1986 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France

The 1986 Kangaroo tour was the sixteenth Kangaroo Tour where the Australian side plays a number of matches against British and French rugby league teams, in additions to the Test matches. The next Kangaroo Tour was staged in 1990.

Australia continued its dominance, winning both Test series against Great Britain and France, going through the entire tour undefeated in a repeat of the 1982 Invincibles. The 1986 team became known as "The Unbeatables". In twenty matches they scored 136 tries and conceded only 16[1]. Terry Lamb became the first player to appear in every match on a Kangaroo Tour.

The team was coached by Don Furner and captained by Wally Lewis. This was the first time a Queensland based player had captained a Kangaroo Tour since Tom Gorman led the 1929/1930 Tour.

Contents

Squad

Player Club Games (sub) Tries Goals Points
Greg Alexander Penrith 9 (1) 10 5 50
Gary Belcher Canberra 10 6 0 24
Martin Bella North Sydney 8 (2) 1 0 4
Noel Cleal Manly-Warringah
Phil Daley Manly-Warringah
Les Davidson South Sydney
Greg Dowling Wynnum-Manly (Qld)
Paul Dunn Canterbury-Bankstown
Ben Elias Balmain
Steve Folkes Canterbury-Bankstown
Des Hasler Manly-Warringah
Garry Jack Balmain
Brett Kenny Parramatta
Les Kiss North Sydney
Terry Lamb Canterbury-Bankstown
Paul Langmack Canterbury-Bankstown
Wally Lewis (c) Wynnum-Manly (Qld)
Bob Lindner Wynnum-Manly (Qld)
Mal Meninga Canberra
Gene Miles Wynnum-Manly (Qld)
Chris Mortimer Canterbury-Bankstown
Bryan Niebling Redcliffe (Qld)
Michael O'Connor St George
Steve Roach Balmain
Dale Shearer Manly-Warringah
Royce Simmons Penrith
Paul Sironen Balmain
Peter Sterling Parramatta

British leg

The crowd for the first test was a record for an international match on British soil.[2]

Date Opponent Score Ground Referee Crowd Report
Oct 12 Wigan 18-26 Central Park, Wigan J. Holdsworth (ENG) 30,662
Oct 15 Hull KR 10-46 Craven Park, Hull 6,868
Oct 19 Leeds 0-40 Headingley Stadium, Leeds 10,974
Oct 21 Cumbria 12-48 Craven Park, Barrow-in-Furness 4,233
Oct 25 Great Britain 16-38 Old Trafford, Manchester J. Rascagneres (FRA) 50,583
Oct 29 Halifax 2-36 Thrum Hall, Halifax 7,193
Nov 2 St Helens 8-32 Knowsley Road, St. Helens 15,370
Nov 4 Oldham 16-22 The Watersheddings, Oldham 5,678
Nov 8 Great Britain 4-34 Elland Road, Leeds J. Rascagneres (FRA) 30,808
Nov 12 Widnes 4-20 Naughton Park, Widnes 10,268
Nov 16 Hull 0-48 The Boulevard, Hull 8,216
Nov 18 Bradford Northern 0-38 Odsal Stadium, Bradford 10,663
Nov 22 Great Britain 15-24 Central Park, Wigan J. Rascagneres (FRA) 20,169

French leg

The Australians' win over France in the final match of the tour, which counted as part of the ongoing 1985-88 World Cup tournament, was a record margin for a test match.[3]

Date Opponent Score Ground Referee Crowd Report
Nov 26 Qres XIII 4-36 800
Nov 30 France 2-44 Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan F. Lindrop (ENG) 5,000
Dec 3 Province 5-42 1,500
Dec 5 Mid-Pyrenees 2-12 1,000
Dec 7 France B 0-50 2,000
Dec 10 Aquitaine 8-50 500
Dec 13 France 0-52 Stade d'Albert Domec, Carcassonne F. Lindrop (ENG) 5,000

References

  1. ^ Gallaway, Jack (2003). Origin: Rugby league's greatest contest 1980 - 2002. University of Queensland Press. pp. 93–94. ISBN 0702233838, 9780702233838. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3nDbsx3Hk7QC&printsec=frontcover. 
  2. ^ Rugby league
  3. ^ "Unbeaten Kangaroos the 'Best Ever'". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Digital): pp. 39. 1986-12-15. http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=smh&docID=news861215_0108_9422. Retrieved 2009-10-06. 

External links

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