Barry "Bowser" Rushworth (23 August 1941 to 29 October 2026) was an Australian rugby league centre from Lithgow, New South Wales, who toured Great Britain and France with the 1963-64 Kangaroos, scored a try in the series-deciding Test against France in Paris, and spent eight seasons with the Parramatta Eels, where he is remembered as Eel #225 and a member of the club's Hall of Fame. After football he became one of Lithgow's best known publicans, running the Lansdowne Hotel on Main Street for more than two decades and later the Royal Hotel at Wallerawang.
Rushworth was born in Lithgow on 23 August 1941 and came through the junior ranks of the Central West mining and railway town. He played his early senior football for Lithgow Workies in Group 10, and in 1963 his form earned him selection for NSW Country and then New South Wales. In August 1963 he played for Country against the Sydney side at the Sydney Sports Ground, a narrow 15-10 loss, and that same night he learned he had been named in the 26-man Kangaroo squad. He was one of only four bush players chosen, alongside Gilgandra's Earl Harrison, Gerringong's Paul Quinn and Ipswich Brothers' John Cleary.
He married his wife Pat in 1963, before leaving on the tour. In England he roomed for five months with the young St George centre Graeme Langlands, later recalling that Langlands was "a bit of a larrikin, but he was a good bloke and a great mate." Rushworth played 19 matches on tour against club, county and regional sides in England and France and scored nine tries. The Test centres were Reg Gasnier and Langlands, both future Immortals, so Test chances were scarce. He finally got his chance in the third and deciding Test against France at the Parc des Princes in Paris on 18 January 1964, with the series level at one win each. Australia won 16-8 and Rushworth scored a try. The 1963-64 side is also remembered as the first Kangaroo team to win the Ashes in England.
On the tour, several teammates tried to recruit him for their Sydney clubs. Rushworth said it was Langlands who settled it: "Go to Parramatta, mate. They've got a good team." After talking with Brian Hambly and the Thornett brothers, he signed with Parramatta on his return. He made his first-grade debut against Canterbury at Cumberland Oval on 4 April 1964 and scored a try in a 25-4 win. Coached by Ken Kearney, the Eels finished second in the regular season, then lost the preliminary final 16-7 to Balmain, one game short of the grand final. Parramatta would not reach a premiership decider again until 1976.
Between 1964 and 1971 Rushworth was a fixture in the Eels' three-quarter line, playing mainly at centre with spells on the wing and at fullback. The club credits him with 140 appearances, 25 tries and 75 points, while the Rugby League Project lists 104 first-grade premiership games. He captained the side in several matches in 1970 and played alongside internationals including Ron Lynch, Bill Rayner, Bob Bugden, Brian Hambly and Ken and Dick Thornett. Supporters remembered his trademark chip and chase, kicking over a defender's head and regathering the ball before the defender could turn.
Back home in Lithgow, Rushworth kept playing for Workies. In 1974, aged nearly 33, he was called into the Western Division side for the new Amco Cup. He told selectors he was "a bit too old for it," but played all three matches: a 12-10 quarter-final win over Canterbury, a 12-all semi-final draw with Manly at a freezing Wade Park in Orange that Western Division won on penalty count-back, and a 6-2 final win over Penrith at Leichhardt Oval. In 1975 he captain-coached a Lithgow-Oberon side against the touring French team, and he kept playing in Lithgow until 1980.
Rushworth became a publican after his return to Lithgow and owned the Lansdowne Hotel on Main Street for more than two decades. After selling it in 2001 he did not enjoy sitting around, and at Pat's suggestion he bought the Royal Hotel at Wallerawang. Locals remembered him as a generous sponsor of junior teams and school sides in the Central West. He and Pat had six children: Michael, Jason, Darren, Marty, Julie and Hayley.
Parramatta inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2007. He kept in touch with old teammates at Eels and Kangaroo reunions, and in 2014 he joined other league greats at the funeral of Reg Gasnier, whom he called "a freak of a player and a gentleman off the field." In April 2026 Lithgow City Council started community consultation on renaming the heritage-listed Ashley Grandstand at Tony Luchetti Showground as the Barry (Bowser) Rushworth Grandstand. "It'd be a nice honour," he said.
Rushworth died on 29 October 2026 at the age of 85. The Parramatta Eels and Parramatta Leagues Club announced his death the same day, calling him a club great and signing off "Forever Eel #225." The place and cause of death have not been made public.
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