The 1990 Kangaroo Tour was the seventeenth Kangaroo Tour, where the Australian national rugby league team travelled to Europe and played eighteen matches against British and French rugby league teams, in addition to three Test matches. It followed a tour of 1986 and the next was staged in 1994.
Australia continued its dominance, winning both Test series against Great Britain and France, suffering only one loss (against Great Britain in the first Test), and remaining undefeated against British clubs in a streak stretching back to 1978.
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The team was coached by Bob Fulton making his third Kangaroo Tour, though his first as coach. Mal Meninga was making a record third consecutive tour and his first as captain. Keith Barnes was team manager, along with Les Stokes.
Other staff included trainers Shaun McRae, Brian Hollis and the boxing trainer Johnny Lewis as team conditioner. Nathan Gibbs was team doctor and had made the controversial decision during the selection medicals to rule Kangaroo stalwart Wally Lewis unfit for the tour and thus unable to make a third consecutive tour alongside Meninga.
| Date | Opponent | Score | Ground | Referee | Crowd | Report |
| 7 October | St Helens | 4-34 | Knowsley Road, St Helens | J. Holdsworth | 15,219 | |
| 10 October | Wakefield Trinity | 18-36 | Belle Vue, Wakefield | K. Allatt | 7,083 | |
| 14 October | Wigan | 6-34 | Central Park, Wigan | C. Morris | 25,101 | |
| 17 October | Cumbria | 10-42 | Derwent Park, Workington | J. Smith | 6,750 | |
| 21 October | Leeds | 10-22 | Headingley Stadium, Leeds | R, Tennant | 16,307 | |
| 27 October | Great Britain | 19-12 | Wembley Stadium, London | A. Sablayrolles (FRA) | 52,274 | |
| 31 October | Warrington | 6-26 | Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington | D. Carter | 10,200 | |
| 4 November | Castleford | 8-28 | Wheldon Road, Castleford | G. Kershaw | 9,033 | |
| 6 November | Halifax | 18-36 | Thrum Hall, Halifax | B. Galtress | 8,730 | |
| 10 November | Great Britain | 10-14 | Old Trafford, Manchester | A. Sablayrolles (FRA) | 46,615 | |
| 14 November | Hull | 4-34 | The Boulevard, Hull | D. Campbell | 13,000 | |
| 18 November | Widnes | 8-15 | Naughton Park, Widnes | J. Kendrew | 14,666 | |
| 24 November | Great Britain | 0-14 | Elland Road, Leeds | A. Sablayrolles (FRA) | 32,500 | |
| 27 November | President's XIII | 18-46 | Corbeil-Essonnes Stadium, Paris | M. Millett | 3,000 | |
| 2 December | France B | 6-78 | Georges Livet Stadium, Lyon | M. Agali | 2,000 | |
| 2 December | France | 4-60 | Parc de Sports, Avignon | J Holdsworth (GB) | 3,000 | |
| 5 December | Languedoc-Roussillon | 9-38 | Carcassone | M. Chamfreau | 1,000 | |
| 9 December | France | 10-34 | Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan | J Holdsworth (GB) | 3,428 |
In the first rugby league international played at Wembley for 17 years Ellery Hanley inspired a stirring first Test win in front of 54,569.[1]
| 27 October 1990 | Australia | 12 - 19 | Great Britain | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 54,569 Referee/s: A. Sablayrolles |
| Mal Meninga (8 - 1t, 2g) Mark McGaw (4 - 1t) |
(12 - 2t, 3g) Paul Eastwood (4 - 1t) Martin Offiah (1 - 1fg) Gary Schofield |
AUSTRALIA: Gary Belcher, Michael Hancock, Mal Meninga (c), Mark McGaw, Andrew Ettingshausen, Ricky Stuart, Allan Langer, Bob Lindner, Paul Sironen, John Cartwright, Steve Roach, Kerrod Walters, Martin Bella. Replacements: Glenn Lazarus, Des Hasler, Dale Shearer, Greg Alexander.
GREAT BRITAIN: Steve Hampson, Martin Offiah, Daryl Powell, Carl Gibson, Paul Eastwood, Gary Schofield, Andy Gregory, Ellery Hanley (c), Denis Betts, Roy Powell, Paul Dixon, Lee Jackson, Karl Harrison. Replacements: Kevin Ward, Karl Fairbank.
| 10 November 1990 | Australia | 14 - 10 | Great Britain | Old Trafford, Manchester Attendance: 46,615 Referee/s: A. Sablayrolles |
| Mal Meninga (6 - 1t, 1g) Dale Shearer (4 - 1t) Cliff Lyons (4 - 1t) |
(4 - 1t) Paul Dixon (4 - 1t) Paul Loughlin (2 - 1g) Paul Eastwood |
Great Britain were poised to reclaim The Ashes after twenty years with an intercept try by Paul Loughlin late in the match. Winger Paul Eastwood missed a simple conversion attempt that would have given his team the lead with time running out.[2] However the match remained tied at 10 all until in the final minutes when Mal Meninga scored a length-of-the-field try to seal the match for Australia and force the series into a decider.[3]
AUSTRALIA: Gary Belcher, Dale Shearer, Mal Meninga (c), Laurie Daley, Andrew Ettingshausen, Cliff Lyons, Ricky Stuart, Brad Mackay, Paul Sironen, Bob Lindner, Steve Roach, Ben Elias, Glenn Lazarus.
GREAT BRITAIN: Steve Hampson, Martin Offiah, Daryl Powell, Carl Gibson, Paul Eastwood, Gary Schofield, Andy Gregory, Ellery Hanley (c), Paul Dixon, Denis Betts, Andy Platt, Lee Jackson, Karl Harrison. Replacements: Kevin Ward, Paul Loughlin.
| 24 November 1990 | Australia | 14 - 0 | Great Britain | Elland Road, Leeds Attendance: 32,500 Referee/s: A. Sablayrolles |
| Mal Meninga (6 - 1t, 1g) Andrew Ettingshausen(4 - 1t) Ben Elias(4 - 1t) |
AUSTRALIA: Gary Belcher, Dale Shearer, Mal Meninga (c), Laurie Daley, Andrew Ettingshausen, Cliff Lyons, Ricky Stuart, Brad Mackay, Paul Sironen, Bob Lindner, Steve Roach, Ben Elias, Glenn Lazarus. Replacements: David Gillespie, Des Hasler, Mark Sargent, Greg Alexander
GREAT BRITAIN: Steve Hampson, Martin Offiah, Daryl Powell, Carl Gibson, Paul Eastwood, Gary Schofield, Andy Gregory, Ellery Hanley (c), Paul Dixon, Denis Betts, Andy Platt, Lee Jackson, Karl Harrison. Replacements: Mike Gregory, Roy Powell, Jonathan Davies.
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