1979 Ireland rugby union tour of Australia

Last updated

1979 Ireland rugby union tour of Australia
Summary
PWDL
Total
8701
Test match
2200
Opponent
PWDL
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
2 2 0 0
Tour chronology
Previous tour New Zealand & Fiji 1976
Next tour South Africa 1981
Ireland line-out, second Test Australia v Ireland 1979.jpg
Ireland line-out, second Test

The 1979 Ireland rugby union tour of Australia was a series of eight matches played by the Ireland national rugby union team in Australia in May and June 1979.

Contents

The tour was one of Ireland's most successful to date. Ireland won seven of the eight matches they played, including both tests against Australia. The only defeat came against Sydney. The tour also marked a notable episode in the rivalry between the two Ireland fly halves, Tony Ward and Ollie Campbell. Ward had been an ever present during both the 1978 and 1979 Five Nations Championships and he also played in the early games during this tour. However he was then dropped before the first test in favour of Campbell. Campbell subsequently emerged as man of the tour, setting an Irish record when he scored 60 points during the remaining games. On 3 June in Brisbane he scored 19 points, helping Ireland to a 27–12 victory. Campbell scored four penalties, one drop goal and converted two Colin Patterson tries. In the second test on 16 June Campbell scored two drop goals and a penalty as Ireland won 9–3. These two tests also marked the beginning and the end of the careers of two Ireland rugby legends. The first test saw the debut of Ciaran Fitzgerald while the second saw Mike Gibson make his final Ireland appearance. [1] [2] [3] [4] While on this tour Ned Byrne was the victim of a hit and run road accident which left his leg broken in three places.

Matches

Scores and results list Ireland's points tally first.
Opposing TeamForAgainstDateVenue
Western Australia 39320 May Perry Lakes Stadium, Perth
Australian Capital Territory 35723 May Manuka Oval, Canberra
New South Wales 161226 May Sydney Sports Ground, Sydney
Queensland 181529 May Ballymore, Brisbane
Australia 27123 June Ballymore, Brisbane
New South Wales Country 2875 June Wade Park, Orange
Sydney12169 June Sydney Sports Ground, Sydney
Australia 9316 June Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

Test matches

3 June 1979
Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg12–27 Ireland
Tries: Brendan Moon
Con: Paul McLean
Pen: Paul McLean (2)
Tries: Colin Patterson (2)
Con: Ollie Campbell (2)
Pen: Ollie Campbell (4)
Drop Goal: Ollie Campbell
Ballymore, Brisbane
Attendance: 16,500 [5]
Referee: R G Byres (Australia)
16 June 1979
Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg3–9 Ireland
Tries:
Con:
Pen: Paul McLean
Pen: Ollie Campbell
Drop Goals: Ollie Campbell (2)
SCG, Sydney
Attendance: 33,476 [6]
Referee: R. G. Byres (Australia)

Touring party

Backs

Forwards

See also

References

  1. www.sporting-heroes.net
  2. "www.irishrugby.ie". Archived from the original on 21 November 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  3. The Ireland Rugby Miscellany (2007): Ciaran Cronin
  4. This test series remains Ireland's only winning tour of the southern hemisphere "big 3" countries and the last time Ireland won a test in either Australia, South Africa or New Zealand. www.irishrugby.ie Archived 27 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Ireland tour in Australia 1979 1979". espnscrum. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  6. "IRELAND TOUR - Sydney, 16 June 1979". espnscrum. Retrieved 1 November 2022.