This year’s NRL clash between the Wests Tigers and Parramatta Eels will be very significant.

But the losers have much more to lose.

Both teams are at the bottom of the NRL table on 18 points each, meaning the defeated team will receive the ‘wooden spoon’ for finishing among the bottom teams in the competition.

The Wests Tigers are hoping to avoid a third consecutive bottom-place finish, a record, while the Eels are hoping to avoid that ignominy for the first time since 2018.

The fact that these two teams, fighting for the wooden spoon, will meet in the final round of the season gives us the opportunity to face off in the ‘spoon bowl’ – a match of dubious name between the two lowest teams in the table in the final match of the season.

Who said that teams that don’t play in the final have nothing to play for at the end of the year?

But what does a wooden spoon even mean — beyond objectifying the common mockery of being the worst team in the league?

Cambridge University: Birthplace of the Wooden Spoon

The term “wooden spoon” has been used for decades to describe NRL teams that are at the bottom of the table – a similar practice to that used in the AFL, Six Nations rugby and many other leagues around the world.

But its roots go back much further.

In fact, to discover the origins of the term, we have to go back to mathematics classes at the University of Cambridge in the late 18th century.

Cambridge University placed great importance on ranking its students from highest to lowest, in contrast to Oxford University, where classical literature was more important and earning a degree in itself was considered an achievement.

This was a time when academic achievement and intellectual ability, at least at the University of Cambridge, began to be seen as more important than social standing, which meant that league tables became necessary.

There were a number of different degrees that could be obtained at universities: a first-class degree, a second-class degree and a third-class degree, each of which had a different name.

In the final mathematics examination at Cambridge—the only examination of distinction at the university—the Senate House Examination, which later became known as the Mathematical Tripos, students who gained a first-class honours degree were called Wranglers, those who gained a first-class honours degree were called Senior Optimes, and those who gained a first-class honours degree were called Junior Optimes.

Since 1791, the student who achieved the highest mark in the examination was called the Elder Mongrel.

But because there was a term for leader, attention soon turned to the other end of the scale.

In 1793, a new term appeared to describe a person who passed the exam but received the lowest possible score: the Wooden Spoon.

The reason for the use of the word “spoony” to refer to the lowest-ranking student is a matter of debate, but according to research by Chris Stray of Swansea University, it may have been related to the slang term “spoony”, meaning “stupid”.

Do wooden spoons ever win awards?

The term first physically appeared outside the gates of Clare College, Cambridge in 1804.

Clare College has been presenting the Wooden Spoon Award for three years running, so someone thought it would be a good joke to hang it outside the college building.

There is no doubt that Tigers fans will be hoping that history does not repeat itself if they win a third consecutive championship this season.

This was the first, but certainly not the last, instance of the wooden spoon award being given.

In 1823, a poem in the book of poetry The Cambridge Tart referred to a wooden spoon as a “solid honour”.

And as long as he lives, he holds this praised prize.

Whose value all can feel, both the weak and the wise;

He triumphantly presents his outstanding benefit.

A solid standout from the Wooden Spoon.

In 1832, the first tie in history was tied on a wooden spoon. One of the men, Richard Shilleto, symbolically took a small wooden spoon from his dress and cut it in half to share with his colleague, Matthew Chapman.

As the 19th century progressed, spoons grew in popularity, becoming larger and more stylish. They were performed theatrically, hanging from the ceiling as students received their diplomas. Their sizes reached monstrous proportions until they were finally banned in 1909.

Wooden spoons in sports were still commonplace — albeit without physical representation. Mostly.

In Major League Soccer, the Independent Supporters’ Council presents a trophy to the team that finishes last in the table.

And when opposing fans want to embarrass the team that’s finishing the league, you can count on them to rummage through the kitchen drawers and wave wooden spoons in their faces.

Much like in 2020, when the Brisbane Broncos finished bottom of the table, fans left a lot of memorabilia on the pitch at the club’s Red Hill training base.

Can anything good come from a wooden spoon?

In the 1983 Five Nations Rugby Union Championship, England were in a poor position.

After England lost 25-15 to Ireland at Lansdown Road in Dublin, five England fans seeking solace in a local bar were presented with a wooden spoon wrapped in an Irish scarf placed on a silver tray.

One such man was Peter Scott, who suggested that among them there should be someone who should keep the gift.

A few months later, a match in Surrey raised over £8,000 which was donated to a local special school to buy a new minibus.

A year later, Wooden Spoon became an officially registered charity and has since celebrated its 40th anniversary of charity work, having raised over £31 million (over $60 million) to fund projects in the UK and Ireland.

Charity considerations aside, it’s hard to imagine Wests Tigers or Eels fans being overly excited about defeat on Friday night.

But at least they can take comfort in the thought that their team has joined the rich history of Australian sport.