1967–68 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France

Rugby league tour (1967–1968) 1967-68 Australia 1967 1968 Great Britain and France Jack Drewes Harry Schmidt Reg Gasnier Reg Gasnier Johnny Raper Graeme Langlands 101 Brian Moore 10 Graeme Langlands 31 Johnny Greaves 3 Graeme Langlands 3 27 16 2 9 6 2 1 3 GB 3 2 0 1 FRA 3 0 1 2 1963-64 1973 The 1967–68 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France was the twelfth Kangaroo Tour, and saw the Australian national rugby league team travel to Europe and play twenty-one matches against British and French club and representative rugby league teams, in addition to three Test matches against Great Britain and three Tests against the French. It followed the tour of 1963-64 and the next was staged in 1973. Squad leadership The team was captain-coached by Reg Gasnier making his third and ultimately final Kangaroo Tour. Gasnier broke his leg during the first test at Headingley and sat out the remainder of the English leg. He returned to the field in France, but in a minor game against Les Espoirs in Avignon, he suffered a further break. This would ultimately cause him to announce his retirement from playing at the age of 28. He later said in an interview that he never regretted his decision to retire, saying that he had been playing rugby league virtually non-stop including juniors, junior representative games, the Sydney premiership, interstate games and international tours since the early 1950s, and wanted to devote more time to his family.Legends of Australian sport: The Inside Story University of Queensland Press 2003 Australia 79 https://books.google.com/books?id=aMw_Zpew2OgC 9780702234101 Having led the team in four tour matches in England, Johnny Raper was appointed captain for the Third Test Match against Great Britain. Raper captained the side in each of the three Test Matches in France. Peter Gallagher led the team in three successive matches in England, culminating in the Second Test Match against Great Britain. He also was captain against Barrow, Bradford Northern and France B. Noel Kelly captained the Kangaroos in five matches, against Cumbria, Oldham, Widnes, Swinton and Pyrenees. Graeme Langlands led the team in two matches (Castleford and Catalans). Elton Rasmussen was captain in one match, against St Helens. The Kangaroo tourists were co-managed by Jack Drewes (New South Wales) and Harry Schmidt (Queensland).New South Wales Rugby Football League. The Rugby League News Sydney N.S.W. Rugby Football League Trove 1920 Kangaroo Tour Manager 48 25 (24 June 1967) http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-761718637 nla.obj-761718637 28 Jan 2021 Alf Richards accompanied the team as masseur. Touring squad 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, along with each player's age, height and weight.E.E.Christensen E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook Sydney E.E.Christensen 1968 1967-68 Kangaroo Tour Records 22 The Rugby League News published a summary of the Kangaroos' point scorers. Noel Gallagher, Peter Gallagher, John Gleeson, Dennis Manteit and John McDonald were selected from Queensland clubs. Tony Branson and Allan Thomson were selected from clubs in New South Wales Country areas. The balance of the squad had played for Sydney based clubs during the 1967 season. Player Position Main Position Age Weightst.lb (kg) Club TestsonTour Games Tries Goals FG Points Tony Branson FE 20 12.12 (82) Wellington 16 Nowra 5 17 3 0 0 9 Ron Coote LK, SR 22 13.7 (86) South Sydney 16 South Sydney 5 18 7 0 0 21 Noel Gallagher HK 22 14.7 (92) Queensland 16 Bundaberg 2 14 0 0 0 0 Peter Gallagher (vc) PR 30 15.10 (100) Past Brothers 16 Brisbane Brothers 6 16 1 0 0 3 Reg Gasnier (ca/co) CE 28 12.12 (82) St George 16 St George 2 6 1 0 0 3 John Gleeson FE, HB 24 11.12 (75) Past Brothers 16 Brisbane Brothers 3 11 2 0 1 8 Kevin Goldspink SR 24 15.0 (95) Canterbury 16 Canterbury 0 13 2 0 0 6 Johnny Greaves WG, CE 24 13.7 (86) Canterbury 16 Canterbury 5 14 6 0 0 18 Les Hanigan WG, CE 22 11.4 (72) Manly 16 Manly-Warringah 0 11 6 0 0 18 Ken Irvine WG 27 11.12 (75) North Sydney 16 North Sydney 1 14 8 5 0 34 Les Johns FB 25 11.12 (75) Canterbury 16 Canterbury 6 16 2 4 3 20 Kevin Junee HB 23 11.8 (73) Eastern Suburbs 16 Eastern Suburbs 0 10 4 0 1 14 Noel Kelly PR, HK 30 14.2 (90) Western Suburbs 16 Western Suburbs 5 17 0 0 0 0 Johnny King WG 24 12.6 (79) St George 16 St George 6 18 9 0 0 27 Graeme Langlands FB, CE 25 13.0 (83) St George 16 St George 6 19 5 43 0 101 Ron Lynch LK, SR 27 14.6 (92) Parramatta 16 Parramatta 4 15 2 0 0 6 Dennis Manteit PR, SR 24 14.7 (92) Past Brothers 16 Brisbane Brothers 3 14 4 0 0 12 John McDonald WG, CE 23 12.10 (81) North Sydney 16 Toowoomba Valleys 5 17 5 13 0 41 Brian Moore CE 23 14.12 (94) Newtown 16 Newtown 0 11 10 0 0 30 Johnny Raper (vc) LK 28 13.9 (87) St George 16 St George 5 12 0 0 0 0 Elton Rasmussen PR, SR 29 15.4 (97) St George 16 St George 6 18 0 0 0 0 Ron Saddler WG, CE 25 13.6 (85) Eastern Suburbs 16 Eastern Suburbs 0 12 0 0 0 0 John Sattler PR 24 14.8 (93) South Sydney 16 South Sydney 0 9 0 0 0 0 Billy Smith HB 24 11.7 (73) St George 16 St George 5 15 3 0 3 15 Allan Thomson SR 24 14.3 (90) Parramatta 16 Lakes United 1 14 2 0 0 6 Elwyn Walters HK 23 13.11 (88) South Sydney 16 South Sydney 0 8 2 0 0 6 Great Britain The Ashes series against Great Britain saw an aggregate crowd of 53,353 attending the Test series. The largest attendance of the tour came during the Kangaroos 6-12 loss to Wigan in front of 22,770 fans at Central Park on 13 October. Test Venues The three Ashes series tests took place at the following venues. Leeds London Swinton Headingley White City Stadium Station Road Capacity: 30,000 Capacity: 50,000 Capacity: 40,000 200px 200px 200px Saturday, 30 September Warrington Warrington 16 7 – 16 Australia 16 Australia Wilderspool, Warrington 11,642 Wednesday, 4 October Yorkshire Yorkshire 16 15 – 14 Australia 16 Australia Belle Vue, Wakefield 19,370 D. Brown Saturday, 7 October Hull Kingston Rovers Hull KR 16 27 – 15 Australia 16 Australia Craven Park, Hull 11,252 Wednesday, 11 October Lancashire Lancashire 16 2 – 14 Australia 16 Australia The Willows, Salford 9,369 R. Appleyard Friday, 13 October Wigan Wigan 16 12 – 6 Australia 16 Australia Central Park, Wigan 22,770 Monday, 16 October Rochdale Hornets Rochdale 16 2 – 25 Australia 16 Australia Athletic Grounds, Rochdale 2,676 The Ashes series First Test The first Ashes series test was played at Headingley, Leeds. Kangaroos captain-coach Reg Gasnier suffered a broken leg which would keep him out of the rest of the English leg of the tour while lock forward Johnny Raper would play most of the game with a fractured cheek bone.1967 Ashes series - Game 1 #eeeeee GBR AUS 16 – 11 1st Ashes Test Tries: Roger Millward Chris Young Goals: Roger Millward (3) Bill Holliday (1) Drop Goals: Tommy Bishop Tries: Graeme Langlands Goals: Graeme Langlands (4) Saturday 21 October Headingley, Leeds 22,293 Fred Lindop ENG _GBRL _GBR1 _blue_stripes2 _red_stripes2 _britishlions12 FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF Great Britain _kangaroos _kangaroos54 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1 Arthur KeeganRW 2 Chris YoungCE 3 Ian BrookeCE 4 Malcolm PriceLW 5 Bill BurgessSO 6 Roger MillwardSH 7 Tommy BishopPR 8 Bill Holliday (c)HK 9 Peter FlanaganPR 10 Cliff WatsonSR 11 John MantleSR 12 Bob IrvingLF 13 Dave RobinsonSubstitutions:IC 14G. JordanIC 15G. ReesCoach: FB 2 Les JohnsRW 8 John McDonaldCE 1 Graeme LanglandsCE 7 Reg Gasnier (c)LW 4 Johnny KingFE 11 John GleesonHB 13 Billy SmithPR 23 Dennis ManteitHK 22 Noel KellyPR 21 Peter GallagherSR 17 Ron LynchSR 19 Elton RasmussenLK 15 Johnny RaperSubstitutions:IC Tony BransonIC Elwyn Walters Coach:AUS Reg Gasnier Tuesday, 24 October St. Helens St Helens 16 8 – 4 Australia 16 Australia Knowsley Road, St. Helens 17,275 Saturday, 28 October Wakefield Trinity Wakefield 16 7 – 33 Australia 16 Australia Belle Vue, Wakefield 10,056 Second Test The second test at London's White City Stadium saw the Australian's tie the series at one game all with a 17-11 win in front of 17,445 fans.1968 Ashes series - Game 2 #eeeeee GBR AUS 11 – 17 2nd Ashes Test Tries: Tommy Bishop Goals: Neil Fox (3) Field Goals: Tommy Bishop Tries: Ron Coote Johnny King Graeme Langlands Goals: Graeme Langlands (4) Friday 3 November White City Stadium, London 17,445 Fred Lindop ENG _GBRL _GBR1 _blue_stripes2 _red_stripes2 _britishlions12 FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF Great Britain _kangaroos _kangaroos54 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1 Arthur KeeganRW 2 Chris YoungCE 3 Ian BrookeCE 4 Neil FoxLW 5 Bill FrancisSO 6 Roger MillwardSH 7 Tommy BishopPR 8 Bill Holliday (c)HK 9 Peter FlanaganPR 10 Cliff WatsonSR 11 John MantleSR 12 Bob IrvingLF 13 Frank FosterSubstitutions:IC 14IC 15Coach: FB 2 Les JohnsRW 6 Johnny GreavesCE 1 Graeme LanglandsCE 8 John McDonaldLW 4 Johnny KingFE 12 Tony BransonHB 11 John GleesonPR 22 Noel KellyHK 25 Noel GallagherPR 21 Peter Gallagher (c)SR 17 Ron LynchSR 19 Elton RasmussenLK 16 Ron CooteSubstitutions:IC 14IC 15Coach:AUS Reg Gasnier Thursday, 9 November Castleford Castleford 16 22 – 3 Australia 16 Australia Wheldon Road, Castleford 6,137 Saturday, 11 November Oldham Oldham 16 8 – 18 Australia 16 Australia Watersheddings, Oldham 3,174 Monday, 13 November Widnes Widnes 16 11 – 33 Australia 16 Australia Naughton Park, Widnes 9,828 Thursday, 16 November Barrow Barrow 16 10 – 10 Australia 16 Australia Craven Park, Barrow 8,418 Saturday, 18 November Cumberland Cumbria 17 – 15 Australia 16 Australia Derwent Park, Workington 7,545 J. Hebblethwaite Wednesday, 22 November Swinton Swinton 16 9 – 12 Australia 16 Australia Station Road, Swinton 5,640 Saturday, 25 November Leeds Leeds 16 4 – 7 Australia 16 Australia Headingley, Leeds 5,522 Wednesday, 29 November Halifax Halifax 16 2 – 22 Australia 16 Australia Thrum Hall, Halifax 5,285 Saturday, 2 December Bradford Northern Bradford 16 3 – 7 Australia 16 Australia Odsal, Bradford 14,173 Third Test The Kangaroos retained The Ashes with a hard-fought 11-3 win on a frozen ground at Station Road in Swinton. It would be the 10th and last time Station Road would host an Ashes Test and the 18th and last test match played at the ground.1967 Ashes series - Game 3 #eeeeee GBR AUS 3 – 11 3rd Ashes Test Tries: Malcolm Price Goals: Tries: Tony Branson Ron Coote Johnny King Goals: Graeme Langlands (1) Saturday 9 December Station Road, Swinton 13,615 Fred Lindop ENG Johnny Raper _GBRL _GBR1 _blue_stripes2 _red_stripes2 _britishlions12 FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF Great Britain _kangaroos _kangaroos54 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _hoops_gold 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia FB 1 Arthur KeeganRW 2 Chris YoungCE 3 Ian BrookeCE 4 Malcolm PriceLW 5 Gary JordanSO 6 Roger MillwardSH 7 Tommy BishopPR 8 Bill Holliday (c)HK 9 Peter FlanaganPR 10 Cliff WatsonSR 11 Bob IrvingSR 12 Bob ValentineLF 13 Dave RobinsonSubstitutions:IC 14 Alan BurwellIC 15 Charlie RenilsonCoach: FB 2 Les JohnsLW 4 Johnny KingCE 6 Johnny GreavesCE 1 Graeme LanglandsRW 8 John McDonaldFE 11 John GleesonHB 13 Billy SmithPR 21 Peter GallagherHK 22 Noel KellyPR 23 Dennis ManteitSR 19 Elton RasmussenSR 16 Ron CooteLF 15 Johnny Raper (c)Substitutions:IC 12 Tony BransonIC 15Coach:AUS Reg Gasnier According to stand-in Kangaroos captain and man of the match Johnny Raper, the Kangaroos had a psychological advantage in the third test after he heard Lions halves Roger Millward and Tommy Bishop say after walking around the Station Road ground pre-match that they did not want to play on the frozen ground. The Kangaroos, used to playing on hard Australian grounds, were in their element against a timid Lions outfit. France During the game against Les Espoirs in Avignon, Kangaroos captain coach Reg Gasnier re-broke the leg he had broken during the first Ashes Test at Headingley. Ultimately this would prove to be Gasnier's last game of top grade football and he subsequently announced his retirement from playing at the age of 28. |- bgcolor="#CCCCFF" | Date | Opponent | Score | Ground | Referee | Crowd | Report |- bgcolor=pink | 17 December 1967 | France | 7 – 7 | Stade Vélodrome, Marseille | G. Jameau (FRA) | 5,193 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 21 December 1967 | Les Espoirs (Colts) | 7 – 17 | Parc des Sports, Avignon | | 1,116 | |- |- bgcolor=pink | 24 December 1967 | France | 10 – 3 | Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne | A. Breysse (FRA) | 4,193 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 21 December 1967 | XIII Catalan | 7 – 37 | Stade Jean-Laffon, Perpignan | | 3,000 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 31 December 1967 | France XIII | 6 – 13 | Stade Municipal d'Albi, Albi | | 2,949 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | 4 January 1968 | South West France | 0 – 15 | Stade Jules Ribet, Saint-Gaudens | | 1,205 | |- |- bgcolor=pink | 7 January 1968 | France | 16 – 13 | Stade des Minimes, Toulouse | G. Jameau (FRA) | 5,000 | |- First test #eeeeee FRA AUS 7 – 7 Tries: Georges Bonet Goals Andre Lacaze (2) Tries: Les Johns Goals Les Johns (1) Graeme Langlands (1) 17 December 1967 Stade Vélodrome, Marseille 5,193 Georges Jameau FRA FrancePositionAustraliaAndré LacazeFBLes JohnsDaniel PellerinWGJohnny KingGuy AndrieuCEGraeme LanglandsJean-Pierre LecompteCEJohnny GreavesYves RaynaudWGKen IrvineClaude MantoulanSOTony BransonRoger GarnungSHBilly SmithChristian SabatiéPRDennis ManteitYves BégouHKNoel KellyGuy RibotPRPeter GallagherGeorges Ailleres (c)SRElton RasmussenAdolphe AlésinaSRRon CooteGeorges BonetLFJohnny Raper (c)Jean CapdouzeInt.Ron LynchJep LacosteCoachReg Gasnier Legendary Australian winger Ken Irvine broke his leg during this game. It was to be his 33rd and final test appearance for the Kangaroos. Second Test #eeeeee FRA AUS 10 – 3 Tries: Goals Jean Capdouze (5) Tries: Johnny Greaves Goals 24 December 1967 Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne 4,193 Andre Breysse FRA FrancePositionAustraliaAndré LacazeFBLes JohnsDaniel PellerinWGJohnny KingGuy AndrieuCEJohnny GreavesRoger GarrigueCEGraeme LanglandsPierre SurreWGJohn McDonaldJean CapdouzeSOTony BransonRoger GarnungSHBilly SmithChristian SabatiéPRPeter GallagherYves BégouHKNoel GallagherPierre DubiéPRElton RasmussenGeorges Ailleres (c)SRRon LynchFrancis de NadaïSRRon CooteGeorges BonetLFJohnny Raper (c)Jacques FabreInt.Adolphe AlésinaInt.Jep LacosteCoachReg Gasnier Third Test #eeeeee France Australia 16 – 13 Tries: Daniel Pellerin P Surre Goals Jean Capdouze (5) Tries: Johnny Greaves (2) Graeme Langlands Goals Les Johns (1) Graeme Langlands (1) 7 January 1968 Stade des Minimes, Toulouse 5,000 Georges Jameau FRA FrancePositionAustraliaClaude MantoulanFBLes JohnsPierre SurreWGJohnny KingMichel MolinierCEJohnny GreavesGuy AndrieuCEGraeme LanglandsDaniel PellerinWGJohn McDonaldJean CapdouzeSOTony BransonRoger GarnungSHBilly SmithChristian SabatiéPRPeter GallagherYves BégouHKNoel KellyPierre DubiéPRElton RasmussenFrancis de NadaïSRAllan ThomsonGeorges Ailleres (c)SRRon CooteGeorges BonetLFJohnny Raper (c)Jep LacosteCoachReg Gasnier References External links 1967-68 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 of Great Britain and France Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France