1963–64 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France

Rugby league tour (1963–1964) 1963-64 Australia 1963 1964 Great Britain and France Jack Lynch Arthur Sparkes Arthur Summons Arthur Summons Ian Walsh Graeme Langlands 207 Ken Irvine 29 Graeme Langlands 49 Ken Irvine 8 36 28 1 7 6 4 0 2 GB 3 2 0 1 FRA 3 2 0 1 1959-60 by Australia 12 1961 by Australia 12 to Kiwis 12 1961 by Kiwis 12 1965 by Australia 12 to Kiwis 12 1965 by Kiwis 12 1967-68 by Australia 12 The 1963-64 Kangaroo tour was the eleventh Kangaroo tour, during which the Australian national rugby league team traveled to Europe and played thirty-six matches against British and French club and representative teams. It included three Test matches against Great Britain for The Ashes, and three Tests against the French. The tour followed the 1959-60 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France and was followed by the 1967-68 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France. The squad's leadership The Australian team was captain-coached by Western Suburbs Magpies HB Arthur Summons, though due to injury to Summons the test captaincy fell to St George HK Ian Walsh for Ashes series against Great Britain and the first test against France. In the five matches in which neither Summons nor Walsh played, the Kangaroos were captained by Barry Muir (against Featherstone), Ken Irvine (Rochdale), Noel Kelly (Cumberland), Reg Gasnier (Pyrenees) and Brian Hambly (Les Espoirs (French Colts)). The team was managed by Jack Lynch and Arthur Sparkes.New South Wales Rugby Football League. The Rugby League News Sydney N.S.W. Rugby Football League Trove 1920 Kangaroo Manager’s Fine All-Round Record 44 14 (22 June 1963) http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-637131927 nla.obj-637131927 18 Jan 2021 Touring squad The Rugby League News published details of the touring team including each player's ages, weight, height and occupation.New South Wales Rugby Football League. The Rugby League News Sydney N.S.W. Rugby Football League Trove 1920 1963 Kangaroos Who’s Who 44 28 (7 September 1963) http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-637148450 nla.obj-637148450 18 Jan 2021 Match details - listing surnames of both teams and the point scorers - were included in E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook, as was a summary of the players' point-scoring.E.E.Christensen E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook Sydney E.E.Christensen 1964 1963-64 Kangaroo Tour Records 18 John Cleary, Ken Day, Peter Gallagher, John Gleeson and Barry Muir were selected from Queensland clubs. Earl Harrison, Paul Quinn and Barry Rushworth were selected from clubs in New South Wales Country areas. The balance of the squad had played for Sydney based clubs during the 1963 season. Player Position Main Position Age Weightst.lb (kg) Club TestsonTour Games Tries Goals FG Points John Cleary PR 24 15.7 (98) Brothers 16 Ipswich Brothers 0 14 1 0 0 3 Michael Cleary WG 23 12.13 (82) South Sydney 16 South Sydney 1 21 14 0 0 42 Ken Day SR 27 15.0 (95) Wests Panthers 16 Brisbane Western Suburbs 2 18 5 0 0 15 Peter Dimond WG 24 14.7 (92) Western Suburbs 16 Western Suburbs 6 24 16 0 0 48 Peter Gallagher PR 26 15.6 (98) Past Brothers 16 Brisbane Brothers 3 21 2 0 0 6 Reg Gasnier CE 24 12.12 (82) St George 16 St George 6 19 15 0 0 45 John Gleeson FE 22 11.10 (74) Past Brothers 16 Brisbane Brothers 0 9 3 0 0 9 Brian Hambly PR, SR 25 15.3 (97) Parramatta 16 Parramatta 5 24 2 12 0 30 Earl Harrison FE 22 12.7 (79) Penrith old 16 Gilgandra 4 17 3 0 0 9 Ken Irvine WG 23 12.0 (76) North Sydney 16 North Sydney 5 27 29 2 0 91 Les Johns FB 21 11.11 (75) Canterbury 16 Canterbury 0 14 3 28 1 67 Noel Kelly PR, HK 26 14.0 (89) Western Suburbs 16 Western Suburbs 6 23 2 0 0 6 Graeme Langlands CE 21 13.0 (83) St George 16 St George 5 25 17 78 0 207 Jim Lisle CE 23 12.3 (78) South Sydney 16 South Sydney 0 13 2 0 0 6 Barry Muir HB 25 11.6 (73) Wests Panthers 16 Brisbane Western Suburbs 6 20 5 0 0 15 Paul Quinn PR 25 14.10 (93) Great Britain 16 Gerringong 3 20 1 0 0 3 Johnny Raper LK 24 13.9 (87) St George 16 St George 5 18 2 0 0 6 Barry Rushworth CE 20 12.2 (77) Wests Tigers 16 Lithgow Workmen 1 19 9 0 0 27 Kevin Ryan SR 28 14.10 (93) St George 16 St George 0 4 0 0 0 0 Kevin Smyth LK 29 13.0 (83) Western Suburbs 16 Western Suburbs 2 18 4 0 0 12 Frank Stanton Utility Back 23 11.6 (73) Manly 16 Manly-Warringah 0 18 4 0 0 12 Arthur Summons FE, HB 27 11.0 (70) Western Suburbs 16 Western Suburbs 2 17 5 0 0 15 Ken Thornett FB 25 13.9 (87) Parramatta 16 Parramatta 6 16 3 0 0 9 Dick Thornett PR, SR 22 16.0 (102) Parramatta 16 Parramatta 4 22 6 0 0 18 Ian Walsh HK 28 13.4 (84) St George 16 St George 4 18 1 0 0 3 Graham Wilson PR, SR 23 14.12 (94) Newtown 16 Newtown 2 18 1 0 0 3 Great Britain The Ashes series against Great Britain saw an aggregate crowd of 65,286 attending the Test series. The largest attendance of the tour came during the Kangaroos 50-12 second test win over Great Britain at Station Road in Swinton with 30,843 in attendance. The largest non-test attendance of the tour was 21,284 when the Kangaroos defeated St. Helens at Knowsley Road. Test venues The three Ashes series tests took place at the following venues. London Swinton Leeds Wembley Stadium Station Road Headingley Capacity: 100,000 Capacity: 40,000 Capacity: 35,000 200px 200px 200px Saturday, 14 September Warrington Warrington 16 20 – 28 Australia 16 Australia Wilderspool, Warrington 20,090 Monday, 16 September Huddersfield Huddersfield 16 5 – 6 Australia 16 Australia Fartown, Huddersfield 13,398 Wednesday, 18 September Yorkshire Yorkshire 16 11 – 5 Australia 16 Australia Craven Park, Hull 10,324 Denis Davies Saturday, 21 September Leeds Leeds 16 10 – 13 Australia 16 Australia Headingley, Leeds 16,641 Wednesday, 25 September Lancashire Lancashire 16 13 – 11 Australia 16 Australia Central Park, Wigan 15,068 M. Coats Saturday, 28 September St. Helens St Helens 16 2 – 8 Australia 16 Australia Knowsley Road, St. Helens 21,284 Wednesday, 2 October Featherstone Rovers Featherstone 16 23 – 17 Australia 16 Australia Post Office Road, Featherstone 7,898 Saturday, 5 October Oldham Oldham 16 4 – 12 Australia 16 Australia Watersheddings, Oldham 11,338 Wednesday, 9 October Leigh Leigh 16 7 – 33 Australia 16 Australia Hilton Park, Leigh 9,625 Saturday, 12 October Hull F.C. / Hull Kingston Rovers XIII 10 – 23 Australia 16 Australia The Boulevard, Hull 10,481 The Ashes series First Test The first Ashes series test was played at the famous Wembley Stadium in London. Reg Gasnier ran in 3 of the Kangaroos 6 tries while his St George team mate and centre partner Graeme Langlands kicked 5 goals and crossed for his own try. In front of a small crowd of only 13,946 (in a stadium which at the time could hold up to 100,000 and earlier in the year had seen a crowd of 84,488 for the Challenge Cup Final), the Kangaroos kept the Lions scoreless with Neil Fox's lone goal the only score for the home side as Australia won 28-2. #eeeeee Great Britain Australia 2 – 28 Tries: Goals: Neil Fox (1) Tries: Reg Gasnier (3) Ken Irvine Graeme Langlands Ken Thornett Goals: Graeme Langlands (5) Wednesday, 16 October Wembley Stadium, London 13,946 Denis Davies ENG Reg Gasnier Australia 16 Great BritainPositionAustraliaKen GowersFBKen ThornettBill BurgessWGKen IrvineEric Ashton (c)CEReg GasnierNeil FoxCEGraeme LanglandsNorman FieldWGPeter DimondDave BoltonSOEarl HarrisonAlex MurphySHBarry MuirJohn TembeyPRPeter GallagherBill SayerHKIan Walsh (c)Brian TysonPRNoel KellyJim MeasuresSRBrian HamblyKen BowmanSRDick ThornettVince KaraliusLFJohnny Raper CoachArthur Summons Saturday, 19 October Rochdale Hornets Rochdale 16 0 – 3 Australia 16 Australia Athletic Grounds, Rochdale 8,637 Wednesday, 23 October Hunslet Hunslet 16 13 – 17 Australia 16 Australia Parkside, Hunslet 4,400 Saturday, 26 October Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity 16 14 – 29 Australia 16 Australia Belle Vue, Wakefield 15,821 Thursday, 31 October Cumberland Cumbria 0 – 21 Australia 16 Australia Derwent Park, Workington 8,229 A. Durkin Saturday, 2 November Barrow Barrow 16 5 – 18 Australia 16 Australia Craven Park, Barrow 10,130 Second Test The second test at Station Road in Swinton has gone down in rugby league folklore as the "Swinton Massacre". The Kangaroos ran riot, crossing for 12 tries to just 2 from the Lions. The 50-12 win was not only the Kangaroos highest ever score against Great Britain, it also saw Australia win The Ashes in England for the first time since 1911–12 and the first time an all-Australian team (the 1911–12 squad included New Zealand players) had won The Ashes in England. British fans got a taste of Ken Irvine's legendary speed when he crossed for three long range tries while Reg Gasnier, Peter Dimond and Graeme Langlands all crossed for doubles with Langlands also kicking 7 goals for a personal tally of 20 points. Though on this day there was none better than Kangaroos lock forward Johnny Raper who while not scoring himself, had a hand in 9 of his teams 12 tries.Great Britain vs Australia, Second Test 1963 #eeeeee Great Britain Australia 12 – 50 Tries: John Stopford Jim Measures Goals: Neil Fox (3) Tries: Ken Irvine (3) Reg Gasnier (2) Peter Dimond (2) Graeme Langlands (2) Earl Harrison Noel Kelly Dick Thornett Goals: Graeme Langlands (7) Saturday, 9 November Station Road, Swinton 30,843 Denis Davies ENG Johnny Raper Australia 16 Great BritainPositionAustraliaKen GowersFBKen ThornettMick SullivanWGKen IrvineEric Ashton (c)CEReg GasnierNeil FoxCEGraeme LanglandsJohn StopfordWGPeter DimondFrank MylerSOEarl HarrisonAlex MurphySHBarry MuirBill RobinsonPRPaul QuinnLen McIntyreHKIan Walsh (c)Cliff WatsonPRNoel KellyJim MeasuresSRKen DayRon MorganSRDick ThornettVince KaraliusLFJohnny Raper CoachArthur Summons Wednesday, 13 November Castleford Castleford 16 13 – 12 Australia 16 Australia Wheldon Road, Castleford 7,887 Monday, 18 November Wigan Wigan 16 10 – 18 Australia 16 Australia Central Park, Wigan 11,746 Thursday, 21 November Widnes Widnes 16 9 – 20 Australia 16 Australia Naughton Park, Widnes 6,509 Saturday, 23 November Swinton Swinton 16 2 – 2 Australia 16 Australia Station Road, Swinton 11,947 Third Test With pride on the line as no England or Great Britain team had ever lost a home series 3-0 to Australia, The Lions put in a much improved performance at Headingley in Leeds. The Rugby Football League had appointed "Sergeant Major" Eric Clay as the referee for the game. The two sides set about settling scores and the Australians felt Clay was biased. It is considered was one of the most brutal Tests ever played, with two Australians (Barry Muir and Brian Hambly) and one British player (Cliff Watson) being sent off. Muir who was sent off (for kicking) later told that he first told Clay "where to go" as he left the field, and later approached Clay after the game and said to him "You robbed us". According to Muir, Clay reportedly responded with "Barry, I've got to live here".Australia @ Rugby League Project Ken Irvine, who scored Australia's only try for the match, repeated his efforts from the 1962 Ashes series by scoring a try in each test of an Ashes series. #eeeeee Great Britain Australia 16 – 5 Tries: Johnny Ward John Stopford Geoff Smith Don Fox Goals: Don Fox (2) Tries: Ken Irvine Goals: Graeme Langlands (1) Saturday, 30 November Headingley, Leeds 20,497 Eric Clay ENG Great BritainPositionAustralia Ken GowersFB Ken Thornett2. Geoff SmithWG3. Ken Irvine3. Keith HoldenCE7. Reg Gasnier4. Alan BuckleyCE4. Graeme Langlands5. John StopfordWG5. Peter Dimond6. Dave BoltonSO11. Earl Harrison7. Tommy Smales (c)SH14.Barry Muir8. Frank CollierPR26. Noel Kelly9. Johnny WardHK25. Ian Walsh (c)10. Cliff WatsonPR21. Paul Quinn11. Dick HuddartSR20. Brian Hambly12. Ken RobertsSR18. Dick Thornett13. Don FoxLF15. Johnny Raper CoachArthur Summons France The Rugby League News published a list of match results in a February 1964 special issue.The Rugby League News 1963–4 Kangaroos Scoreboard 44 33 (February 1964) Sydney N.S.W. Rugby Football League 11 https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-622126068/view?sectionId=nla.obj-637161739&partId=nla.obj-622148008#page/n10/mode/1up 20 January 2025 Trove |- bgcolor="#CCCCFF" | Date | Opponent | Score | Ground | Referee | Crowd | Report |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 5 December 1963 | Celtic de Paris | 2 – 30 | Stade Pershing, Paris | | 200 | |- |- bgcolor=pink | 8 December 1963 | France | 8 – 5 | Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux | A. Cassan (FRA) | 4,261 | 1963-64 France vs Australia 1st Test |- |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 12 December 1963 | Basque / Bearnaise XIII | 5 – 18 | | | 4,261 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 15 December 1963 | South West France | 11 – 41 | Stade Jules Ribet, Saint-Gaudens | | 1,266 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 19 December 1963 | Pyrenees | 10 – 14 | Stade Jules Ribet, Saint-Gaudens | | 2,059 | |- |- bgcolor=pink | 22 December 1963 | France | 10 – 14 | Stade des Minimes, Toulouse | E. Martung (FRA) | 6,932 | 1963-64 France vs Australia 2nd Test |- |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 25 December 1963 | Rouergue XIII | 2 – 13 | Stade Municipal d'Albi, Albi | | 3,780 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 29 December 1963 | Languedoc XIII | 12 – 16 | Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne | | 6,143 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 4 January 1963 | XIII Catalan | 15 – 11 | Stade Jean-Laffon, Perpignan | | 4,524 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 4 January 1964 | South France | 11 – 51 | | | 889 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 5 January 1964 | Provence XIII | 4 – 35 | Parc des Sports, Avignon | | 2,009 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 12 January 1964 | Roanne XIII | 2 – 38 | | | 2,969 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 16 January 1964 | Les Espoirs (Colts) | 12 – 19 | | | 2,617 | |- |- bgcolor=pink | 18 January 1964 | France | 8 – 16 | Parc des Princes, Paris | G. Jameau (FRA) | 5,979 | 1963-64 France vs Australia 3rd Test |- French Tests First test Although Ken Irvine was unavailable due to injury, The Kangaroos lost nothing with pace on the wing due to the selection of South Sydney flyer and dual-rugby international Michael Cleary who 12 months earlier had won the Bronze Medal in the 100 yards sprint at the 1962 Commonwealth Games. However it wasn't enough as the tourists were defeated 8-5 by a determined French. #eeeeee FRA AUS 8 – 5 Tries: Georges Ailleres Bernard Fabre Goals Jean Villeneuve (1) Tries: Graeme Langlands Goals Graeme Langlands (1) 8 December 1963 Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux 4,261 A. Cassan FRA FrancePositionAustraliaAndré CarrèreFBKen ThornettJean EtcheberryWGMichael ClearyBernard FabreCEGraeme LanglandsClaude MantoulanCEReg GasnierLaurent RoldosWGPeter DimondJean VilleneuveSOEarl HarrisonGeorges Fages (c)SHBarry MuirLaurent FalettiPRNoel KellyJean GracietHKIan Walsh (c)Jean PannoPRPaul QuinnHenri MarracqSRBrian HamblyGeorges AilleresSRDick ThornettAndré LacazeLFJohnny RaperJean CapdouzeInt.| CoachArthur Summons Second Test #eeeeee FRA AUS 9 – 21 Tries: Jean Etcheberry Goals Jean Villeneuve (2) Andre Lacaze (1) Tries: Ken Irvine (2) Graeme Langlands Arthur Summons Ken Thornett Goals Graeme Langlands (3) 22 December 1963 Stade des Minimes, Toulouse 6,932 Eddie Martung FRA FrancePositionAustraliaAndré CarrèreFBKen ThornettJean EtcheberryWGKen IrvineBernard FabreCEGraeme LanglandsClaude MantoulanCEReg GasnierLaurent RoldosWGPeter DimondJean VilleneuveSOArthur Summons (c)Georges Fages (c)SHBarry MuirLaurent FalettiPRJean GracietHKNoel KellyJean PannoPRPeter GallagherHenri MarracqSRKevin SmythGeorges AilleresSRDick ThornettAndré LacazeLFJohnny Raper CoachArthur Summons Third Test #eeeeee France Australia 8 – 16 Tries: Laurent Roldos Louis Vergé Goals Jean Villeneuve (1) Tries: Barry Muir (2) Ken Irvine Barry Rushworth Goals Brian Hambly (1) 18 January 1964 Parc des Princes, Paris 5,979 Georges Jameau FRA FrancePositionAustraliaAndré CarrèreFBKen ThornettLaurent RoldosWGKen IrvineBernard FabreCEReg GasnierGilbert BenausseCEBarry RushworthDaniel PellerinWGPeter DimondJean VilleneuveSOArthur Summons (c)Louis VergéSHBarry MuirLaurent FalettiPRBrian HamblyJean GracietHKNoel KellyJean PannoPRPeter GallagherHervé LarrueSRGraham WilsonHenri MarracqSRKen DayJean BartheLFKevin Smyth CoachArthur Summons References External links 1963-64 Kangaroo Tour at Rugby League Project Category:Australia national rugby league team tours Category:Rugby league tours of Great Britain Category:Rugby league tours of France Kangaroo Tour Kangaroo Tour