1954 Great Britain Lions tour | |||||
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Manager | Hector Rawson Tom Hesketh | ||||
Tour captain(s) | Dickie Williams | ||||
Top point scorer(s) | Lewis Jones (278) | ||||
Top try scorer(s) | Billy Boston (36) | ||||
Top test point scorer(s) | Lewis Jones (50) | ||||
Top test try scorer(s) | Billy Boston (6) | ||||
Summary |
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Total |
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Test match |
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Opponent |
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Tour chronology | |||||
Previous tour | 1950 | ||||
Next tour | 1958 |
The 1954 Great Britain Lions tour was a tour by the Great Britain national rugby league team of Australia and New Zealand which took place between May and August 1954. Captained by Dickie Williams, the tour involved a schedule of 32 games: 22 in Australia and 10 in New Zealand, with two three-match Test Series against both nations.
The tour began inauspiciously, with Great Britain losing four of their first seven matches, including the First Test against Australia in Sydney. Moving into the Queensland leg, the Lions' results improved, and they won all nine of their matches in the state. This included victory in the Second Test in Brisbane.
A common feature of many of the tour matches was rough play, punches being throw in and out of tackles. The July 10 match against New South Wales was abandoned by the referee seventeen minutes into the second half due to persistent brawling by the players.
One week after the abandoned game, Australia won the Third Test to claim the Ashes by a 2–1 margin.
Moving to New Zealand, Great Britain lost the Second Test, but recovered to win the Third Test and the series, by a 2–1 margin.
The tour concluded with three matches in five days back in Australia at Sydney, Canberra and Maitland.
Despite being a British team – five of the squad were Welsh, two from Scotland and hooker Tom McKinney from Northern Ireland – the team played, and were often referred to by both the press at home and away, as England.
This was the first Lions tour where the touring party travelled to Australia by air, instead of by ship. [1]
Player | Pos. | Age [nb 1] | Weight | Club | Tests on Tour | Games in Aus | Games in NZ [nb 2] | Tries | Goals | FG | Points [nb 3] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Centre | 29 | 13 st. 0 lb. (83 kg) | ![]() | 5 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 33 | |
![]() | Wing | 20 | 13 st. 9 lb. (87 kg) | ![]() | 5 | 12 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 108 | |
![]() | Prop | 22 | 14 st. 5 lb. (91 kg) | ![]() | 3 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
![]() | Second-row | 21 | 14 st. 0 lb. (89 kg) | ![]() | 1 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
![]() | Halfback | 26 | 12 st. 4 lb. (78 kg) | ![]() | 1 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 | |
![]() | Fullback | 27 | 12 st. 0 lb. (76 kg) | ![]() | 8 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 28 | ||
![]() | Wing | 29 | 5 st. 9 lb. (36 kg) | ![]() | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
![]() | Fullback | 31 | 11 st. 9 lb. (74 kg) | ![]() | 1 | 10 | 9 | 29 | 0 | 85 | |
![]() | Centre | 26 | 11 st. 6 lb. (73 kg) | ![]() | 1 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 39 | |
![]() | Second-row | 20 | 14 st. 10 lb. (93 kg) | ![]() | 3 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
![]() | Hooker | 25 | 12 st. 10 lb. (81 kg) | ![]() | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
![]() | Halfback | 31 | 11 st. 0 lb. (70 kg) | ![]() | 5 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | |
![]() | Prop | 24 | 14 st. 7 lb. (92 kg) | ![]() | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
![]() | Centre | 22 | 13 st. 10 lb. (87 kg) | ![]() | 6 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 | |
![]() | Centre | 23 | 12 st. 6 lb. (79 kg) | ![]() | 6 | 13 | 8 | 125 | 2 | 278 | |
![]() | Hooker | 26 | 14 st. 7 lb. (92 kg) | ![]() | 4 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
![]() | Wing | 19 | 12 st. 10 lb. (81 kg) | ![]() | 5 | 10 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 84 | |
![]() | Second-row | 29 | 14 st. 13 lb. (95 kg) | ![]() | 4 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
![]() | Prop | 26 | 14 st. 10 lb. (93 kg) | ![]() | 6 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
![]() | Five-eighth | 29 | 11 st. 11 lb. (75 kg) | ![]() | 3 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 24 | |
![]() | Second-row | 24 | 15 st. 2 lb. (96 kg) | ![]() | 3 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
![]() | Lock | 28 | 14 st. 0 lb. (89 kg) | ![]() | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
![]() | Wing | 23 | 11 st. 7 lb. (73 kg) | ![]() | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
![]() | Lock | 27 | 13 st. 10 lb. (87 kg) | ![]() | 5 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
![]() | Prop | 24 | 14 st. 8 lb. (93 kg) | ![]() | 3 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | |
![]() | Five-eighth | 29 | 11 st. 4 lb. (72 kg) | ![]() | 3 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
May 19 | Western Division ![]() | 11–29 | ![]() | Bathurst | |
Tries: 1 Keith Deacon Goals: 4 Ken Fogarty (4) | Team [2] Report [3] | Tries: 5 Billy Boston (2) Alf Burnell Nat Silcock Terry O'Grady Goals: 7 Lewis Jones (7) | Attendance: 5,281 Gate: AU£ 1,289 Referee: Dave Cohen |
Western Division: FB: Ron Beaumont ( |
May 22 | Newcastle ![]() | 11–10 | ![]() | Newcastle Sports Ground | |
Tries: 1 Bobby Banks Goals: 4 Dave Parkinson (4) | Teams [4] [5] Report [6] | Tries: 2 Frank Castle Andrew Turnbull Goals: 2 Ted Cahill (2) | Attendance: 22,825 Gate: AU£ 3,880 Referee: J. Underwood |
Newcastle: FB: Dave Parkinson (age 31) ( |
May 26 | Riverina ![]() | 26–36 | ![]() | Wagga Showground | |
2.30pm | Tries: 4 Jim Denaher (2) Doug Cameron (2) Goals: 7 Johnny Graves (7) | Teams [7] [8] Report [9] [10] Photo [11] | Tries: 8 Charlie Pawsey Ernie Ashcroft Tom McKinney Andrew Turnbull Phil Jackson Geoff Gunney Terry O'Grady Alf Burnell Goals: 6 Ted Cahill (6) | Attendance: 10,732 Gate: AU£ 1,565 Referee: Eric McIlhatton |
Riverina: FB: Peter McGrath ( |
May 29 | Sydney ![]() | 32–25 | ![]() | Sydney Cricket Ground | |
Tries: 6 Johnny Dougherty (3) Merv Lees Keith Holman Roy Bull Goals: 7 Clive Churchill (7) | Program Report [12] [13] | Tries: 5 Dickie Williams Lewis Jones Dave Valentine Billy Boston John Henderson Goals: 5 Lewis Jones (5) | Attendance: 50,889 Gate: AU£ 7,115 Referee: Darcy Lawler |
Sydney: FB: Clive Churchill (age 27) ( |
May 30 | Southern Division | 17–17 | ![]() | Wollongong Showground | |
Tries: 3 Darcy Russell Harry Wells Col Donohue Goals: 4 Darcy Russell (4) | Team [14] Report [15] [16] | Tries: 3 Terry O'Grady (2) Frank Castle Goals: 4 Ted Cahill (3) Jack Cunliffe | Attendance: 15,435 Gate: AU£ 2,573 Referee: Harold Gillard |
Southern Division: FB: Darcy Russell ( |
June 5 | New South Wales ![]() | 22–11 | ![]() | Sydney Cricket Ground | |
Tries: 4 Keith Holman Roy Bull Noel Pidding Brian Carlson Goals: 5 Clive Churchill (3) Noel Pidding (2) | Program Report [17] [18] | Tries: 3 Frank Castle (3) Goals: 1 Ted Cahill | Attendance: 55,518 Gate: AU£ 8,062 |
New South Wales: FB: Clive Churchill (age 27) ( |
June 12 |
Australia ![]() | 37–12 | ![]() |
---|---|---|
Tries: 7 Ken McCaffery (2) Norm Provan Kel O'Shea Duncan Hall Noel Pidding Brian Carlson Goals: 8 Noel Pidding (8) | Program Report [19] [20] [21] [22] Database | Tries: 2 Nat Silcock Phil Jackson Goals: 3 Lewis Jones (3) |
Sydney Cricket Ground Attendance: 65,885 Gate: AU£ 16,842 Referee: Darcy Lawler |
Australia: FB: Clive Churchill (age 27) ( |
June 14 | Brisbane ![]() | 4–34 | ![]() | Brisbane Exhibition Ground | |
Tries: 0 Goals: 2 Norm Pope (2) | Team [23] [24] Report [25] Report [26] [27] | Tries: 8 Terry O'Grady (3) Gerry Helme (2) Billy Boston Lewis Jones Brian Briggs Goals: 5 Lewis Jones (5) | Attendance: 20,000 Gate: AU£ 2,875 Referee: T. Hempenstall |
Brisbane: FB: Norm Pope (22) ( |
June 19 | Queensland ![]() | 32–34 | ![]() | Brisbane Cricket Ground | |
Tries: 6 Ken McCaffery (2) Bob Buckley Alex Watson Denis Flannery Duncan Hall Goals: 7 Norm Pope (7) | Team [28] Report [29] [30] | Tries: 8 Billy Boston (3) Lewis Jones Terry O'Grady Gerry Helme Dave Valentine Charlie Pawsey Goals: 5 Lewis Jones (5) | Attendance: 29,000 Gate: AU£ 5,244 Referee: Frank Ballard |
Queensland: FB: Norm Pope (age 22) ( |
June 20 | Wide Bay ![]() | 14–60 | ![]() | Maryborough Showground | |
Tries: 2 Cec Cooper Noel Hawthorne Goals: 4 B. Jamieson (2) Jim Gowdie (2) | Teams [31] Report [32] | Tries: 14 Terry O'Grady (5) Billy Boston (4) Raymond Price (2) Geoff Gunney Alf Burnell Doug Greenall Goals: 9 Jack Cunliffe (9) | Attendance: 5,912 Gate: AU£ 1,147 Referee: N. Saunders |
Wide Bay: FB: Angie Venardos (North Coast), WG: Jim Gowdie (Gympie), CE: Cec Cooper (Bundaberg), CE: Noel Hawthorne (North Coast), WG: B. Jamieson (Gympie), FE: Ted Barnes (Bundaberg), HB: D. Nixon (Bundaberg), LK: M. Ziebath (Lower South Burnett), SR: Don Bowes (Rovers), SR: H. Symonds (Bundaberg), PR: P. Iszlaub (Lower South Burnett), HK: Keith Weston (Western Suburbs), PR: WP. Hegerty ( |
June 22 | Nth Qld Southern Districts | 7–28 | ![]() | Mackay | |
Tries: 1 Ike Sturgeon Goals: 2 Doug Shew (2) | Teams [33] [34] Report [35] | Tries: 6 Lewis Jones (2) Doug Greenall Billy Boston Jim Bowden Jack Wilkinson Goals: 5 Lewis Jones (5) | Attendance: 5,860 Gate: AU£ 1,250 Referee: Maurice Weis |
North Queensland Southern Districts/Zone: FB: Lou Della-Vedova ( |
June 24 | Far North Queensland | 18–39 | ![]() | Parramatta Park, Cairns | |
Tries: 4 Allan Cripps (2) Pat Farrell Jim Fallon Goals: 3 Bill Allendorf (3) | Teams [36] Report [37] | Tries: 9 Jack Cunliffe (2) Doug Greenall (2) Tommy Harris Raymond Price Alf Burnell Dickie Williams Geoff Gunney Goals: 6 Jack Cunliffe (6) | Attendance: 6,545 Gate: AU£ 1,305 Referee: V. Renton |
Far North Queensland (North Queensland Northern Districts/Zone): FB: Frank Gill ( For the Great Britain team, the account for this match in E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Year Book remarks that hooker Tommy Harris played on the wing but omits his name from the accompanying Great Britain team list, which lists Alan Prescott twice, as half-back and prop. On the morning of the match (June 24) the team chosen as published in The Courier-Mail lists 14 players, with one to be omitted. This team differs from that given in the yearbook. The local, Cairns Post match report mentions within the text the eight point-scorers, but no other British players: FB: Ted Cahill, WG: Tommy Harris, CE: Jack Cunliffe, CE: Doug Greenall, WG: Dickie Williams, FE: Raymond Price, HB: Alf Burnell and Geoff Gunney . Hooker Tom McKinney was identified as playing in The Courier-Mail match report, winning "the scrums, 25 to 16, after leading 18 to 12 at half-time." Alan Prescott was listed in both The Courier-Mail team list and the yearbook, but not mentioned in The Courier-Mail or Cairns Post match reports. Four players listed in both The Courier-Mail team list but not in the yearbook, and not mentioned in the yearbook are: PR: Jack Wilkinson, John Henderson, Brian Briggs and Ken Traill. The above-named 14 players are credited with a match appearance in the Squad statistics. The following four players listed only in the yearbook are not credited with an appearance for this Far North Queensland match: LK: Dave Valentine, SR: Charlie Pawsey, SR: Nat Silcock, PR: Jim Bowden. |
June 27 | North Queensland ![]() | 13–39 | ![]() | Townsville | |
3pm | Tries: 1 Bob Buckley Goals: 5 Nev Linde (5) | Teams [33] [38] Report [39] Photo [40] | Tries: 9 Terry O'Grady (4) Billy Boston (4) Phil Jackson Goals: 6 Lewis Jones (6) | Attendance: 8,360 Gate: AU£ 1,821 Referee: R. Allison |
North Queensland: FB: Nev Linde (age 23) (Ayr), WG: Bob Buckley (Ayr), CE: Gordon Farrelly ( |
June 29 | Central Queensland ![]() | 12–21 | ![]() | Murray Street rugby league ground | |
Tries: 2 Des McGovern Alf Bawden Goals: 3 Matt McCoy (3) | Team [41] Report [42] [43] | Tries: 5 Jack Cunliffe Nat Silcock Doug Greenall Geoff Gunney Raymond Price Goals: 3 Ted Cahill (2) Jack Cunliffe | Attendance: 5,200 Gate: AU£ 1,047 Referee: H. Gilbert |
Central Queensland: FB: Rex Morrison ( |
July 3 |
Australia ![]() | 21–36 | ![]() |
---|---|---|
Tries: 5 Brian Carlson (2) Norm Provan Duncan Hall Keith Holman Goals: 3 Noel Pidding (3) | Teams [44] Report [45] [46] Database | Tries: 6 Billy Boston (2) Charlie Pawsey Dickie Williams Phil Jackson Gerry Helme Goals: 8 Lewis Jones (8) |
Australia: FB: Clive Churchill ( |
July 4 | Toowoomba ![]() | 14–25 | ![]() | Toowoomba Athletic Oval | |
Tries: 2 Cyril Connell Jr Bevan Hoyle Goals: 4 Bevan Hoyle (4) | Team [47] Report [48] | Tries: 5 Raymond Price (2) Billy Boston Doug Greenall Jack Cunliffe Goals: 5 Lewis Jones (5) | Attendance: 13,310 Gate: AU£ 3,321 Referee: Vic Lynagh |
Toowoomba: FB: Bevan Hoyle ( |
July 7 | Northern NSW ![]() | 14–44 | ![]() | Grafton | |
Tries: 2 Noel McKay Barry McConnell Goals: 4 Brian Graham (4) | Team [49] Report [50] [51] | Tries: 10 Billy Boston (6) Jack Cunliffe (2) Doug Greenall (2) Goals: 7 Jack Cunliffe (7) | Attendance: 6,380 Gate: AU£ 1,221 Referee: Wal Sneddon |
Northern NSW: FB: Brian Graham (17) ( |
July 10 | New South Wales ![]() | 17–6 | ![]() | Sydney Cricket Ground | |
Tries: 3 Merv Lees (2) Roy Bull Goals: 4 Noel Pidding (4) | Program Report [52] [53] | Tries: 2 Jack Cunliffe Jack Wilkinson Goals: 0 | Attendance: 27,869 Gate: AU£ 3,671 Referee: Aub Oxford |
New South Wales: FB: Clive Churchill (age 27) ( |
July 17 |
Australia ![]() | 20–16 | ![]() |
---|---|---|
Tries: 4 Alex Watson Harry Wells Noel Pidding Peter Diversi Goals: 4 Noel Pidding (4) | Program Report [54] [55] | Tries: 4 Dickie Williams (2) Ernie Ashcroft Dave Valentine Goals: 2 Lewis Jones (2) |
Sydney Cricket Ground Attendance: 67,577 Gate: AU£ 17,717 Referee: Darcy Lawler |
Australia: FB: Clive Churchill (age 27) ( |
July 21 | New Zealand Māori ![]() | 4–14 | ![]() | Auckland | |
Tries: 0 Goals: 2 R. Haggie (2) | Teams [56] Report [57] | Tries: 4 Ernie Ashcroft (2) Doug Greenall Frank Castle Goals: 1 Jack Cunliffe | Attendance: 1,728 |
For Māori the following 14 players were selected, with one to be omitted: R. Haggie, A. Berryman, J. Gibbons, J. Wright, T. Penny, William Sorensen, G. Turner, J. Wills, D. Diamond, John Yates, H. Maxwell, N. Rakena, R. Royal, J. Ratima. |
July 24 |
New Zealand ![]() | 7–27 | ![]() |
---|---|---|
Tries: 1 John Bond Goals: 2 Jim Haig Des White | Teams [58] Report [59] [60] Database | Tries: 7 Billy Boston (4) Ernie Ashcroft (2) Tommy Harris Goals: 3 Lewis Jones (3) |
Whangarei Attendance: 22,097 Referee: J. Griffin |
New Zealand: FB: Des White, WG: Cyril Eastlake ( |
July 27 | Wellington ![]() | 18–61 | ![]() | ||
Tries: 4 P. Jones (2) Williams Rowels Goals: 3 Gordon (3) | Report [61] | Tries: 13 Terry O'Grady (4) Billy Boston (3) Doug Greenall (3) Dickie Williams Jack Cunliffe Tom McKinney Goals: 11 Lewis Jones (11) | Attendance: 3,103 |
July 31 |
New Zealand ![]() | 20–14 | ![]() |
---|---|---|
Tries: 2 John Butterfield Frank Mulcare Goals: 7 Des White (7) | Database Report [62] [63] | Tries: 2 Terry O'Grady Jack Wilkinson Goals: 4 Lewis Jones (4) |
Wingham Park, Greymouth Attendance: 4,240 Referee: M. Seagar |
New Zealand: FB: Des White, WG: Jim Edwards ( |
August 4 | South Island | 11–32 | ![]() | ||
Tries: 1 Jim Haig Goals: 4 John Butterfield (3) John Bond | Result [64] | Tries: 6 Terry O'Grady (2) Phil Jackson (2) Alf Burnell Jack Wilkinson Goals: 7 Lewis Jones (7) | Attendance: 1,154 |
August 7 | Canterbury ![]() | 14–60 | ![]() | ||
Tries: 2 John Butterfield Clark Goals: 4 John Bond (4) | Result [65] [66] | Tries: 12 Billy Boston (4) Terry O'Grady (3) Alf Burnell (2) Geoff Gunney (2) Alan Prescott Goals: 12 Lewis Jones (12) | Attendance: 1,544 |
August 9 | North Island | 7–42 | ![]() | Pukekura Park, New Plymouth | |
Tries: 1 Goals: 2 | Result [67] [68] | Tries: 8 Goals: 9 | Attendance: 2,448 |
August 11 | South Auckland | 14–26 | ![]() | Hamilton | |
Tries: 2 G. Dow Worth Goals: 4 George (4) | Report [69] | Tries: 6 Ernie Ashcroft (3) Jack Cunliffe Dave Valentine Gerry Helme Goals: 4 Jack Cunliffe (4) | Attendance: 1,683 |
August 14 |
New Zealand ![]() | 6–12 | ![]() |
---|---|---|
Tries: 0 Goals: 3 Des White (3) | Database Report [70] | Tries: 2 Terry O'Grady Raymond Price Goals: 3 Lewis Jones (3) |
Carlaw Park, Auckland Attendance: 6,186 Referee: W. Wilkinson |
New Zealand: FB: Des White, WG: Jim Edwards ( |
August 16 | Auckland ![]() | 5–4 | ![]() | Carlaw Park, Auckland | |
Tries: 1 Roy Roff Goals: 1 Ian Grey | Report [71] | Tries: 0 Goals: 2 Lewis Jones (2) | Attendance: 4,949 |
August 18 | New South Wales ![]() | 35–15 | ![]() | Sydney Cricket Ground | |
Tries: 9 Ross Kite (2) Jack Rayner (2) Brian Carlson (2) Keith Holman Dick Poole Norm Provan Goals: 4 Ross Kite (2) Keith Holman Clive Churchill | Program Teams [72] Report [73] | Tries: 3 Lewis Jones Dave Valentine Raymond Price Goals: 3 Lewis Jones (3) | Attendance: 20,295 Gate: AU£ 2,815 Referee: J. O'Brien |
New South Wales: FB: Clive Churchill (age 27) ( |
August 21 | Southern NSW | 21–66 | ![]() | Manuka Oval, Canberra | |
2.30pm | Tries: 3 Angus Miller (2) , Allan Hawke Goals: 6 Johnny Graves (6) | Team [74] [75] Report [76] [77] | Tries: 12 Nat Silcock (2) Dickie Williams (2) Brian Briggs (2) Phil Jackson Jack Wilkinson Ken Traill Doug Greenall Jim Bowden Dave Valentine Goals: 15 Lewis Jones (15) | Attendance: 3,253 Gate: AU£ 690 Referee: j. McIlhatton |
Southern NSW: FB: Keith Barnes ( |
August 22 | Coalfields ![]() | 28–22 | ![]() | Maitland | |
Tries: 6 Gus Gray (2) Bobby Banks Doug Hawke Ray Allsop Lester Batey Goals: 5 Dave Parkinson (5) | Report [78] | Tries: 4 Ernie Ashcroft (2) Lewis Jones Nat Silcock Goals: 5 Lewis Jones (5) | Attendance: 9,585 Gate: AU£ 2,058 Referee: Wal Sneddon |
Newcastle Coalfields: FB: Dave Parkinson ( |
Brian Carlson, Clive Churchill, Keith Holman, Ken Kearney, and Norm Provan all appeared in seven matches against Great Britain - in each instance three games for Australia, three for New South Wales and one for Sydney. The most tries scored against the Lions was six, by Brian Carlson. Keith Holman and Ken McCaffery each scored four tries. Noel Pidding scored the most points against the tourists, with 51 from three tries and 21 goals in five matches.
In the Test Series the leading scorers were Noel Pidding 36 (Australia) and Des White 22 (New Zealand). Lewis Jones scored the most points for the Lions against both opponents, 30 against Australia and 20 against New Zealand.
Billy Boston scored six tries in the six tests, including four against New Zealand. Dickie Williams scored three tries against Australia. Brian Carlson scored three tries in the Ashes Tests for Australia. No New Zealander scored more than a single try in their three Test series.
Acronym | Item | Years | Database App | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Direct Online Access | ||||
RLN | Rugby League News | 1920-1973 | Trove | Match Program in Sydney, Team Lists, Team Photos, Articles |
RLP | Rugby League Project | 1907–present | RLP Website | Test Match teams & scorers. |
Sun | The Sun (Sydney) | 1910-1954 | Trove | Match Reports, Articles. |
DT | The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) | 1931-1954 | Trove | Match Reports, Articles. |
CM | The Courier-Mail | 1933-1954 | Trove | Match Reports, Articles. |
- | Various Australian Regional Newspapers | up to 1954 | Trove | Match Reports, Given Names of Players |
- | New Zealand Newspapers | up to 1950 | Papers Past | Match Reports. |
Offline Resources | ||||
EECYB | E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Year Book | 1946-1978 | Copies at State Library of NSW | Teams, Point Scorers, Report. 1955 Yearbook covers the 1954 tour. |
QRLG | Queensland Rugby League Gazette | 1950-1955 | Copies at State Library of Qld | Program for matches in Brisbane. Collection is predominantly of representative matches. |
RRLG | Rockhampton Rugby League Gazette | 1951-1968 | Copies at State Library of Qld | Program for matches in Rockhampton. Collection includes club as well as Rockhampton and Central Queensland representative matches. |
- | Ipswich Versus International Teams [79] | 1913-1975 | Copies at SLQ & NLA | Match Report, Given Names & Club of Ipswich Players |
- | The Bulimba Cup Era [80] | 1925-1972 | Copies at SLQ & NLA | Clubs of Ipswich, Toowoomba and Brisbane players. This book includes Bulimba Cup match reports and team lists. |
- | A History of Mackay Rugby League [81] | 1919-2015 | Author's Website | Given Names & Club of Mackay Players |
- | More Than The Foley Shield [82] | 1908-2014 | Author's Website | Match report, team photos. Given Names & Club of North Queensland Players |
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Captained by Pat Smith, the Kiwis returned home having won six and lost two of their games. The team won the first test match of the tour but lost the second.
The 1952 New Zealand rugby league tour of Australia was the sixteenth tour by New Zealand's national rugby league team, and the twelfth tour to visit Australia. The thirteen-match tour included three Test Matches.
Captained by Travers Hardwick and coached by Jim Amos, the Kiwis completed a successful tour, winning ten of the thirteen matches. The team recovered from losing the First Test Match, to win – in the space of five days – the Second and Third Tests and claim the series by a two-one margin.
The 1953 American All Stars rugby league tour of Australia and New Zealand was a tour by a group of twenty men who had not previously played the sport of Rugby League. Most of the team were current or former College Gridiron footballers with Stanford University, the University of California, Los Angeles, or the University of Southern California. Some of the party had played rugby union at their colleges, during gridiron off-seasons.
The 1956 New Zealand rugby league tour of Australia was the eighteenth tour by New Zealand's national rugby league team, and the thirteenth tour to visit Australia. The fifteen-match tour included three Test Matches.
The touring team began with a pair of wins but then lost the next two, against Newcastle and the First Test in Sydney. Five strong performances in Queensland followed, with wins by wide margins in high-scoring matches. In contrast, the Second Test was a low-scoring match, Australia winning 8 to 2 to secure their first Trans-Tasman series win since 1935. New Zealand lost the Third Test, and thus the series three-nil, and also the two tour matches that followed.
The 1952–53 Kangaroo tour was the eighth Kangaroo tour, in which the Australian national rugby league team travelled to Great Britain and France and played forty matches, including the Ashes series of three Test matches against Great Britain and three Test matches against the French. It followed the tour of 1948-49 and the next was staged in 1956-57.
The 1948–49 Kangaroo tour was the seventh Kangaroo tour, in which the Australian national rugby league team travelled to Great Britain and France and played thirty-seven matches, including the Ashes series of three Test matches against Great Britain, an international match against Wales and two Test matches against the French. It followed the tour of 1937-38 and a cessation of overseas international tours due to World War II. The next was staged in 1952-53.
The 1937–38 Kangaroo tour was the sixth Kangaroo tour, in which the Australian national rugby league team travelled to New Zealand, Great Britain and France and played thirty-eight matches, including the Ashes series of three Test matches against Great Britain, and two Test matches each against the Kiwis and French. It followed the tour of 1933-34. Following a cessation of overseas international tours due to World War II, the next tour was staged in 1948-49.