The Courtney Goodwill Trophy is a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

trophy that was awarded for competition among the national rugby league teams of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

between 1936 and 1988. The trophy is displayed in the Heroes and Legends Museum at Rugby League Central in Moore Park, Sydney.

History

The trophy was donated and designed by New Zealand businessman and rugby enthusiast Roy Courtney. The intention was that it would generate a feeling of goodwill between the then four test playing nations. The trophy was handed over to the

Australian Rugby League Board of Control The Australian Rugby League Commission Limited (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League Limited known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australi ...

at the first test between Australia and Great Britain in Sydney on 29 June 1936. With Great Britain winning the trophy in 1936 following victories over Australia and New Zealand, the trophy was held in Great Britain until 1951 although it was returned to Australia for safe storage during the Second World War. It was also considered for use as a substitute for the Ashes Cup when that trophy went missing in 1937. Until the 1950s the trophy was awarded ever time the holders played one of the other three teams but then the award was made every five years to the team with the highest winning percentage of test matches during that period. With the continued expansion of the

Rugby League World Cup The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by senior men's national teams who each represent member nations of the International Rugby League who run and administer the tournament. The tournament has be ...

and difficulties in transporting the trophy the awarding of the trophy was withdrawn in 1988. The trophy is now displayed in the Heroes and Legends Museum at Rugby League Central in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Holders

* 1936: Great Britain * 1950: Australia * 1951: France * 1965–1970: New Zealand (based on test performances between 1960 and 1964) * 1970–1975: Australia * 1975–1980: France * 1980–1985: Australia * 1985–1988: Australia

Description

The trophy is on a square base that is on each side, stands tall and weighs almost . The base is wooden and is in the form of a

stepped pyramid A step pyramid or stepped pyramid is an architectural structure that uses flat platforms, or steps, receding from the ground up, to achieve a completed shape similar to a geometric pyramid. Step pyramids – typically large and made of several la ...

inlaid with timbers from each of the four countries and carries an embossed silver globe mounted on four dolphins. Each dolphin has a scroll attached with an inscription from each country. These read ''Peace and Goodwill'' (England), ''Liberte, Fraternite'' (France), ''Unity and Equality'' (Australia), and ''Honour and Justice'' (New Zealand). Atop the globe is a figure representing Peace, holding a laurel wreath and a flaming torch. On the steps of the base are symbolical figures in silver, again representing the four nations;

Britannia The image of Britannia () is the national personification of United Kingdom, Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used by the Romans in classical antiquity, the Latin was the name variously appli ...

and the lion (England), the crest of the Republic and a

rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

(France), the kangaroo and aboriginal man (Australia), and the kiwi, silver fern and Maori (New Zealand). On plates around the base are images of four pioneering rugby league players in action; James Lomas (England),

Jean Galia Jean Galia (born 20 March 1905 in Ille-sur-Têt, Pyrénées-Orientales, died 17 January 1949 in Toulouse) was a French rugby union and rugby league footballer and champion boxer. He is credited with establishing the sport of rugby league in Fra ...

(France),

Dally Messenger Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger, (12 April 1883 – 24 November 1959) was an Australian rugby league and rugby union player. One of Australasia's first professional rugby footballers, he is recognised as one of the greatest-ever players in eit ...

(Australia), and

Albert Henry Baskerville Albert (Bert) Henry Baskerville (born as "Baskiville") (15 January 1883 – 20 May 1908) was a Wellington, New Zealand, postal clerk, a rugby union forward, author of the book ''Modern Rugby Football: New Zealand Methods; Points for the ...

(New Zealand). The trophy is completed with a domed shrine of remembrance bearing the inscription: "In commemoration of the supreme sacrifice and glorious deeds of sportsmen whose devotion to duty was in the cause of Peace and Goodwill."

References

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