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 tour matches against British and French rugby league teams, in addition 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' tour. The 1986 team became known as "The Unbeatables". In twenty matches they scored 136 tries and conceded only 16, posting 738 points for and 126 against.[1] Terry Lamb became the first player to appear in every match on a Kangaroo Tour.
The team was coached by 1956/57 Kangaroo tourist Don Furner, who also coached the Canberra Raiders in the NSWRL that year. The squad was captained by Queensland captain Wally Lewis, the first time a Queensland based player had captained a Kangaroo tour since Tom Gorman led the 1929/30 tour. Peter Sterling was named as the tours vice-captain, while the tour managers were Gordon Treichel and J. Fleming.
Squad
Of the 28 players selected to go on the tour 23 were from clubs of the New South Wales Rugby League and 5 were from clubs of the Brisbane Rugby League. This was the last time players from the Queensland based competition were selected for a Kangaroo tour.
NOTE: Statistics only show games in Great Britain and France and do not include the test against Papua New Guinea
By Club
The touring side was represented by 18 New South Welshmen (N) and 10 Queenslanders (Q).
- Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (5): Paul Dunn (N), Steve Folkes (N), Terry Lamb (N), Paul Langmack (N), Chris Mortimer (N)
- Balmain Tigers (4): Ben Elias (N), Garry Jack (N), Steve Roach (N), Paul Sironen (N)
- Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (4): Noel Cleal (N), Phil Daley (N), Des Halser (N), Dale Shearer (Q)
- Wynnum-Manly Seagulls (4): Wally Lewis (captain) (Q), Greg Dowling (Q), Bob Lindner (Q), Gene Miles (Q)
- Canberra Raiders (2): Gary Belcher (Q), Mal Meninga (Q)
- North Sydney Bears (2): Martin Bella (Q), Les Kiss (Q)
- Parramatta Eels (2): Peter Sterling (N) (vice-captain), Brett Kenny (N)
- Penrith Panthers (2): Greg Alexander (N), Royce Simmons (N)
- Redcliffe Dolphins (1): Bryan Niebling (Q)
- South Sydney Rabbitohs (1): Les Davidson (N)
- St George Dragons (1): Michael O'Connor (N)
Papua New Guinea
Before flying to England, the Kangaroos played their second ever Test against Papua New Guinea at the Lloyd Robson Oval in Port Moresby on 4 October. In front of 17,000 fans (still the record attendance for the venue as of 2015), the Kangaroos led by Wally Lewis defeated the Kumuls 62-12.
4 October 1986 |
Papua New Guinea  |
12 - 62 |  Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Bal Numapo (2) Goals: Dairi Kovae (2) |
Tries: Noel Cleal (2), Les Kiss (2), Michael O'Connor (2), Garry Jack, Des Hasler, Wally Lewis, Bob Lindner, Chris Mortimer, Steve Roach Goals: Michael O'Connor (7) |
| Papua New Guinea | Position | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Dairi Kovae | FB | Garry Jack |
| Joe Katsir | WG | Michael O'Connor |
| Lauta Atoi | CE | Gene Miles |
| Bal Numapo | CE | Chris Mortimer |
| Mafu Kerekere | WG | Les Kiss |
| Daruis Haili | SO | Wally Lewis (c) |
| Tony Kila (c) | SH | Des Hasler |
| Joe Tep | PR | Steve Roach |
| Roy Heni | HK | Royce Simmons |
| Ati Lomutopa | PR | Bryan Niebling |
| Bobby Ako | SR | Paul Dunn |
| Bernard Waketsi | SR | Noel Cleal |
| Arebo Taumaku | LF | Bob Lindner |
| Kepi Saea | Int. | Mal Meninga |
| Noah Andy | Int. | Paul Sironen |
| Barry Wilson | Coach | Don Furner |
Great Britain
The Kangaroos played 13 games in England, including the three Ashes tests against Great Britain. Australia kept alive its streak of not having lost to an English club or provincial team since 1978.
| Date | Opponent | Score | Ground | Referee | Crowd | Report |
| Oct 12 | Wigan | 18-26 | Central Park, Wigan | J. Holdsworth | 30,662 | |
| Oct 15 | Hull KR | 10-46 | Craven Park, Hull | G. Kershaw | 6,868 | |
| Oct 19 | Leeds | 0-40 | Headingley Stadium, Leeds | R. Whitfield | 10,974 | |
| Oct 21 | Cumbria | 12-48 | Craven Park, Barrow-in-Furness | J. McDonald | 4,233 | |
| Oct 25 | Great Britain | 16-38 | Old Trafford, Manchester | J. Rascagneres (FRA) | 50,583 | |
| Oct 29 | Halifax | 2-36 | Thrum Hall, Halifax | M. Beaumont | 7,193 | |
| Nov 2 | St Helens | 8-32 | Knowsley Road, St. Helens | F. Lindop | 15,370 | |
| Nov 4 | Oldham | 16-22 | The Watersheddings, Oldham | K. Allatt | 5,678 | |
| Nov 8 | Great Britain | 4-34 | Elland Road, Leeds | J. Rascagneres (FRA) | 30,808 | |
| Nov 12 | Widnes | 4-20 | Naughton Park, Widnes | G. Berry | 10,268 | |
| Nov 16 | Hull | 0-48 | The Boulevard, Hull | J. McDonald | 8,216 | |
| Nov 18 | Bradford Northern | 0-38 | Odsal Stadium, Bradford | D. Fox | 10,663 | |
| Nov 22 | Great Britain | 15-24 | Central Park, Wigan | J. Rascagneres (FRA) | 20,169 | |
The Ashes series
The crowd of 50,583 for the first Test at the Old Trafford ground in Manchester, set a record for an international match on British soil.[2] The Ashes series against Great Britain saw an record aggregate Ashes series crowd in England with 101,560 attending the three Tests.
First Test
25 Oct 1986 |
Great Britain  |
16 - 38 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Joe Lydon, Tony Marchant Garry Schofield Goals: Lee Crooks (1/3) Henderson Gill (1/1) |
Tries: Gene Miles (3), Michael O'Connor (3) Garry Jack Goals: Michael O'Connor (5/9) |
Old Trafford, Manchester Attendance: 50,583 Referee/s: Julien Rascagneres (France) Man of the Match: Wally Lewis (Aus) |
Second Test
Great Britain coach Maurice Bamford surprisingly made only one change to the team that had lost heavily in Manchester. Centre Ellery Hanley was ruled out through injury and replaced by St Helens winger Barry Ledger, with Tony Marchant moving from the wing to partner Garry Schofield in the centres. Bamford came in for heavy criticism from former Great Britain and England internationals for his selections. For the Kangaroos, Dale Shearer made his return to the Test team replacing the injured Les Kiss on the wing, while Canterbury-Bankstown forward Paul Dunn returned to the team in the front row replacing the injured Steve Roach.
The Kangaroos ran riot in the second Test, wrapping up The Ashes with a six tries to one, 34-4 win in front of 30,808 at Elland Road. The Lions only try came late in the game. Australia led 34-0 when Kangaroos fullback Garry Jack, who had scored two tries, pushed a pass 10 metres from his line to Michael O'Connor. The Aussie winger dropped the ball (which was bullet like and at his knees) and it was pounced upon by Schofield who scored only 15 metres wide of the posts. Lee Crooks missed the relatively easy conversion of his teams only try, summing up the Lions day. Such was the Kangaroos dominance that this was the only kick at goal the Lions managed throughout the match.
In his television commentary of the game, former Australian dual-rugby international and 1959-60 Kangaroo tour vice-captain Rex Mossop summed up the game when calling Brett Kenny's try, stating that "Australia carved them up. They've decimated, dissected and absolutely diabolically destroyed this Great Britain side today"'.
8 November 1986 |
| Great Britain |
4 - 34 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Garry Schofield Goals: Lee Crooks (0/1) |
Tries: Garry Jack (2), Brett Kenny, Wally Lewis Bob Lindner, Michael O'Connor Goals: Michael O'Connor (5/8) |
Elland Road, Leeds Attendance: 30,808 Referee/s: Julien Rascagneres (France) Man of the Match: Noel Cleal (Aus) |
Third Test
This match also counted as part of the 1985–88 Rugby League World Cup and was the only match of the series played at a regular rugby league ground, the first two Tests having been played in soccer stadiums to take advantage of the greater spectator capacity. It was also the last Ashes Test in England played at a club home ground until the 2001 Kangaroo tour.
The only Australian team change from the second Test win was Mal Meninga coming off the bench into the second row to replace the injured Noel Cleal (broken arm) with South Sydney forward Les Davidson named on the bench in his Test debut. With the loss of Cleal, Australian coach Don Furner was mulling over who to replace him with when team captain Wally Lewis suggested moving Meninga to the back row, reasoning that there would be little disruption to the team as both Mal and "Crusher" Cleal were the same size and were fast, skilled players who played a similar style of game. After heavy criticism of his selections for the first two tests from a number of former Great Britain internationals, Maurice Bamford made five changes to the Lions with the recall of halfback Andy Gregory, centre David Stephenson, winger John Basnett and back rowers Chris Burton and Harry Pinner.
As with the 1982 Ashes series, the third Test was the most genuinely contested of the Tests played, with the Lions putting in a much improved performance. Centre Gene Miles opened the scoring in the early minutes of the game, with lock forward Bob Lindner also scoring soon after. Successful conversions by Michael O'Connor saw the Kangaroos lead 12-0 after just 15 minutes and another rout looked on the cards. However, the Lions dug deep and tries to Garry Schofield either side of half time saw the game tied at 12-all with the Lions looking like winners for the first time in the series. The game was in the balance until French referee Julien Rascagneres awarded a penalty try to Australian winger Dale Shearer after he was illegally tackled by his opposite John Basnett when both were chasing the ball which Shearer had kicked downfield. A penalty goal to Joe Lydon and a field goal by Schofield reduced the deficit to 18-15, but Wally Lewis then put the result beyond doubt with a try after bamboozling the Lions defence with two dummies near the sideline before racing around to score beside the posts.
22 November 1986 |
| Great Britain |
15 - 24 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Garry Schofield (2) Goals: Joe Lydon (2/3) Henderson Gill (1/1) Field Goals: Garry Schofield |
Tries: Wally Lewis, Bob Lindner Gene Miles, Dale Shearer Goals: Michael O'Connor (4/5) |
Central Park, Wigan Attendance: 20,169 Referee/s: Julien Rascagneres (France) Man of the Match: Paul Dunn (Aus) |
France
Australia's 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 | |
French Tests
First Test
30 November 1986 |
France  |
2 - 44 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Goals: Gilles Dumas (1/2) |
Tries: Michael O'Connor (3), Bob Lindner (2) Gene Miles (2), Garry Jack Goals: Michael O'Connor (4/9) |
| France | Position | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Gilles Dumas | FB | Garry Jack |
| Didier Couston | WG | Dale Shearer |
| Guy Delaunay | CE | Brett Kenny |
| Alain Maury | CE | Gene Miles |
| Hugues Ratier | WG | Michael O'Connor |
| Dominique Espugna | SO | Wally Lewis (c) |
| Patrick Entat | SH | Peter Sterling |
| Max Chantal | PR | Greg Dowling |
| Thierry Bernabe | HK | Royce Simmons |
| Jean-Luc Rabot | PR | Paul Dunn |
| Guy Laforgue (c) | SR | Les Davidson |
| Serge Titeux | SR | Bryan Niebling |
| Daniel Verdes | LF | Bob Lindner |
| Serge Bret | Int. | Terry Lamb |
| Francis Laforgue | Int. | Paul Sironen |
| Coach | Don Furner |
Second Test
13 December 1986 |
| France |
0 - 52 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Dale Shearer (4), Garry Jack (3), Steve Folkes Bryan Niebling, Michael O'Connor Goals: Michael O'Connor (6/12) |
| France | Position | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Wosniak | FB | Garry Jack |
| Sebastian Rodriguez | WG | Dale Shearer |
| Philippe Fourquet | CE | Brett Kenny |
| Francis Laforgue | CE | Gene Miles |
| Hugues Ratier | WG | Michael O'Connor |
| Roger Palisses | SO | Wally Lewis (c) |
| Christian Scicchitano | SH | Peter Sterling |
| Max Chantal | PR | Greg Dowling |
| Thierry Bernabe | HK | Royce Simmons |
| Serge Titeux | PR | Paul Dunn |
| Guy Laforgue (c) | SR | Steve Folkes |
| Daniel Verdes | SR | Bryan Niebling |
| Philippe Gestas | LF | Bob Lindner |
| Gilles Dumas | Int. | Terry Lamb |
| Yves Storer | Int. | Les Davidson |
| Coach | Don Furner |
Statistics
Leading Try Scorer
- 19 by Terry Lamb
Leading Point Scorer
- 170 by Michael O'Connor (13 tries, 59 goals)
Largest Attendance
- 50,583 - First test vs Great Britain at Old Trafford
Largest Club Game Attendance
- 30,662 - Australia vs Wigan at Central Park
References
- ↑ Gallaway, Jack (2003). Origin: Rugby league's greatest contest 1980 - 2002. University of Queensland Press. pp. 93–94. ISBN 9780702233838.
- ↑ Rugby league
- ↑ "Unbeaten Kangaroos the 'Best Ever'". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Digital). 1986-12-15. p. 39. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
External links
- 1986 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France at rl1908.com
- 1986 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France at rlhalloffame.org.uk
- Ashes Series 1986 at rugbyleagueproject.com
- 1986 Kangaroos at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
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