1920InverleithRL Test v England19 Jan 1921LeedsBack
16.Ike FowlerRU Test v New Zealand Army XV1919SwanseaRL Test Other Nationalities v England5 Feb 1921WorkingtonBack
17.Wick PowellRU Test v England1920SwanseaRL Test Other Nationalities v England5 Feb 1921WorkingtonBack
18.Edgar MorganRU Test v Ireland1920CardiffRL Test Great Britain v Australia1 Oct 1921LeedsForward
19.George OliverRU Test v England1920SwanseaRL Test v Australia10 Dec 1921PontypriddForward
20.Frank EvansRU Test v Scotland1921SwanseaRL Test v Australia10 Dec 1921PontypriddBack
21.Jerry SheaRU Test v New Zealand Army XV1919SwanseaRL Test v England11 Dec 1922LondonBack
22.Wilfred HodderRU Test v England1921LondonRL Test Wales v England11 Dec 1922LondonForward
23.Dai EdwardsRU Test v England1921LondonRL Test v England7 Feb 1923WiganForward
24.Joe ThompsonRU Test v England1923LondonRL Test v England1 Oct 1923HuddersfieldForward
25.Johnny RingRU Test v England1921LondonRL Test Great Britain v Australia23 Jun 1924SydneyBack
26.Ambrose BakerRU Test v Ireland1921BelfastRL Test v England7 Feb 1925WorkingtonForward
27.Mel RosserRU Test v Scotland1924InverleithRL Test v England12 Apr 1926PontypriddBack
28.Joseph JonesRU Test v France1924ParisRL Test v England12 Apr 1926PontypriddBack
29.Bryn PhillipsRU Test v England1925LondonRL Test v England12 Apr 1926PontypriddBack
30.Jack GoreRU Test v Ireland1924CardiffRL Test v New Zealand4 Dec 1926PontypriddForward
31.David Morgan JenkinsRU Test v England1926CardiffRL Test v England26 Apr 1927BroughtonForward
32.Emlyn WatkinsRU Test v Scotland1926EdinburghRL Test v England6 Apr 1927SalfordForward
33.David JenkinsRU Test v Australia1927CardiffRL Test v England6 Apr 1927SalfordForward
34.Candy EvansRU Test v England1924SwanseaRL Test v England14 Nov 1928CardiffForward
35.Edwin WilliamsRU Test v New Zealand1924SwanseaRL Test v England14 Nov 1928CardiffHalf-back
36.Tommy ReesRU Test v Ireland1926SwanseaRL Test Great Britain v Australia5 Oct 1929HullBack
37.Billy WilliamsRU Test v England1927LondonRL Test Great Britain v Australia15 Jan 1930RochdaleForward
38.Gwyn DaviesRU Test v France1928ParisRL Test v England27 Jan 1932SalfordBack
39.Trevor 'Ocker' ThomasRU Test v England1930CardiffRL Test v England27 Jan 1932SalfordForward
40.Norman FenderRU Test v Ireland1930SwanseaRL Test v England27 Jan 1932SalfordForward
41.Dicky RalphRU Test v France1931SwanseaRL Test v Australia30 Dec 1933WembleyHalf-back
42.Iorrie IsaacsRU Test v England1933LondonRL Test v Australia30 Dec 1933WembleyForward
43.Lewis ReesRU Test v Ireland1933BelfastRL Test v France1 Jan 1935BordeauxForward
44.Gomer HughesRU Test v England1934CardiffRL Test v France1 Jan 1935WiganForward
45.Con MurphyRU Test v England1935SwanseaRL Test v England1 Jan 1935BordeauxForward
46.Bert DayRU Test v Scotland1930EdinburghRL Test v England10 Apr 1935LiverpoolForward
47.Tommy ScourfieldRU Test v France1930ParisRL Test v England10 Apr 1935LiverpoolBack
48.Jack MorleyRU Test v England1929LondonRL 1st Test Great Britain v Australia19 Jun 1936SydneyBack
49.Dai ProsserRU Test v Scotland1934MurrayfieldRL Test v England7 Nov 1936PontypriddForward
50.Harold ThomasRU Test v England1936SwanseaRL Test v England5 Nov 1938LlanelliForward
51.Arthur BassettRU Test v Ireland1934SwanseaRL Test v England23 Dec 1939OdsalBack
52.Syd WilliamsRU Test v England1939LondonRL Test v England9 Nov 1940OldhamBack
53.Eddie WatkinsRU Test v New Zealand1935CardiffRL Test v England18 Oct 1941BradfordForward
54.Emrys EvansRU Test v England1937LondonRL Test v England10 Mar 1945WiganForward
55.Idwal DaviesRU Test v England1939LondonRL Test v England10 Mar 1945WiganBack
56.Willie DaviesRU Test v Ireland1936CardiffRL Test Great Britain v New Zealand1 Aug 1946AucklandHalf-back
57.George ParsonsRU Test v England1947CardiffRL Test v Australia20 Nov 1948SwanseaForward
58.Leslie WilliamsRU Test v England1947CardiffRL Test v England22 Oct 1949WiganBack
59.Terence CookRU Test v Scotland1949EdinburghRL Test v Other Nationalities31 Mar 1951SwanseaBack
60.Ray CaleRU Test v England1949CardiffRL Test v Other Nationalities1 Dec 1951SwanseaForward
61.Lewis JonesRU Test v England1950LondonRL Test v France13 Dec 1953MarseillesBack
62.Garfield OwenRU Test v Ireland1955CardiffRL Test v France1 Mar 1959ToulouseBack
63.Colin EvansRU Test v England1960LondonRL Test v England17 Feb 1963ToulouseHalf-back
64.John MantleRU Test v England1964LondonRL Test Great Britain v France16 Jan 1966PerpignanForward
65.Malcolm PriceRU Test v England1959CardiffRL Test Great Britain v Australia21 Oct 1967LeedsBack
66.John WarlowRU Test v England1962CardiffRL Test Great Britain v France2 Jun 1968AucklandForward
67.Kel CoslettRU Test v England1962LondonRL Test v England7 Nov 1968SalfordBack
68.David WatkinsRU Test v England1963CardiffRL Test v England7 Nov 1968SalfordBack
69.Terry PriceRU Test v England1965CardiffRL Test v England7 Nov 1968SalfordBack
70.Maurice RichardsRU Test v Ireland1968Lansdowne RoadRL Test v France23 Oct 1969SalfordBack
71.Keith JarrettRU Test v England1967CardiffRL Test vs France25 Jan 1970PerpignanBack
72.Keri JonesRU Test v New Zealand1967CardiffRL Test Great Britain v New Zealand31 Oct 1970SwintonBack
73.Roy MathiasRU Test v France1970CardiffRL Test v England2 Mar 1975ToulouseBack
74.Bobby WanbonRU Test v England1968LondonRL Test v England10 Jun 1975BrisbaneForward
75.Stuart GallacherRU Test v France1970CardiffRL Test v New Zealand2 Nov 1975SwanseaForward
76.John BevanRU Test v England1971CardiffRL 1st Test Great Britain v Australia15 Jun 1974BrisbaneBack
77.Glyn ShawRU Test v New Zealand1972CardiffRL Test v France15 Jan 1978WidnesForward
78.Clive GriffithsRU Test v England1979CardiffRL Test v France26 Jan 1980WidnesBack
79.Tom DavidRU Test v France1973ParisRL match v England8 Nov 1981CardiffBack
80.Steve FenwickRU Test v France1975ParisRL match v England8 Nov 1981CardiffBack
81.Paul RingerRU Test v New Zealand1978CardiffRL Test v England8 Nov 1981CardiffForward
82.Brynmor WilliamsRU Test British Lions v New Zealand1977WellingtonRL Test v England24 Oct 1982CardiffHalf-back
83.David BishopRU Test v Australia1984CardiffRL Test Great Britain v France7 Apr 1990LeedsHalf-back
84.Jonathan DaviesRU Test v England1985CardiffRL Test Great Britain v Papua New Guinea27 May 1990GorokaCentre
85.Robert AckermanRU Test v New Zealand1980CardiffRL Test v Papua New Guinea17 Oct 1991SwanseaBack
86.Gary PearceRU Test v Ireland1981CardiffRL Test v Papua New Guinea17 Oct 1991SwanseaHalf-back
87.Paul MoriartyRU Test v Ireland1986DublinRLWC Great Britain v Papua New Guinea9 Nov 1991WiganForward
88.Anthony SullivanRLWC Great Britain v Papua New Guinea1991WiganRU v Argentina10 Nov 2001CardiffBack
89.John DevereuxRU Test v England1986LondonRL Test Great Britain v France16 Feb 1992PerpignanWing
90.Mark JonesRU Test v Scotland1987EdinburghRL Test Great Britain v France16 Feb 1992PerpignanForward
91.Allan BatemanRU Test v Scotland1990CardiffRLWC Great Britain v France7 Mar 1992HullCentre
92.Richard WebsterRU Test v Australia1987RotoruaRL Test v France4 Mar 1994CardiffForward
93.Dai YoungRWC Qtr-final v England1987BrisbaneRLWC v France9 Oct 1995CardiffForward
94.Adrian HadleyRU Test v Romania1983BucharestRLWC v France9 Oct 1995CardiffBack
95.Rowland PhillipsRU Test v USA1987CardiffRLWC v France9 Oct 1995CardiffForward
96.Scott GibbsRU Test v England1991CardiffRLWC v France9 Oct 1995CardiffBack
97.Scott QuinnellRU Test v Canada1993CardiffRLWC v France9 Oct 1995CardiffForward
98.Iestyn HarrisRLWC v France1995CardiffRU v Argentina10 Nov 2001CardiffBack
99.Gareth ThomasRUWC v Japan1995BloemfonteinRL Test v Italy6 Oct 2010WrexhamBack

More than one country

Dally Messenger
Messenger played for Australia in rugby union, and for both New Zealand and Australia in rugby league. One week after his final Test appearance as a Wallaby, Messenger, who was born in Australia, toured Great Britain at the invitation of the New Zealand All Golds in 1907. He made his international rugby league debut on that tour representing New Zealand. His Australian international Test debut was made in Sydney in Australia's inaugural rugby league Test v the Kiwis on 9 May 1908. He made six further international rugby league appearances for Australia.
Emosi Koloto
Koloto grew up in New Zealand playing rugby union and represented Tonga in the code before switching to league and moving to England. He was called up into the Kiwis in 1991 from the Widnes club and played five tests that year.
John Schuster
Schuster first played rugby union, representing both Samoa and New Zealand. Later he switched to rugby league and captained Western Samoa in two pool games at the 1995 World Cup.
Henry Paul
Paul was born in New Zealand. His senior club rugby league career was played in England but between 1995 and 2001 he regularly returned to New Zealand to make international appearances for the Kiwis. When he switched to union in 2002 he became eligible to represent England by ancestry of his grandfather and he did so in 2002.
Brad Thorn
Thorn was born in Mosgiel, New Zealand. From age eight he played rugby league in Queensland and aged twenty-two he played for Australia during the Super League split year. When the code reunited in 1998 he also played for Australia.
In 2001 he moved to New Zealand and switched to rugby union. He appeared in twelve Tests for New Zealand from 2003. For 2005-06 he returned to the National Rugby League in Australia, winning a premiership with the Brisbane Broncos and playing at state level again. In 2008 he switched to rugby union for a second time and was again selected for the All Blacks.
Michael Horak
Horak was born in South Africa and represented South Africa in rugby league. He switched to rugby union in 1998 moving to England to play with the Leicester Tigers. He qualifies to represent England via his English mother and did so in 2002.
Lesley Vainikolo
Vainikolo was born in Tonga but raised in New Zealand playing rugby league at school. His league club career was played with the Canberra Raiders in Australia and the Bradford Bulls in England. During that period he made twelve national representative appearances for New Zealand.
He took up rugby union with Gloucester Rugby in 2007. He was eligible to play for Tonga by birth, New Zealand by parentage or England by residence. He had previously declined to play for Tonga in the 2007 Rugby World Cup so that he could play for his adopted nation. He made his international rugby union debut for England v Wales in February 2008 and played in five tests that season.
Craig Gower
After a successful eleven year Australian rugby league career from 1996 to 2007 with the Penrith Panthers, during which he made five State of Origin appearances for New South Wales and twenty-three Test appearances for Australia, Gower moved to Europe, switched codes and signed with French rugby union side Bayonne from 2008. He is eligible to play for Italy through his Italian grandfather. He was selected for Italy on their mid-season tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2009.
Shontayne Hape
Hape, a New Zealand Mãori, had a very successful rugby league career in both hemispheres, first with the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL and then with the Bradford Bulls in the Super League. He made his Test debut for New Zealand in the 2004 Tri-Nations, and eventually appeared in 14 Tests for New Zealand. Hape switched codes in 2008, signing with Bath, for whom he still plays. Under IRB rules, he was already eligible to represent England on residency grounds, having lived there for well over the three years required to qualify. Hape made his union Test debut for England in 2010 against Australia.
Maurie Fa'asavalu
Maurie Fa'asavalu is a Samoan rugby union player who formerly played rugby league for St Helens. He was picked in the Great Britain rugby league squad after living in England for 4 years. He also played for England in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
Bill Hardcastle
A New Zealander and an 1897 All Black, Hardcastle journeyed to Sydney in 1899 on hearing that the visiting British rugby union team would be not be travelling to New Zealand. Australian rugby in those days had no residential rules and once he joined Sydney's Glebe RU club he qualified for Australian national selection. He was chosen for Australia in the fourth test of 1899 against Great Britain.
In rugby league he made two Test appearances for Australia and six minor appearances on the 1908 Kangaroo tour.
Va'aiga Tuigamala
Tuigamala was nicknamed 'Inga the Winger' and initially represented New Zealand in rugby union. He then switched codes, joining Wigan in 1993. While playing league he represented Western Samoa at the 1995 World Cup. When rugby union turned professional he returned to his original code. Between 1996 and 2000 he represented Samoa in rugby union.
Lote Tuqiri
Born in Fiji, Tuqiri was a junior Australian rugby league international at age 19 in 1998. When he missed selection for Australia's 2000 Rugby League World Cup squad he opted to play for Fiji and captained the side in their three pool match appearances. He later played four rugby league Tests for Australia in 2001 before his 2003 switch to union and a long international representative career in that code.
Fred Jackson
Jackson toured Australasia with the 1908 Anglo-Welsh Lions. However, during the tour he was accused of professionalism and recalled to England by the Rugby Football Union. Jackson left the touring party but failed to return to England to face the accusations. In 1910 Jackson played rugby league in New Zealand and represented both Auckland and New Zealand against the touring Great Britain side.

First dual-code rugby international

England's Anthony Starks and Wales' Jack Rhapps took the field in the inaugural rugby league international of 5 April 1904 between England and Other Nationalities Starks had made two rugby union Test appearances for England in 1896, and Rhapps had made a single rugby union Test appearance for Wales in 1897, and thus in April 1904 they became the world's first dual rugby code internationals.
The first tour matches played by the New Zealand All Golds in Britain in Nov & Dec 1907 would have seen international cross-code debuts by some of the seven touring former All Blacks. At this stage of the tour the New Zealanders were still familiarising themselves with the new Northern Union rules which they had not seen until they arrived in Leeds in October. The first full international of the tour against Wales on New Year's Day 1908 saw confirmed appearances by Mackrell, Turtill, Wrigley, Johnston & Cross for New Zealand and David Jones for Wales. Thus New Zealand's first five dual-code rugby internationals all achieved that feat in the same match.

Other firsts and lasts

represented Australia in track & field at the Commonwealth Games making him an international at the senior level in three sports. Dick Thornett achieved the same distinction having also represented for Australia in water polo at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Dai Bishop represented Wales in British Baseball.

Footnotes