John Thornett Memorial Fund
Donation protected
Sydney University, Northern Suburbs and the rugby world are mourning the passing of Wallaby great John Thornett MBE. The man at the centre of what is generally considered the first golden age of Australian rugby passed away on Friday 4th January on the NSW south coast at the age of 83 after a lengthy battle with illness.
As a club legend at both Sydney Uni and Northern Suburbs, SUFC and NSRFC are asking their rugby communities to support the Thornett family at this difficult time.
John Thornett Memorial Service Details
Time: 11am
Date: Thursday 17th January
Location: Dining Room at the Noble Stand at the SCG
Note - Entrance is through Gate A off Driver Ave. You can park in Wilson's Car Park behind the SCG or in the Entertainment Quarter
Here is John’s story;
- Made his debut for Sydney University FC in 1953 at the age of 18 and played over 70 1st Grade and eight lower grade matches over five seasons from 1953-57.
- He played for SUFC in three winning University Grand Finals in 1953, 1954 and 1955.
- Awarded Varsity Rugby Blue at Sydney University in 1953
- His first game for New South Wales was against Queensland in 1955 while still at University. He also played that year for South Harbour v North Harbour, Sydney Seconds v Newcastle and NSW v Victoria.
- Made his international debut in the Australian back-row against New Zealand (Wallaby No.410), in Wellington on 20 August, 1955 with John Solomon as captain. He played in 10 of the 13 tour matches.
- He won his first five caps while a member of SUFC.
- By the time he joined the Wallabies for the 1958 tour of the British Isles, he was playing for Northern Suburbs RFC.
- He played 126 1st Grade matches for Northern Suburbs, who he joined after university in 1958. He ended his club career soon after he retired from international rugby in 1967.
- He was club vice-captain in 1960-61 and captain for six years from 1962-67.
- He reached the Sydney Grand Finals five times between 1959 and 1965, winning it in 1960, 1963 (he was club captain but did not play in the final due to his international commitments) and 1964 – the last two against his former club SUFC. In 1964 Northern Suburbs won three of the four grade finals in Sydney.
- Played for the Hamilton Sea Point club in SA in 1963. While in Cape Town he shared a flat with club mate and Springbok Tiny Naude.
- A broken jaw prevented him from turning out against New Zealand in 1957.
- A bout of jaundice on the boat that ferried the Wallabies to Europe for their 1957-58 tour kept him in hospital in London for six weeks. He missed the first 14 tour matches before making his tour debut against The Combined Services at Twickenham. Two matches later he played for Australia against Wales.
- His move from flank-forward to tighthead prop by NSW selectors in 1960 has been described as controversial, especially since he had been voted one of the top five players in NSW for his season as a breakaway, for both club (Northern Suburbs) and state.
- He played 15 tests at wing-forward, up to and including the second test against Ronnie Dawson’s Lions in June 1959.
- He made his first appearance as a second row against Fiji in Sydney in 1961. His brother Richard also made his Test debut at number eight.
- The youngest of the Thornett brothers, Richard also enjoyed a brilliant rugby union career playing at second row for Randwick DRFC, NSW and Australia (11 Tests in 1961-62 – most of which were alongside John) after which he switched codes, joining his other brother Kenneth at the Parramatta Eels Rugby League club. Richard became a dual international, adding 11 Rugby League caps to his Wallaby bundle, of which three on the same team with Kenneth on the 1963-64 Kangaroos tour. John played 11 matches at lock forward between 17 June, 1961 and 13 July, 1963.
- In 1961 he moved to tighthead prop for the first test against South Africa in Johannesburg, but returned to the second row, to partner brother Richard, for the second test in Port Elizabeth, under the captaincy of Ken Catchpole.
- In 1962, Australia played five tests against New Zealand, two at home and three in New Zealand, as part of a long tour and the Bledisloe Cup series. Thornett was appointed captain for the opening test of that year’s Bledisloe Cup at Wellington on 25 August, 1962.
- John was selected again at prop for the second test v South Africa on 10 August 1963, a position he retained until his retirement in 1967.
- Overall, he played prop in 12 test matches, nine at tighthead, including the 1961 test v South Africa, and three (1966-67) at loosehead prop
- He was captain for the first time in the first test against New Zealand in Wellington on 25 August 1962.
- He led the Wallabies to an 18-9 win against the visiting England in the mud at Sydney Cricket Ground.
- In 1963 he led Australia on their tour of South Africa when they shared the test series 2-2 and were considered by pundits unlucky to lose the series.
- He led the Wallabies to their 2-1 Bledisloe Cup series defeat in New Zealand in 1964, when the sensational 20-5 victory in the third test signalled the beginning of a new era in Australian test rugby. The win was conjured by an energetic performance of the pack led from the front by Thornett, who was now accepted by the New Zealand observers not only as one of the great leaders in test rugby but also as one of the best tighthead props in the world.
- In May 1964 he was one of the 30-odd international stars invited for the 75th anniversary celebrations of the South African Rugby Board (SARB). He played tighthead prop in all three matches, for White v Greens, the SARB President’s XV v Outsiders XV and captained Dr Danie Craven’s XV v TH Pierce’s XV.
- Thornett led Australia to their first major test series win when they defeated South Africa 2-0 in 1965.
- On the 1966-67 tour of the British Isles he caught impetigo from his opposite number and was unavailable for selection for most of the tour, missing two great wins against England and Wales, when the team was led by scrum-half Ken Catchpole.
- He retired from international rugby after the test against France on the 1967-68 tour of the British Isles and France, though he continued to play club rugby for Northern Suburbs.
As a club legend at both Sydney Uni and Northern Suburbs, SUFC and NSRFC are asking their rugby communities to support the Thornett family at this difficult time.
John Thornett Memorial Service Details
Time: 11am
Date: Thursday 17th January
Location: Dining Room at the Noble Stand at the SCG
Note - Entrance is through Gate A off Driver Ave. You can park in Wilson's Car Park behind the SCG or in the Entertainment Quarter
Here is John’s story;
- Made his debut for Sydney University FC in 1953 at the age of 18 and played over 70 1st Grade and eight lower grade matches over five seasons from 1953-57.
- He played for SUFC in three winning University Grand Finals in 1953, 1954 and 1955.
- Awarded Varsity Rugby Blue at Sydney University in 1953
- His first game for New South Wales was against Queensland in 1955 while still at University. He also played that year for South Harbour v North Harbour, Sydney Seconds v Newcastle and NSW v Victoria.
- Made his international debut in the Australian back-row against New Zealand (Wallaby No.410), in Wellington on 20 August, 1955 with John Solomon as captain. He played in 10 of the 13 tour matches.
- He won his first five caps while a member of SUFC.
- By the time he joined the Wallabies for the 1958 tour of the British Isles, he was playing for Northern Suburbs RFC.
- He played 126 1st Grade matches for Northern Suburbs, who he joined after university in 1958. He ended his club career soon after he retired from international rugby in 1967.
- He was club vice-captain in 1960-61 and captain for six years from 1962-67.
- He reached the Sydney Grand Finals five times between 1959 and 1965, winning it in 1960, 1963 (he was club captain but did not play in the final due to his international commitments) and 1964 – the last two against his former club SUFC. In 1964 Northern Suburbs won three of the four grade finals in Sydney.
- Played for the Hamilton Sea Point club in SA in 1963. While in Cape Town he shared a flat with club mate and Springbok Tiny Naude.
- A broken jaw prevented him from turning out against New Zealand in 1957.
- A bout of jaundice on the boat that ferried the Wallabies to Europe for their 1957-58 tour kept him in hospital in London for six weeks. He missed the first 14 tour matches before making his tour debut against The Combined Services at Twickenham. Two matches later he played for Australia against Wales.
- His move from flank-forward to tighthead prop by NSW selectors in 1960 has been described as controversial, especially since he had been voted one of the top five players in NSW for his season as a breakaway, for both club (Northern Suburbs) and state.
- He played 15 tests at wing-forward, up to and including the second test against Ronnie Dawson’s Lions in June 1959.
- He made his first appearance as a second row against Fiji in Sydney in 1961. His brother Richard also made his Test debut at number eight.
- The youngest of the Thornett brothers, Richard also enjoyed a brilliant rugby union career playing at second row for Randwick DRFC, NSW and Australia (11 Tests in 1961-62 – most of which were alongside John) after which he switched codes, joining his other brother Kenneth at the Parramatta Eels Rugby League club. Richard became a dual international, adding 11 Rugby League caps to his Wallaby bundle, of which three on the same team with Kenneth on the 1963-64 Kangaroos tour. John played 11 matches at lock forward between 17 June, 1961 and 13 July, 1963.
- In 1961 he moved to tighthead prop for the first test against South Africa in Johannesburg, but returned to the second row, to partner brother Richard, for the second test in Port Elizabeth, under the captaincy of Ken Catchpole.
- In 1962, Australia played five tests against New Zealand, two at home and three in New Zealand, as part of a long tour and the Bledisloe Cup series. Thornett was appointed captain for the opening test of that year’s Bledisloe Cup at Wellington on 25 August, 1962.
- John was selected again at prop for the second test v South Africa on 10 August 1963, a position he retained until his retirement in 1967.
- Overall, he played prop in 12 test matches, nine at tighthead, including the 1961 test v South Africa, and three (1966-67) at loosehead prop
- He was captain for the first time in the first test against New Zealand in Wellington on 25 August 1962.
- He led the Wallabies to an 18-9 win against the visiting England in the mud at Sydney Cricket Ground.
- In 1963 he led Australia on their tour of South Africa when they shared the test series 2-2 and were considered by pundits unlucky to lose the series.
- He led the Wallabies to their 2-1 Bledisloe Cup series defeat in New Zealand in 1964, when the sensational 20-5 victory in the third test signalled the beginning of a new era in Australian test rugby. The win was conjured by an energetic performance of the pack led from the front by Thornett, who was now accepted by the New Zealand observers not only as one of the great leaders in test rugby but also as one of the best tighthead props in the world.
- In May 1964 he was one of the 30-odd international stars invited for the 75th anniversary celebrations of the South African Rugby Board (SARB). He played tighthead prop in all three matches, for White v Greens, the SARB President’s XV v Outsiders XV and captained Dr Danie Craven’s XV v TH Pierce’s XV.
- Thornett led Australia to their first major test series win when they defeated South Africa 2-0 in 1965.
- On the 1966-67 tour of the British Isles he caught impetigo from his opposite number and was unavailable for selection for most of the tour, missing two great wins against England and Wales, when the team was led by scrum-half Ken Catchpole.
- He retired from international rugby after the test against France on the 1967-68 tour of the British Isles and France, though he continued to play club rugby for Northern Suburbs.
Organizer
Sydney Universty Football Club
Organizer
Camperdown NSW
