1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France

1990 rugby league tour November 2019 July 2011 1990 Kangaroos tour 7 October 1990 – 9 December 1990 Keith Barnes, Les Stokes Bob Fulton Mal Meninga Greg Alexander (156) Andrew Ettingshausen (15) 18 17 0 1 5 4 0 1 GBR 3 2 0 1 FRA 2 2 0 0 1986 1994 The 1990 Kangaroo Tour was the seventeenth Kangaroo Tour, where the Australian national rugby league team (known as the XXXX Kangaroos due to sponsorship reasons) travelled to Europe and played eighteen matches against British and French club and representative rugby league teams, in addition to three Test matches against Great Britain and two Tests against the French. It followed the tour of 1986 and the next was staged in 1994. This series was the closest the British team came to reclaiming The Ashes since last winning in Australia in 1970. Great Britain won the first Test at Wembley Stadium and in the second Test at Old Trafford in Manchester the match was tied at 10-all until the final minutes when Australia scored a late try to win the game. Australia then went on to easily win the third and deciding Test and retain The Ashes. Australia won both Test series against Great Britain and France, suffering one loss (against Great Britain in the first Test), and remaining undefeated in tour matches against British clubs in a streak stretching back to midway through the 1978 tour. The 17th Kangaroo tour was televised back to Australia on the Ten Network with commentary provided by Graeme Hughes, David Morrow and sideline reporter Tony Durkin. Also joining the commentary team at various stages, including the Ashes Tests, were then Manly-Warringah coach and former New Zealand national rugby league team and Wigan coach Graham Lowe, and the captain of 1986 Kangaroos, Wally Lewis. The Channel 10 coverage was sponsored by Just Jeans. The ABC televised the tests against France with former Wests Magpies winger and captain Warren Boland providing commentary. Various off-duty players including Mal Meninga, Benny Elias, Mark Geyer, Gary Belcher, Andrew Ettingshausen would also join the Ch.10 team in England as guest commentators or sideline reporters (with unrestricted access to coach Bob Fulton's tactics), while Allan Langer co-called the 2nd French test, the last game on the tour, with Boland on the ABC. The squad's leadership The team was coached by Bob Fulton making his third Kangaroo Tour, though his first as coach (Fulton had captained the Kangaroos on his previous tour as a player in 1978). Mal Meninga was making a record third consecutive tour and his first as captain, while NSW captain Benny Elias (making his second tour) was named as the tours vice-captain. As per custom, the Australian Rugby League appointed two tour managers, one each from the Queensland and New South Wales rugby leagues. Former Kangaroo captain Keith Barnes was team manager from NSW, while Les Stokes was the manager from Qld. Other staff included trainers Shaun McRae (who also acted as Fulton's assistant coach), Brian "The Sheriff" Hollis as a trainer/runner (Hollis had long been with Fulton during his time as Manly-Warringah coach during the 1980s), and World Champion boxing trainer Johnny Lewis (best known as Jeff Fenech's trainer) as team conditioner. Manly-Warringah club doctor Nathan Gibbs, a former South Sydney and Parramatta forward who had retired from playing in 1984 to concentrate on his medical studies, was team doctor. Gibbs made the controversial decision during the selection medicals to rule Kangaroo stalwart and likely captain Wally Lewis unfit for the tour and thus unable to make a third consecutive tour alongside Meninga. Touring squad Player Club Position(s) Tests (as sub) Games (as sub) Tries Goals F/Goals Points Greg Alexander Old Penrith 16 Penrith Panthers FB WG 4 (3) 17 (7) 14 50/89 – 156 Gary Belcher Canberra 16 Canberra Raiders FB WG 5 11 6 1/2 1 27 Martin Bella Manly 16 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles PR 1 11 (3) – – – 0 Mark Carroll South Sydney 16 South Sydney Rabbitohs SR 0 6 (1) 2 – – 8 John Cartwright Old Penrith 16 Penrith Panthers SR LK 1 9 (2) 1 – – 4 Laurie Daley Canberra 16 Canberra Raiders FE CE 3 6 – 0/2 – 0 Ben Elias (vc) Balmain 16 Balmain Tigers HK 4 10 (1) 2 – – 8 Andrew Ettingshausen Cronulla 16 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks WG CE 5 12 15 – – 60 Brad Fittler Old Penrith 16 Penrith Panthers CE FE 0 8 8 – – 32 Mark Geyer Old Penrith 16 Penrith Panthers SR 1 (1) 11 (2) 4 – – 16 David Gillespie Canterbury 16 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs SR PR LK 3 (2) 10 (4) 1 – – 4 Michael Hancock Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos WG 1 6 (1) 4 – – 16 Des Hasler Manly 16 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles LK HB WG 4 (4) 13 (6) 3 – – 12 Chris Johns Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos WG CE 1 (1) 11 (4) 4 – – 16 Allan Langer Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos HB 1 11 4 – – 16 Glenn Lazarus Canberra 16 Canberra Raiders PR 5 (1) 13 (5) 2 – – 8 Bob Lindner Western Suburbs 16 Western Suburbs Magpies LK SR 4 10 (1) 2 – – 8 Cliff Lyons Manly 16 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles FE CE 4 8 3 – – 12 Brad Mackay St George 16 St George Dragons LK SR 4 12 (3) 4 – – 16 Mal Meninga (c) Canberra 16 Canberra Raiders CE 5 11 8 16/38 – 64 Mark McGaw Cronulla 16 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks CE 1 6 (1) 1 – – 4 Steve Roach Balmain 16 Balmain Tigers PR 5 10 2 – – 8 Mark Sargent Newcastle 16 Newcastle Knights PR 3 (3) 11 (3) 6 – – 24 Dale Shearer Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos WG CE 5 (1) 13 (1) 9 1/1 – 38 Paul Sironen Balmain 16 Balmain Tigers SR 5 10 3 – – 12 Ricky Stuart Canberra 16 Canberra Raiders HB FE 5 9 1 – 1 5 Kerrod Walters Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos HK 1 8 2 – – 8 Kevin Walters Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos CE FE HK 0 8 5 – – 20 By club The touring side was represented by 19 New South Welshmen (N) and 9 Queenslanders (Q). Brisbane Broncos (6): Michael Hancock (Q), Chris Johns (N), Allan Langer (Q), Dale Shearer (Q), Kerrod Walters (Q), Kevin Walters (Q) Canberra Raiders (5): Mal Meninga (captain) (Q), Gary Belcher (Q), Laurie Daley (N), Glenn Lazarus (N), Ricky Stuart (N) Penrith Panthers (4): Greg Alexander (N), John Cartwright (N), Brad Fittler (N), Mark Geyer (N), Balmain Tigers (3): Ben Elias (vice-captain) (N), Steve Roach (N), Paul Sironen (N) Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (3): Martin Bella (Q), Des Hasler (N), Cliff Lyons (N) Cronulla Sutherland Sharks (2): Andrew Ettingshausen (N), Mark McGaw (N) Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (1): David Gillespie (N) Newcastle Knights (1): Mark Sargent (N) South Sydney Rabbitohs (1): Mark Carroll (N) St George Dragons (1): Brad Mackay (N) Western Suburbs Magpies (1): Bob Lindner (Q) Mal Meninga was making his third Kangaroo Tour having also toured in 1982 and 1986. Greg Alexander, Gary Belcher, Martin Bella, Ben Elias, Des Hasler, Bob Lindner, Steve Roach, Dale Shearer and Paul Sironen were all 1986 tourists. For the rest of the squad it was their first ever Kangaroo Tour. The Kangaroos went away with four club halfbacks in the squad. Test incumbent Allan Langer; Canberra's former Wallaby and dual premiership winning half Ricky Stuart; and former test halfbacks Des Hasler and Greg Alexander – though Hasler's ability to play almost anywhere in the backline as well as the back row, saw him as the team's utility player while Alexander would play the tour as backup fullback to Gary Belcher, along with two games on the wing : one against Widnes, the final tour game on the English leg; the other the second Test against France, the final game of the tour (he had also played most of the game against Castleford on the wing after replacing the injured Mark McGaw). Like Terry Lamb in 1986, Alexander was selected for every game on the tour, though unlike Lamb he did not appear in each game after not getting off the bench in the second Ashes Test at Old Trafford. Alexander was the only one of the quartet not to start a game at halfback while on tour, though he did spend some time in his preferred position at various times including the first Test against France when he was forced on after just 15 minutes to replace an ill Ricky Stuart. 1990 was the first Kangaroo Tour to Great Britain and France where the entire playing party came from the NSWRL Premiership and since the 1988 introduction of the Gold Coast Chargers, Brisbane Broncos and Newcastle Knights expanding the competition to 16 clubs with 5 Queensland players coming from Brisbane Broncos, 2 from Canberra Raiders, 1 from Manly Sea Eagles and 1 from Western Suburbs Magpies. While Meninga was making his third tour, making their second Kangaroo Tours were: Benny Elias, Greg Alexander, Gary Belcher, Martin Bella, Des Hasler, Bob Lindner, Steve Roach, Dale Shearer and Paul Sironen. Each player making their second (or third) tour played at least one Test match on the tour. Great Britain The Ashes series against Great Britain saw a record aggregate crowd of 133,684 attending the Test series, easily beating the previous record of 114,883 set during the 1948–49 Kangaroo tour and was some 66,130 more than had attended the 1988 Ashes series in Australia. As with the 1982 and 1986 tours, the game against Wigan at Central Park drew the biggest club game attendance of the Kangaroo Tour with a crowd of 24,814. The tour took place during the 1990–91 Rugby Football League season.McGregor Adrian Simply The Best: The 1990 Kangaroos 1991 University of Queensland Press Qld 0-7022-2370-0 227 Tour Statistics1948/49 Ashes series at Rugby League Project Bradford Northern, a regular stop for the tourists, were allegedly left off the tour itinerary after being fined by the RFL for fielding what was virtually a reserve grade side against the touring New Zealand team in 1989. Of the 13 games the Kangaroos played in England, four of the teams (Wigan, Warrington, Castleford and Hull) were coached by Australian's while one other (St Helens) was coached by a New Zealander. Test Venues The three Ashes series tests took place at the following venues. 1990 was the first tour since 1911–12 not to play at test at one of the larger club grounds such as Central Park, Headingley or Odsal Stadium. London Manchester Leeds Wembley Stadium Old Trafford Elland Road Capacity: 82,000 Capacity: 48,000 Capacity: 32,500 200px 200px 200px Sunday, 7 October St. Helens St Helens 16 4–34 St Helens vs Australia Australia 16 Australia Tries: Les Quirk Goals: Bernard Dwyer (0/1) Tea Ropati (0/2) Tries: Andrew Ettingshausen (3), Mal Meninga (2), Kerrod Walters, Steve Roach, Michael Hancock Goals: Mal Meninga (1/6) Laurie Daley (0/1) Greg Alexander (0/1) Knowsley Road, St. Helens 15,219 John Holdsworth John Cartwright _redborder _Vwidered _redborder _band_red FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF St Helens _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1Gary ConnollyRW 2Alan HunteCE 3Tea RopatiCE 4Phil VeiversLW 5Les QuirkSO 6Jonathan GriffithsSH 7Shane Cooper (c)PR 8Jon NeillHK 9Paul GrovesPR 10Kevin WardSR 11Paul ForberSR 12Bernard DwyerLF 13John HarrisonSubstitutions:IC 14Mark BaileyIC 15George MannIC 16Ian ConnorIC 17Roy HaggertyCoach:NZL Mike McLennan FB 1 Gary BelcherRW 2 Andrew EttingshausenCE 3 Mal Meninga (c)CE 4 Mark McGawLW 5 Michael HancockFE 6 Laurie DaleyHB 7 Allan LangerPR 8 Steve RoachHK 9 Kerrod WaltersPR 10 Martin BellaSR 11 John CartwrightSR 12 Paul SironenLK 13 Bob LindnerSubstitutions:IC 14 Chris JohnsIC 15 Glenn LazarusIC 16 Brad MackayIC 17 Greg AlexanderCoach:AUS Bob Fulton Kangaroos skipper Mal Meninga, a crowd favourite at St Helens after playing with the club in 1984–85 and helping them to win the Premiership and Lancashire Cup, returned to Knowsley Road and scored two tries, including the opening try of the tour. Andrew Ettingshausen came into the side on the wing in place of Dale Shearer who was ruled out with a stomach muscle strain, and crossed for a hat-trick of tries.St Helens vs Australia highlights Wednesday, 10 October Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity 16 18–36 Wakefield Trinity vs Australia Australia 16 Australia Tries: Nick Du Toit, Andy Mason, Andrew Wilson Goals: Mark Conway (3/4) Tries: Mark Sargent, Chris Johns, Kevin Walters, Ricky Stuart, Glenn Lazarus, Brad Fittler Goals: Greg Alexander (6/7) Belle Vue, Wakefield 7,724 Kevin Allatt Glenn Lazarus _red_blue_stripes _WakefieldTrinity _red_blue_stripes _2 red stripes 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF FFFFFF FFFFFF Wakefield Trinity _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1Chris PerryRW 2David JonesCE 3Ged ByrneCE 4Phil EdenLW 5Andy MasonSO 6Tracy LazenbySH 7Mark ConwayPR 8Adrian ShelfordHK 9John ThompsonPR 10Nigel BellSR 11Andy Kelly (c)SR 12Nick Du ToitLF 13Gary PriceSubstitutions:IC 14Richard SlaterIC 15Billy ConwayIC 16Andy WilsonIC 17Lynton MorrisCoach:ENG David Topliss FB 1 Greg AlexanderRW 2 Chris JohnsCE 3 Brad FittlerCE 4 Kevin WaltersLW 5 Dale ShearerFE 6 Cliff LyonsHB 7 Ricky StuartPR 8 Glenn LazarusHK 9 Ben Elias (c)PR 10 Mark SargentSR 11 David GillespieSR 12 Mark CarrollLK 13 Brad MackaySubstitutions:IC 14 Mark GeyerIC 15 Mark McGawIC 16 Des HaslerIC 17 Bob LindnerCoach:AUS Bob Fulton Referee Kevin Allatt sent 4 players off during this game and sin binned 3 others. Sent off 8 minutes before halftime were John Thompson (WT) and Mark Carroll (Aus), while Ricky Stuart (Aus) and David Gillespie (Aus) who was actually sent off for back chatting the referee after the game had finished, followed suit in the second half. Billy Conway (WT), Des Hasler and Dale Shearer (Aus) were also sent to the sin-bin during the game. In a media interview after the game, Australian coach Bob Fulton said it was something like out of Fawlty Towers and that he couldn't believe that the referee lost control. Fulton also added that the referee had told him before the game that he was 48 years old, causing the Australian coach to think that he should have been home in front of a warm fire with a cup of tea rather than refereeing a professional game of football. With Carroll and Stuart sent off and Shearer in the bin, Australia actually finished the game with only 10 players on the field before Gillespie's post-siren send-off.Wakefield Trinity vs Australia highlights In English club football at the time, players sent-off during a match were required to face the RFL judiciary, including those from touring international teams. All three Kangaroos, Carroll, Stuart and Gillespie, escaped suspension from the league who agreed that the send-offs were enough punishment under the circumstances. Penrith's Brad Fittler, who was aged 18 years and 247 days on the day of the game and just 12 months earlier had made his First Grade debut for the Panthers and had been a member of the Australian Schoolboys side, played in the centres and officially became the youngest ever Kangaroo tourist, also scoring a second half try on debut. Sunday, 14 October Wigan Wigan 16 6–34 Wigan vs Australia Australia 16 Australia Tries: Shaun Edwards Goals: Joe Lydon (1/1) Tries: Andrew Ettingshausen (3), Michael Hancock, Gary Belcher, Brad Mackay, Allan Langer Goals: Mal Meninga (3/7) Central Park, Wigan 24,814 Colin Morris Gary Belcher _butcher stripes white _butcher stripes white _butcher stripes white _color_3_stripes_red FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 FFFFFF Wigan _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1Steve HampsonRW 2David MyersCE 3Kevin IroCE 4Joe LydonLW 5David MarshallSO 6Shaun EdwardsSH 7Andy GregoryPR 8Ian LucasHK 9Martin DermottPR 10Kelvin SkerrettSR 11Denis BettsSR 12Andy GoodwayLF 13Ellery Hanley (c)Substitutions:IC 14Bobbie GouldingIC 15Mark PrestonIC 16Ian GildartIC 17Mike ForshawCoach:AUS John Monie FB 1 Gary BelcherRW 2 Andrew EttingshausenCE 3 Mal Meninga (c)CE 4 Mark McGawLW 5 Michael HancockFE 6 Laurie DaleyHB 7 Allan LangerPR 8 Steve RoachHK 9 Kerrod WaltersPR 10 Martin BellaSR 11 John CartwrightSR 12 Paul SironenLK 13 Bob LindnerSubstitutions:IC 14 Ricky StuartIC 15 Glenn LazarusIC 16 Brad MackayIC 17 Greg AlexanderCoach:AUS Bob Fulton The match against English power club Wigan was generally regarded as the Kangaroos "4th Test" in England. However, as the team had done a week earlier against St Helens, the Kangaroos won the match easily with Wigan's only score coming from a first half penalty try to Shaun Edwards who was illegally pulled down in a chase to the ball by Bob Lindner (had Edwards not been awarded the try it would have still been scored anyway as Wigan winger David Myers had beaten everyone to ground the ball in the in-goal). Joe Lydon converted and Wigan led 6–0, but from there the Kangaroos took control of the game. Two tries to Ettingshausen and singles to Michael Hancock and man of the match Gary Belcher saw the Kangaroos race to a 20–6 lead at half time. And hopes of a Wigan comeback were snuffed out early in the second half when Ettingshausen crossed for his second hat-trick of the tour in just two games. Further tries to Brad Mackay and Alfie Langer pushed the final score out to 34–6 (Australia's highest ever score against the Cherry and Whites) and only Mal Meninga's continued poor goal kicking (3/7 here to follow his 1/6 against St Helens) kept the score from being even greater.Wigan vs Australia highlights Wednesday, 17 October Cumbria Cumbria 10–42 Cumbria vs Australia Australia 16 Australia Tries: Willie Richardson Goals: Graeme Cameron (1/1) Barry Vickers (1/2) Field Goals: Dean Marwood (2) Tries: Dale Shearer (3), Cliff Lyons (2), Mark Carroll, Mark Geyer, Ben Elias Goals: Greg Alexander (5/8) Derwent Park, Workington 6,750 Jim Smith Des Hasler _butcher stripes white _butcher stripes white _butcher stripes white _band_black 000000 000000 000000 FFFFFF FFFFFF Cumbria _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1 Barry VickersRW 2 Willie RichardsonCE 3 William FisherCE 4 Neil RooneyLW 5 Chris RuddSO 6 Graeme CameronSH 7 Dean MarwoodPR 8 Colin ArmstrongHK 9 Gary MounseyPR 10 Stephen HowesSR 11 Gary KendallSR 12 Peter RileyLF 13 Russ Walker (c)Substitutions:IC 14 Paul PenriceIC 15 Gary ChambersIC 16 Norman LofthouseIC 17 Jonathan NeilCoach:Cumbria Phil Kitchin FB 1 Greg AlexanderRW 2 Dale ShearerCE 3 Cliff LyonsCE 4 Brad FittlerLW 5 Chris JohnsFE 6 Kevin WaltersHB 7 Ricky StuartPR 8 David GillespieHK 9 Ben Elias (c)PR 10 Mark SargentSR 11 Mark CarrollSR 12 Mark GeyerLK 13 Des HaslerSubstitutions:IC 14 Brad MackayIC 15IC 16 Bob LindnerIC 17 Glenn LazarusCoach:AUS Bob Fulton The match against Cumbria in Workington was the 1990 Kangaroos only game against an English county team (the Kangaroos had not played any other county side since 1967). As had become the pattern for the midweek game on tour, the game was played in the rain. Starting at lock forward (a position he'd played through most of 1990 with Manly) and moving to halfback early in the second half after Ricky Stuart came off after an elbow to the chest, Des Hasler was the official Man of the Match while Dale Shearer signalled his intentions to return to the top team with a hat trick of tries. For the Cumbrians, 20 year old Barrow halfback Dean Marwood was their best player using a clever kicking game to continually turn the Kangaroos defence around. He also kicked two field goals which he later told TV broadcaster The Sports Channel helped settle his nerves. In a pre-game interview, Cumbrian coach Phil Kitchin told The Sports Channel that he'd had trouble even getting players together for a training run before this midweek game mainly due to the number of injuries eligible Cumbrian players had in the previous weekends, though he was finally able to string a side together for three training sessions. Cumbria even lost former Warrington hooker Mark Roskell on the morning of the game with a virus, his place was taken on the afternoon of the game by Whitehaven's Gary Mounsey. Sunday, 21 October Leeds Leeds 16 10–22 Leeds vs Australia Australia 16 Australia Tries: John Gallagher, Paul Dixon Goals: Simon Irving (1/2) Tries: Paul Sironen (2), Mal Meninga, Bob Lindner Goals: Mal Meninga (3/5) Headingley, Leeds 16,037 Ray Tennant Paul Sironen _thin_navyhoops _Leeds1990 _thin_navyhoops _color_3_stripes_yellow FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 0018A8 FFFFFF Leeds _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1John GallagherRW 2Phil FordCE 3Simon IrvingCE 4Carl GibsonLW 5Vince FawcettSO 6Garry Schofield (c)SH 7Paul HarkinPR 8Roy PowellHK 9Richard GunnPR 10Steve MolloySR 11Cavill HeughSR 12Paul DixonLF 13Mike KuitiSubstitutions:IC 14Gary DivortyIC 15Paul DelaneyIC 16David CreasserIC 17Dai YoungCoach:ENG David Ward FB 1 Gary BelcherRW 2 Andrew EttingshausenCE 3 Mal Meninga (c)CE 4 Mark McGawLW 5 Michael HancockFE 6 Laurie DaleyHB 7 Allan LangerPR 8 Steve RoachHK 9 Kerrod WaltersPR 10 Martin BellaSR 11 Brad MackaySR 12 Paul SironenLK 13 Bob LindnerSubstitutions:IC 14 Ben EliasIC 15 Glenn LazarusIC 16 Greg AlexanderIC 17 David GillespieCoach:AUS Bob Fulton During the game against Leeds at Headingley, the home side led the Kangaroos 10–6 at half time thanks to tries from former All Blacks fullback John Gallagher and Great Britain forward Paul Dixon who was awarded a try after what appeared to be a Leeds knock-on. This was the first time since Hull F.C. led the Kangaroos 7–0 at The Boulevard during game 12 of the 1982 Kangaroo tour that a British team (club, county or test) had led the tourists at half time of a match. An all-in brawl in the first half left Australian five-eight Laurie Daley with a broken bone in his right hand leaving him in doubt for the upcoming first test at Wembley Stadium The Ashes series After heavy criticism of French referee Alain Sablayrolles (who could not speak English), this would be the final time an Ashes series was refereed by a Frenchman. From the 1992 series referees would be from either Australia, Britain or New Zealand. First Test In the first rugby league international played at Wembley for 17 years, Ellery Hanley inspired a stirring first Test win for the Lions in front of 54,569 fans, the largest ever Test attendance in England and breaking the record of 50,583 set at Old Trafford in the first Ashes Test of the 1986 Kangaroo tour.Wilson Andy Wembley Rugby League internationals – in pictures https://www.theguardian.com/sport/gallery/2011/nov/04/wembley-rugby-league-internationals-in-pictures#/?picture=381413747&index=0 27 December 2011 guardian.co.uk 4 November 2011 Lions coach Mal Reilly named the expected side, as did Bob Fulton. However, due to a broken hand suffered by Laurie Daley in the game against Leeds, Fulton elected to play Canberra Raiders halfback Ricky Stuart at FE in his test debut. Stuart's selection saw him become the 38th Australian dual-rugby international having previously played for the Australia national rugby union team during their 1987 tour of Argentina. Although not selected for the test, Kangaroos forward Mark Carroll suffered a knee injury during the team's first training session in London at the Crystal Palace ground, the home of London's only professional league club of the time Fulham. The injury required Carroll to undergo an arthroscopy which would see him not return to the field until the game against Hull F.C. three weeks later. #eeeeee GBR AUS 19–12 1st Ashes Test Tries: Paul Eastwood (2) Martin Offiah Goals: Paul Eastwood (3/6) Field Goals: Garry Schofield (1) Tries: Mal Meninga Mark McGaw Goals: Mal Meninga (2/4) Saturday, 27 October Wembley Stadium, London 54,569 Alain Sablayrolles FRA Garry Schofield _GBR1990a _red_stripes FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 0000FF 0000FF Great Britain _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1 Steve HampsonRW 2 Paul EastwoodCE 3 Daryl PowellCE 4 Carl GibsonLW 5 Martin OffiahSO 6 Garry SchofieldSH 7 Andy GregoryPR 8 Karl HarrisonHK 9 Lee JacksonPR 10 Paul DixonSR 11 Denis BettsSR 12 Roy PowellLF 13 Ellery Hanley (c)Substitutions:IC 14 Karl FairbankIC 15 Kevin WardIC 16 Shaun EdwardsIC 17Coach:ENG Mal Reilly FB 1 Gary BelcherLW 2 Michael HancockCE 3 Mal Meninga (c)CE 4 Mark McGawRW 5 Andrew EttingshausenFE 6 Ricky StuartHB 7 Allan LangerPR 8 Steve RoachHK 9 Kerrod WaltersPR 10 Martin BellaSR 11 Paul SironenSR 12 John CartwrightLK 13 Bob LindnerSubstitutions:IC 14 Glenn LazarusIC 15 Des HaslerIC 16 Greg AlexanderIC 17 Dale ShearerCoach:AUS Bob Fulton Immediately after the kickoff, the Kangaroos got a taste of test football in England when Martin Bella received the ball for the first hit up. The Lions, knowing they were kicking off and that Australia were to handle the ball first, had coated the ball with petroleum jelly to make it extra slippery and Bella dropped the ball in the opening tackle (during the stop in play the British trainer came onto the field with a towel for Andy Gregory to wipe the jelly from the ball before he fed the scrum). Lions players also came in for criticism as a number were seen to have the jelly smeared on their legs to make them harder to tackle. The Lions soon opened the scoring after Bob Lindner had been tackled and had then played the ball forward. Sablayrolles ruled that Lindner had a marker and a nervous Paul Eastwood kicked a penalty goal that bounced in off the posts. Eastwood's next kick about 15 minutes later also hit the posts but this time bounced back into play, though luckily for Australia Lindner was in place to take the ball and prevent the Lions from scoring a try. The Kangaroos were having difficulty with the French referee's interpretations (the penalty count would eventually favour the home side 17–7), but although the Lions enjoyed the bulk of possession, the Aussie's managed to weather the storm and at half time the score was locked at 2–all. Ellery Hanley and Garry Schofield's tactic of kicking over the Kangaroos defensive line rather than having their forwards trying to bash their way through it was proving to be a problem. Despite a brilliant individual try in the second half to Mark McGaw after Steve Hampson and Carl Gibson had collided while attempting to tackle him, and a try to Mal Meninga, the Aussies were in trouble all day. The Lions, led by Hanley and Schofield were playing better than expected and after second half tries to Martin Offiah following a dropped bomb by Belcher in front of the posts (the Australian fullback had been hit in a perfectly timed tackle by Hanley who chased his own kick and caused Belcher to spill the ball straight into the arms of the waiting Offiah), a double to Eastwood who scored the winning try and a field goal by Schofield saw the Lions take a famous 19–12 win. After also winning the final game of the 1988 series in Sydney, this was Great Britain's second straight win over Australia and ended any hopes that the 1990 Tour would emulate the unbeaten 1982 and 1986 Kangaroo tours. Wednesday, 31 October Warrington Warrington 16 6–26 Warrington vs Australia Australia 16 Australia Tries: Tony Thorniley Goals: David Lyon (1) Tries: Brad Fittler, Brad Mackay, Mark Geyer, Michael Hancock, Mark Sargent Goals: Greg Alexander (3) Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington 10,200 Dave Carter Glenn Lazarus _yellow_hoops _yellowhoops _yellow_hoops _yellowtop 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF Warrington _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1David LyonRW 2Des DrummondCE 3Allan BatemanCE 4Tony ThornileyLW 5Paul WilliamsonSO 6Chris O'SullivanSH 7Kevin EllisPR 8Neil HarmonHK 9Duane MannPR 10Tony BurkeSR 11Paul CullenSR 12Mike Gregory (c)LF 13Robert JacksonSubstitutions:IC 14Chris RuddIC 15Billy McGintyIC 16Mark ThomasIC 17Paul DerbyshireCoach:AUS Brian Johnson FB 1 Greg AlexanderRW 2 Chris JohnsCE 3 Mal Meninga (c)CE 4 Kevin WaltersLW 5 Dale ShearerFE 6 Brad FittlerHB 7 Des HaslerPR 8 Glenn LazarusHK 9 Ben EliasPR 10 Mark SargentSR 11 Mark GeyerSR 12 David GillespieLK 13 Brad MackaySubstitutions:IC 14 Michael HancockIC 15 John CartwrightIC 16IC 17Coach:AUS Bob Fulton Despite this being a midweek match just four days after the test at Wembley, Mal Meninga played the game against Warrington at his own request. Former Great Britain captain Mike Gregory made his return from injury for the home side. The Aussies aura of invincibility had been broken by the first test loss at Wembley, giving hope to not only the Lions test side but also the rest of the club sides waiting to play the Kangaroos and the scoreline was generally believed to have flattered the Kangaroos. It wasn't until late in the game that they put it out of Warrington's reach. Sunday, 4 November Castleford Castleford 16 8–28 Castleford vs Australia Australia 16 Australia Tries: David Plange Goals: Lee Crooks (1/1) Graham Steadman (1/1) Tries: Andrew Ettingshausen (2), Bob Lindner, Dale Shearer, Mal Meninga Goals: Mal Meninga (4/5) Wheldon Road, Castleford 9,033 Gerry Kershaw Paul Sironen _Castleford1990a _Castleford1990a _Castleford1990a _Castleford1990 FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFD700 FFFFFF Castleford _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1St John EllisRW 2Steve LarderCE 3Shaun IrwinCE 4Grant AndersonLW 5David PlangeSO 6Graham SteadmanSH 7Gary FrenchPR 8Lee CrooksHK 9Kevin BeardmorePR 10Dean SampsonSR 11Keith EnglandSR 12Jeff HardyLF 13John Joyner (c)Substitutions:IC 14Paul FletcherIC 15Martin KetteridgeIC 16Neil RoebuckIC 17Andy ClarkeCoach:AUS Darryl van der Velde FB 1 Gary BelcherLW 2 Dale ShearerCE 3 Mal Meninga (c)CE 4 Mark McGawRW 5 Andrew EttingshausenFE 6 Cliff LyonsHB 7 Ricky StuartPR 8 Steve RoachHK 9 Ben EliasPR 10 Glenn LazarusSR 11 Paul SironenSR 12 Bob LindnerLK 13 Brad MackaySubstitutions:IC 14 Greg AlexanderIC 15 Allan LangerIC 16 Martin BellaIC 17 John CartwrightCoach:AUS Bob Fulton The Kangaroos played with the expected second test lineup. Dale Shearer had replaced Michael Hancock on the wing. Cliff Lyons came in at 5/8 with Ricky Stuart moved to halfback at the expense of Allan Langer who played this game from the bench (he came on to replace Stuart with only 8 minutes remaining). Glenn Lazarus replaced Martin Bella in the front row (Bella also played from the bench) while Brad Mackay came in at lock with Bob Lindner moved to the second row in place of John Cartwright (again on the bench). Mark McGaw's tour ended just 20 minutes into the game after rupturing the Medial ligament in his right knee. The injury occurred when his knee came into accidental contact with the head of Glenn Lazarus while the pair were tackling Castleford pivot Graham Steadman (who also banged his knee with McGaw's, though without injury). For his part, Lazarus required 17 stitches to bad gash above his left eye and would not take any further part, replaced by the man who had seemingly lost his place to the dual Canberra premiership winning prop, Martin Bella. Midway through the second half, Castleford's Australian coach Darryl van der Velde defused a potentially volatile situation by replacing Lee Crooks who had begun to be involved in a number of flare-ups with Kangaroos front rower Steve Roach. Prior to coming off, veteran Crooks who had made his test debut for Great Britain as a teenager against the 1982 Kangaroos, was arguably Castleford's best player on the day.1990 Kangaroo Tour – Castleford vs Australia (full game) Tuesday, 6 November Halifax Halifax 16 18–36 Halifax vs Australia Australia 16 Australia Tries: Rob Hutchinson (2), Greg Austin, Wilf George Goals: Steve Smith (1) Tries: Chris Johns (2), Mark Geyer, Mark Sargent, Greg Alexander, Kevin Walters, Michael Hancock Goals: Greg Alexander (3) Thrum Hall, Halifax 8,730 Brian Galtress Greg Alexander _blueborder _butcher stripes white _blueborder _hoops_blue FFFFFF 0000FF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF Halifax _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1Steve SmithRW 2Rob HutchinsonCE 3Mark EliaCE 4Greg AustinLW 5Wilf GeorgeSO 6Martin WoodSH 7Roy Southernwood (c)PR 8Dick FairbankHK 9Seamus McCallionPR 10Brendan HillSR 11Mike KeeblesSR 12Mick ScottLF 13Alan PlattSubstitutions:IC 14Tony MitchellIC 15Richard MilnerIC 16Ben BeaversIC 17James RamshawCoach:ENG Peter Roe FB 1 Greg AlexanderRW 2 Dale ShearerCE 3 Chris JohnsCE 4 Kevin WaltersLW 5 Michael HancockFE 6 Brad FittlerHB 7 Allan Langer (c)PR 8 David GillespieHK 9 Kerrod WaltersPR 10 Mark SargentSR 11 John CartwrightSR 12 Mark GeyerLK 13 Des HaslerSubstitutions:IC 14 Martin BellaIC 15IC 16IC 17Coach:AUS Bob Fulton Halifax were the only 2nd Division team the Kangaroos faced in 1990 and were out to prove their worth. However, as per normal for the English club sides on the tour, after 15 minutes their intensity dropped and by halftime the Kangaroos had cruised to a 32–6 lead. With both Mal Meninga and Ben Elias not playing and expected to be named in the second test team, Bob Fulton handed the captaincy for the game to Allan Langer. Mark Geyer got the ball rolling with the opening try after Halifax fullback Steve Smith spilled a Greg Alexander bomb behind his posts. From there tries to Mark Sargent, Alexander, Kevin Walters and a double to Chris Johns saw the Kangaroos shoot away with Australian centre Greg Austin scoring the only try for the home side. In an unsavory incident, as he crossed for a try just after the half-time siren, Kevin Walters was hit on the head by a coin thrown from the crowd. Halifax out-scored the Kangaroos 12–4 in the second half, aided no end by referee Brian Galtress who handed the home side some 10 penalties to just 2 to the Kangaroos in the half (Halifax won the penalty count 15–6 and according to media reports, Halifax coach Peter Roe was seen having harsh words with the referee at half time). Galtress also disallowed 3 seemingly fair tries to the Australians in the second half, including one to Dale Shearer who was ruled offside from a Kevin Walters kick although television replays indicated that Shearer had been about one metre behind Walters. Soon after scoring Australia's last try of the night midway through the second half, test winger Michael Hancock suffered an ankle injury which forced him from the field. It would cost him what slim chance he had of keeping his place in the side for the upcoming second test with Brisbane teammate Dale Shearer ultimately re-claiming his place on the Australian test wing. The Kangaroos wore black armbands on the night as a tribute to Dale Shearer's grandfather Jock, who had died during the week. Second Test Bob Fulton made a number of changes from the first Test loss at Wembley. Dale Shearer returned to the wing in place of Michael Hancock. A knee injury against Castleford when his knee had collided with the head of teammate Glenn Lazarus (who suffered a bad cut requiring 17 stitches) had ended centre Mark McGaw's tour with Laurie Daley returning to the test team to partner Meninga in the centres despite having a broken bone in his right hand. Cliff Lyons, who (along with Shearer) had won a premiership with Manly under Fulton in 1987, was called up to make his test debut with Ricky Stuart moving to his preferred halfback spot in place of Allan Langer. Others coming into the side were Benny Elias (hooker) for his first test since the 1988 World Cup final in place of Kerrod Walters, Glenn Lazarus in the front row at the expense of Martin Bella and playing in headgear to protect the stitches (though the headgear wouldn't last long). Like Langer, Bella lost his place in the top side altogether with Mark Sargent making history becoming the first ever Newcastle Knights player to earn Australian test selection (though he ultimately wouldn't get onto the field for his debut until the 3rd test). Brad Mackay's good performances on tour saw him come back into the Test side at lock with Bob Lindner moving to the second row at the expense of John Cartwright who dropped to the bench. Mal Reilly stuck with much of the same side that had won the first test, though injury ruled out Bradford Northern's Karl Fairbank with Leeds forward Roy Powell moved to the bench. Wigan's Andy Platt returned from injury in the front row which saw Leeds back rower Paul Dixon dropping back to his preferred second row. Despite not having played for a month since twisting his ankle while training for the Kangaroos tour opener, St Helens goal kicking back Paul Loughlin was selected on the bench ahead of well performed Widnes goal kicking back, the speedy "Welsh Wizard" Jonathan Davies. #eeeeee GBR AUS 10–14 2nd Ashes Test Tries: Paul Dixon Paul Loughlin Goals: Paul Eastwood (1/3) Tries: Dale Shearer Cliff Lyons Mal Meninga Goals: Mal Meninga (1/4) Saturday, 10 November Old Trafford, Manchester 46,615 Alain Sablayrolles FRA Ben Elias _GBR1990a FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 0000FF 0000FF Great Britain _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1 Steve HampsonRW 2 Paul EastwoodCE 3 Daryl PowellCE 4 Carl GibsonLW 5 Martin OffiahSO 6 Garry SchofieldSH 7 Andy GregoryPR 8 Karl HarrisonHK 9 Lee JacksonPR 10 Andy PlattSR 11 Denis BettsSR 12 Paul DixonLF 13 Ellery Hanley (c)Substitutions:IC 14 Shaun EdwardsIC 15 Kevin WardIC 16 Paul LoughlinIC 17 Roy PowellCoach:ENG Mal Reilly FB 1 Gary BelcherLW 2 Dale ShearerCE 3 Mal Meninga (c)CE 4 Laurie DaleyRW 5 Andrew EttingshausenFE 6 Cliff LyonsHB 7 Ricky StuartPR 8 Steve RoachHK 9 Benny EliasPR 10 Glenn LazarusSR 11 Paul SironenSR 12 Bob LindnerLK 13 Brad MackaySubstitutions:IC 14 John CartwrightIC 15 Mark SargentIC 16 Des HaslerIC 17 Greg AlexanderCoach:AUS Bob Fulton After a tense opening during which neither side gained any clear ascendancy, Dale Shearer made a welcome return to test football when he opened the scoring with a try 18 minutes into the first half after good lead-up play by Lyons, Stuart and Daley had left the flyer with a 35-metre run to the line. Meninga missed the conversion and the only other score was a penalty goal to Lions winger Paul Eastwood after Paul Sironen was penalised for giving Denis Betts a 'facial' in a tackle to leave the score 4–2 in Australia's favour. The Lions hit back early in the second half with a try to Dixon who broke through Shearer's tackle and was able to score after Mal Meninga and Gary Belcher had fallen off him when they collided with each other. Eastwood hooked the conversion attempt and the Lions led 6–4. Soon after Lions winger Martin Offiah was one of 4 Lions tackling Mal Meninga when the 107 kg Aussie captain came down on Offiah's knee, forcing the flying winger off the field. He was replaced by St. Helens centre Paul Loughlin who was playing his first game in a month after rolling his ankle training for Saints opening game of the Kangaroo Tour. Loughlin went into the centres with Carl Gibson forced out to the wing. Australia reclaimed the lead thanks to a brilliant team try to Cliff Lyons in his test debut. The ball passed through 12 sets of hands (with Lyons handling it 3 times in the movement) with the Kangaroos refusing to let the ball die before Stuart and Meninga got the ball to Andrew Ettingshausen who raced down the right wing and centre kicked for Lyons to regather and score beside the posts with Garry Schofield clinging to his waist, giving the Kangaroos a 10–6 lead after Meninga landed the conversion. With just ten minutes left, Great Britain were poised to reclaim The Ashes after twenty years with an intercept try by replacement centre Loughlin late in the match. Ricky Stuart had aimed a pass to Meninga, but Loughlin (called a Giraffe by Bob Fulton) intercepted it on the half way and raced 50 metres to score, though he was kept out wide due to a converging Laurie Daley. After hooking his earlier conversion attempt from almost the same position, Eastwood then asked noted right foot goal kicker Loughlin if he wanted to take the kick, but the out of breath centre declined. The Hull F.C. winger then sliced the pressure conversion attempt to the left of the posts. Had the kick been successful it would have given the Lions a 12–10 lead with time running out. Rothfield Phil Buzz names his top 10 NRL chokers The Daily Telegraph Australia 23 August 2010 http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/buzzwords/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/buzz_names_his_top_10_nrl_chokers/ 24 August 2010 26 August 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100826234130/http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/buzzwords/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/buzz_names_his_top_10_nrl_chokers dead However the match remained tied at 10–all and after a Garry Schofield touch finder with less than 3 minutes remaining, Great Britain had the Kangaroos pinned only 10 metres out from their own line. After struggling to make ground following the scrum win, on the 4th tackle Ricky Stuart dummied past an exhausted Lee Jackson and ran 75 metres downfield leaving Lions players (including Ellery Hanley) in his wake before passing to Mal Meninga in support (who legally shouldered Carl Gibson out of the way) to complete a length-of-the-field try that sealed the match for Australia and force the series into a decider. Meninga (who had admitted that he had not been happy with his goal kicking on the tour) missed the conversion of his own try, but it wasn't a factor as the siren sounded to end the match seconds after the kick. In a 2025 interview with Australia's Fox League Martin Offiah, who at the time was watching the action on the treatment room television, said that he still believes that with his pace he could have possibly stopped the try from being scored. 1. Great Britain v Australia, Old Trafford, 10 November 1990 Great Sporting Moments: Rugby League independent.co.uk 11 July 2009 https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/rugby-league/great-sporting-moments-rugby-league-1739576.html?action=Popup&ino=2 26 July 2009 LondonAugust 2021 medicmedic Wednesday, 14 November Hull F.C. Hull 16 4–34 Hull vs Australia Australia 16 Australia Tries: Neil Turner Goals: Paul Eastwood (0/1) Tries: Andrew Ettingshausen (2), Des Hasler (2), Kevin Walters (2), Kerrod Walters Goals: Greg Alexander (3/7) The Boulevard, Hull 13,081 David Campbell Allan Langer _butcher stripes white _butcher stripes white _butcher stripes white _hoops_black 000000 000000 000000 FFFFFF FFFFFF Hull F.C. _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1Richard GayRW 2Paul EastwoodCE 3Rob NolanCE 4Brad WebbLW 5Neil TurnerSO 6Greg Mackey (c)SH 7Patrick EntatPR 8Jon SharpHK 9Lee JacksonPR 10Russ WalkerSR 11Ian MarlowSR 12Steve McNamaraLF 13Andy DannattSubstitutions:IC 14Mike DixonIC 15Anthony JacksonIC 16Brian BlackerIC 17Phil WindleyCoach:AUS Noel Cleal AUS Brian Smith FB 1 Greg AlexanderRW 2 Chris JohnsCE 3 Brad FittlerCE 4 Andrew EttingshausenLW 5 Des HaslerFE 6 Kevin WaltersHB 7 Allan Langer (c)PR 8 Mark SargentHK 9 Kerrod WaltersPR 10 Martin BellaSR 11 John CartwrightSR 12 Mark GeyerLK 13 David GillespieSubstitutions:IC 14 Mark CarrollIC 15IC 16IC 17Coach:AUS Bob Fulton After a number of tours where the Kangaroos played at least two games in the north-eastern British seaside city, this would be the only game of the tour that the Australian's played in Hull. Although Australian Brian Smith was still officially the Hull coach at this time, his assistant Noel Cleal (a member of the 1986 Kangaroos and a premiership winner with Manly-Warringah under Bob Fulton in 1987) was given the coaching duties for the game. Cleal would take over as Hull coach at the end of the season when Smith moved back to Sydney to coach St George and at the time of this game, Hull were on top of the RFL premiership ladder. In a post match interview, Cleal admitted that he was sitting on the fence in this game. As coach of Hull he wanted his side to win, but he also admitted that it was pleasing to see Australia playing so well with the Ashes decider to be played in 10 days time. Giant forward Mark Carroll returned to the side after suffering a knee injury during a team training session a few days before the first Ashes Test some 3 weeks earlier. Sunday, 18 November Widnes Widnes 16 8–15 Widnes vs Australia Australia 16 Australia Tries: Jonathan Davies Goals: Jonathan Davies (2/2) Tries: Dale Shearer, Gary Belcher, Greg Alexander Goals: Gary Belcher (1/2) Mal Meninga (0/2) Greg Alexander (0/1) Field Goals: Gary Belcher (1) Naughton Park, Widnes 14,666 John Kendrew Gary Belcher _blackshoulders _blackcollar _blackshoulders _band_black FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 000000 FFFFFF Widnes _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1Jonathan DaviesRW 2John DevereuxCE 3Andy CurrierCE 4Darren WrightLW 5Harvey HowardSO 6Tony MylerSH 7David HulmePR 8Kurt Sorenson (c)HK 9Phil McKenziePR 10Joey GrimaSR 11Emosi KolotoSR 12Richard EyresLF 13Les HollidaySubstitutions:IC 14Paul HulmeIC 15Esene FaimaloIC 16IC 17Coach:ENG Doug Laughton FB 1 Gary BelcherLW 2 Greg AlexanderCE 3 Mal Meninga (c)CE 4 Dale ShearerRW 5 Andrew EttingshausenFE 6 Cliff LyonsHB 7 Allan LangerPR 8 Steve RoachHK 9 Kerrod WaltersPR 10 Glenn LazarusSR 11 Paul SironenSR 12 Bob LindnerLK 13 Brad MackaySubstitutions:IC 14 Chris JohnsIC 15 David GillespieIC 16 Martin BellaIC 17 Des HaslerCoach:AUS Bob Fulton The game against Widnes was shrouded in controversy. Midway through the second half Paul Sironen was taken from the field with an eye injury and Kangaroos team doctor Nathan Gibbs diagnosed a scratched retina. During the game, Australian captain Mal Meninga had reluctantly made a complaint to referee John Kedrew about Australian players being poked in the eyes when being tackled, as had happened to Sironen (the alleged culprit was Widnes captain Kurt Sorensen who later denied any deliberate wrongdoing). Kangaroos team management and coach Bob Fulton were furious about the incident after the game, although the matter went no further due to a lack of any conclusive video evidence. The injury put Sironen in doubt for the up-coming third and deciding Ashes test in Leeds. The game against the reigning World Club champions was a tight one on what proved to be the coldest day of the tour in England. Led by their inspirational 'Welsh Wizard' fullback, dual rugby international Jonathan Davies, Widnes pushed the Kangaroos to the closest club game score of the tour with the Kangaroos finally winning 15–8 thanks to tries to man of the match Gary Belcher (who also kicked a goal after Meninga had missed with his 3 attempts as well as adding the tour's only field goal), Dale Shearer and Greg Alexander. "Brandy" played the game at Naughton Park, the scene of Australia's last non-test loss in England back in 1978, on the wing with Shearer moved to the centres in place of Laurie Daley who was being kept under wraps until the third test due to his broken right hand. Third Test In the third and final test of The Ashes series, Australia kept alive their series streak (not having lost The Ashes since Great Britain won in Australia in 1970 and not having lost them in England since 1959), with a 14–0 win in front of a packed Elland Road in Leeds. Australia ran in three tries to nil with Mal Meninga, Andrew Ettingshausen and Benny Elias all crossing the line while the Lions rarely threatened the Kangaroos line in the wet and slippery conditions. Kangaroos captain Mal Meninga became just the third Australian to score a try in each test of an Ashes series following on from legendary try-scoring winger Ken Irvine in 1962 and 1963, and the most unlikely of the trio, front-row forward Sam Backo in 1988. Bob Fulton made only one change to his side from Old Trafford with David Gillespie coming onto the bench for John Cartwright. Mal Reilly did similar to his former Manly-Warringah teammate and only made changes to his bench with Jonathan Davies returning to the Test line up replacing Paul Loughlin, and Mike Gregory returning to the side in place of Shaun Edwards. This test also doubled as a round game of the 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup. #eeeeee GBR AUS 0–14 3rd Ashes Test Tries: Goals: Tries: Andrew Ettingshausen Mal Meninga Ben Elias Goals: Mal Meninga (1/3) Saturday, 24 November Elland Road, Leeds 32,500 Alain Sablayrolles FRA Ricky Stuart _GBR1990a FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 0000FF 0000FF Great Britain _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1 Steve HampsonRW 2 Paul EastwoodRC 3 Daryl PowellLC 4 Carl GibsonLW 5 Martin OffiahSO 6 Garry SchofieldSH 7 Andy GregoryPR 8 Karl HarrisonHK 9 Lee JacksonPR 10 Andy PlattSR 11 Denis BettsSR 12 Paul DixonLK 13 Ellery Hanley (c)Substitutions:IC 14 Mike GregoryIC 15 Roy PowellIC 16 Jonathan DaviesIC 17 Kevin WardCoach:ENG Mal Reilly FB 1 Gary BelcherLW 2 Dale ShearerRC 3 Mal Meninga (c)LC 4 Laurie DaleyRW 5 Andrew EttingshausenFE 6 Cliff LyonsHB 7 Ricky StuartPR 8 Steve RoachHK 9 Benny EliasPR 10 Glenn LazarusSR 11 Paul SironenSR 12 Bob LindnerLF 13 Brad MackaySubstitutions:IC 14 David GillespieIC 15 Des HaslerIC 16 Mark SargentIC 17 Greg AlexanderCoach:AUS Bob Fulton The deciding test was played in wet and slippery conditions, though the Kangaroos handled the tricky conditions better than the home side. Australia's first try to Andrew Ettingshausen came when the Kangaroos caught the Lions short in their defensive line. Centre Carl Gibson had received a head knock and was in the hands of the trainers. While he had left the field, the touch judge could not get the attention of Sablayrolles and wouldn't allow his replacement Jonathan Davies to come on and make up the numbers. Seeing that the Lions were short in the line which forced them to come infield, Ricky Stuart sent a 25-metre, pinpoint pass out to Ettingshausen, which allowed him to skirt around Martin Offiah (who had to turn and chase) to score in the corner before Offiah and Steve Hampson pushed his legs into touch. This proved to be the only points of the first half after Meninga missed the difficult sideline conversion. Later in the second half, Meninga scored after Garry Schofield had raced out the Lions defensive line to try for an intercept. However the ball got to Cliff Lyons first and he immediately exploited the gap where Schofield should have been to send Meninga back inside to score untouched under the posts. In the Elland Road grandstand, Lions coach Mal Reilly and his assistant Phil Larder could only look on in disbelief. Schofield, who was nicknamed "The Poacher" due to his habit of racing out of the line looking for intercepts, had been warned before the game by both Reilly and Larder (as well as his own club coach, former Lions captain David Ward) not to race out of the defensive line as the Australians were capable of exploiting any gap it created, which is exactly what happened. Meninga's easy conversion of his own try gave Australia what would be a match winning 10–0 lead in the conditions. With only minutes remaining, a 40 metre Laurie Daley break into the British half saw Ettingshausen in support. While evading Hampson, Daley got an awkward pass away to ET who was brought down in a desperate tackle only 10 metres from the line by Jonathan Davies. From there surprisingly, prop forward Steve Roach had managed to get downfield to dummy half and in a role reversal, fed Benny Elias on his right with Benny putting the result beyond doubt by diving over in the corner. Not surprisingly, Meninga missed the sideline conversion leaving the scores at 14–0. Ricky Stuart received the Man of the Match award while Bob Lindner was voted the Kangaroos player of the series. France Tuesday, 27 November President's XIII France 16 18–46 Australia 16 Australia Tries: Marginet (2), Ramirez, Lope Goals: Stephen (1) Tries: Greg Alexander (2), Brad Fittler (2), Chris Johns, Des Hasler, Kevin Walters, Allan Langer, Mark Sargent Goals: Greg Alexander (3) Dale Shearer (1) Corbeil Essones Stadium, Paris 3,000 M. Millett Australia: Greg Alexander, Dale Shearer, Brad Fittler, Chris Johns, Des Hasler, Kevin Walters, Allan Langer (c), Mark Sargent, Kerrod Walters, Martin Bella, Mark Carroll, Mark Geyer, David Gillespie Thursday, 29 November France B France 16 6–78 France B vs Australia Australia 16 Australia Tries: Eric Van Brussel Goals: Chrismanovitch (1/2) Tries: Greg Alexander (5), Gary Belcher (2), Brad Fittler (2), Allan Langer, Mark Geyer, Mark Carroll, Mark Sargent Goals: Greg Alexander (13/13) Georges Livet Stadium, Lyon 2,000 M. Agali Greg Alexander Australia: Greg Alexander, Gary Belcher, Brad Fittler, Chris Johns, Des Hasler, Kevin Walters, Allan Langer (c), Mark Sargent, Kerrod Walters, Martin Bella, Mark Carroll, Mark Geyer, David Gillespie Fullback Greg Alexander (Test fullback Gary Belcher actually played on the wing) had a field day against the French B team in Lyon, crossing for 5 tries and kicking 13 goals from 13 attempts for a personal score of 46 points which saw him become the first player to score over 100 points on the tour (he ended the game with 104 points for the tour). French Tests First test #eeeeee FRA AUS 4–60 France vs Australia – 1st Test Tries: David Fraisse Goals: Michel Roses (0/1) Tries: Greg Alexander (3) Gary Belcher (2) Andrew Ettingshausen (2) Paul Sironen Dale Shearer David Gillespie Glenn Lazarus Goals Greg Alexander (7/8) Mal Meninga (1/3) Sunday, 2 December 1990 Parc de Sports, Avignon 2,200 John Holdsworth ENG Greg Alexander _francerl95 _francerl95 _francerl95 _frarlclassic _redtop 0000CD 0000CD 0000CD FFFFFF 0000CD France _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1Michel RosesRW 2Alain BouzerRC 3Serge BretLC 4Denis BienèsLW 5Cyril PonsSO 6David FraisseSH 7Patrick Entat (c)PR 8Serge TiteuxHK 9Thierry ValéroPR 10Christian CalvoSR 11Daniel DivetSR 12Daniel VerdèsLK 13Jacques MolinerSubstitutions:IC 14Marc TisseyreIC 15Patrick MarginetIC 16Jacques RouscayrolIC 17Coach:FRA Jacques Jorda FB 1 Gary BelcherRW 2 Andrew EttingshausenRC 3 Mal Meninga (c)LC 4 Laurie DaleyLW 5 Dale ShearerFE 6 Cliff LyonsHB 7 Ricky StuartPR 8 Steve RoachHK 9 Benny EliasPR 10 Glenn LazarusSR 11 Paul SironenSR 12 David GillespieLF 13 Brad MackaySubstitutions:IC 14 Des HaslerIC 15 Greg AlexanderIC 16 Mark GeyerIC 17 Mark SargentCoach:AUS Bob Fulton The Kangaroos easily accounted for a gallant, but out-classed French side in the first test in Avignon. Replacement halfback Greg Alexander, who came on after only 15 minutes of the first half for Ricky Stuart who left the field feeling ill, continued his good form in France and crossed for a hat-trick of tries. He also took over the goal kicking from Mal Meninga and kicked 7/8 giving him a personal points haul of 26 points as the Kangaroos won their 8th straight game against France 60–4. The only change to the Kangaroos line up from the third test against Great Britain was David Gillespie coming off the bench to replace an injured Bob Lindner, with giant Penrith back row forward Mark Geyer coming onto the bench for his test match debut. Thursday, 29 November Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon 9–38 Languedoc-Roussillon vs Australia Australia 16 Australia Tries: Goals: Gilbert (4) Field Goa: Gilbert Tries: Brad Fittler (2), Greg Alexander, Dale Shearer, Andrew Ettingshausen, Allan Langer, John Cartwright, Mark Sargent Goals: Greg Alexander (3) Stade d'Albert Domec, Carcassonne 2,000 M. Chamfreau Australia: Greg Alexander, Dale Shearer, Chris Johns, Andrew Ettingshausen, Des Hasler, Brad Fittler, Allan Langer (c), Mark Sargent, Kevin Walters, Martin Bella, Mark Geyer, Mark Carroll, John Cartwright Second Test #eeeeee FRA AUS 10–34 France vs Australia – 2nd Test Tries: Patrick Entat Cyril Pons Goals Marc Tisseyre (1/2) Tries: Brad Mackay Andrew Ettingshausen Mal Meninga Steve Roach Dale Shearer Greg Alexander Goals Greg Alexander (3/7) 9 December 1990 Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan 3,428 John Holdsworth ENG Cliff Lyons _francerl95 _francerl95 _francerl95 _frarlclassic _redtop 0000CD 0000CD 0000CD FFFFFF 0000CD France _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1David FraisseRW 2Alain BouzerRC 3Serge BretLC 4Guy DelaunayLW 5Cyril PonsSO 6Jacques MolinerSH 7Patrick Entat (c)PR 8Marc TisseyreHK 9Thierry ValéroPR 10Thiery ButtignolSR 11Francis LopeSR 12Daniel DivetLK 13Daniel VerdèsSubstitutions:IC 14Denis BienèsIC 15Patrick MarginetIC 16IC 17Coach:FRA Jacques Jorda FB 1 Gary BelcherRW 2 Andrew EttingshausenRC 3 Mal Meninga (c)LC 4 Dale ShearerLW 5 Greg AlexanderFE 6 Cliff LyonsHB 7 Ricky StuartPR 8 Steve RoachHK 9 Benny EliasPR 10 Glenn LazarusSR 11 Paul SironenSR 12 Bob LindnerLF 13 Brad MackaySubstitutions:IC 14 Chris JohnsIC 15 Mark SargentIC 16 David GillespieIC 17 Des HaslerCoach:AUS Bob Fulton Against an out-classed French team, Kangaroos coach Bob Fulton allowed himself the luxury of fiddling with the test side for the final game of the tour. Laurie Daley was ruled out with a hamstring injury which saw Dale Shearer move to the centres with Greg Alexander selected to play in the unfamiliar position of wing. Bob Lindner returned to the side which saw David Gillespie move back to the bench while Mark Geyer was also ruled out with injury and was replaced by speedy Brisbane Broncos outside back Chris Johns for his test debut. During the first half, French fullback David Fraisse showed surprising pace to run down Kangaroos speedsters Dale Shearer and Andrew Ettingshausen, pulling off try saving tackles on both. After scoring a first half try, Greg Alexander performed a gymnastic backflip (Alexander claimed he had wanted to do that during one of the English games but felt the timing hadn't been right given the circumstances with Australia under pressure due to their first test loss). The Kangaroos won the second test 34–10 against a much more committed French team at the Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan.1990 Kangaroo Tour Highlights (France Leg) Statistics Leading try scorer 15 by Andrew Ettingshausen Leading point scorer 156 by Greg Alexander (14 tries, 50 goals) Largest attendance 54,569 – First test vs Great Britain at Wembley Stadium Largest club game attendance 24,814 – Wigan vs Australia at Central Park Bob Lindner was named the player's player of the tour. References 30em External links 1990 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France at rl1908.com 1990 Kangaroo Tour at rlhalloffame.org.uk Further reading Andrews, Malcolm (2006) The ABC of Rugby League Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney McGregor, Adrian (1991) Simply The Best, The 1990 Kangaroos, Uni of Queensland Press pages 225–225 Belcher, Gary (1991) Kangaroo Confidential Gary Belcher's Tour Diary, pages 138–150 Cochrane, Brett & Kerr, James (1991) Twenty Eight Heroes, Cochrane & Kerr, Sydney Category:Australia national rugby league team tours Category:Rugby league tours of Great Britain Category:Rugby league tours of France Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France