1959-60_Kangaroo_tour_of_Great_Britain_and_France

1959–60 Kangaroo tour

1959–60 Kangaroo tour

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The 1959–60 Kangaroo tour was the tenth Kangaroo tour, in which the Australian national rugby league team traveled to Europe and played thirty-seven matches against British, French and Italian teams, including the Ashes series of three Test matches against Great Britain, two Test matches against the French and an additional two non-Test matches against an Italian representative team. It followed the tour of 1956-57 and the next was staged in 1963-64.

Quick Facts Manager, Coach(es) ...

The squad's leadership

The team was coached by Clive Churchill. The team captain was Balmain Tigers Fullback Keith Barnes while the vice-captain was Manly-Warringah's dual rugby international forward Rex Mossop. Tour co-managers were Jack Argent and Ern Keffer.
In the five matches in which neither Barnes nor Mossop played, the Kangaroos were captained by five different players: Harry Wells (against Leigh), Brian Hambly (combined Workington and Whitehaven), Brian Clay (Bradford Northern), Brian Carlson (Swinton) and Billy Wilson (Huddersfield).

Touring squad

The Rugby League News published a photo and details of the touring team including the players' ages and weights.[1]
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.[2]
Beattie, Boden, Kelly, Muir, Parcell, Paterson and Rasmussen were selected from Queensland clubs. Chapman, Hambly, Parish and Walsh were selected from clubs in New South Wales Country areas. The balance of the squad had played for Sydney based clubs during the 1959 season.

More information Player, Position ...

Great Britain

The largest non-test attendance of the tour was 29,156 when the Kangaroos defeated St. Helens at Knowsley Road.

Test Venues

The three Ashes series tests took place at the following venues.

More information Swinton, Leeds ...
Saturday, 12 September Leeds 20 – 44 Australia Headingley, Leeds

Attendance: 14,629
Tuesday, 15 September Rochdale Hornets 14 – 27 Australia Athletic Grounds, Rochdale

Attendance: 10,155
Wednesday, 18 September Warrington 24 – 30 Australia Wilderspool, Warrington

Attendance: 17,112
Wednesday, 23 September Lancashire Lancashire 30 – 22 Australia Knowsley Road, St. Helens

Attendance: 15,743
Saturday, 26 September Salford 20 – 22 Australia The Willows, Salford

Attendance: 11,008
Monday, 28 September Yorkshire Yorkshire 47 – 15 Australia Clarence Street, York

Attendance: 7,338
Thursday, 1 October Widnes 15 – 45 Australia Naughton Park, Widnes

Attendance: 9,381
Saturday, 3 October Oldham 14 – 25 Australia Watersheddings, Oldham

Attendance: 17,630
Wednesday, 7 October Leigh 18 – 17 Australia Hilton Park, Leigh

Attendance: 11,932
Saturday, 10 October St. Helens 2 – 15 Australia Knowsley Road, St. Helens

Attendance: 29,156

The Ashes series

The Ashes series against Great Britain saw an aggregate crowd of 91,604 attending the Test series. The largest attendance of the tour came during the Kangaroos 22-14 first test win over Great Britain at Station Road in Swinton with 35,224 in attendance.

First Test

The first Ashes series test was played at Station Road, Swinton and drew the tours largest attendance of 35,224. Australia won the first test 22-14 with Reg Gasnier playing in his first ever test match against Great Britain named as the man of the match with 3 tries.

More information Great Britain, 14 – 22 ...
Saturday, 17 October
Station Road, Swinton
Attendance: 35,224
Referee: R. Gelder England
Player of the Match: Reg Gasnier
More information Australia, Position ...
Thursday, 22 October Whitehaven / Workington Town XIII 8 – 13 Australia Recreation Ground, Whitehaven

Attendance: 7,463
Saturday, 24 October Barrow 12 – 9 Australia Craven Park, Barrow

Attendance: 8,488
Monday, 26 October Hull F.C. / Hull Kingston Rovers XIII 9 – 29 Australia The Boulevard, Hull

Attendance: 15,944
Wednesday, 4 November Bradford Northern 8 – 29 Australia Odsal, Bradford

Attendance: 4,126

5 days prior to the match against Bradford Northern, the Kangaroos played the first test against France.

Saturday, 7 November Halifax 5 – 17 Australia Thrum Hall, Halifax

Attendance: 8,274
Wednesday, 11 November Featherstone Rovers 23 – 15 Australia Post Office Road, Featherstone

Attendance: 7,671
Saturday, 14 November Wigan 16 – 9 Australia Central Park, Wigan

Attendance: 24,466

Second Test

The Kangaroos went within one penalty goal of becoming the first All-Australian team to win The Ashes on British soil and the first touring side to win The Ashes since 1911-12. However, the Lions survived and the series would go on to a deciding 3rd test.

More information Great Britain, 11 – 10 ...
Saturday, 21 November
Headingley, Leeds
Attendance: 30,301
Referee: R. Gelder England
More information Great Britain, Position ...
Wednesday, 25 November Swinton 24 – 25 Australia Station Road, Swinton

Attendance: 5,021
Saturday, 28 November Wakefield Trinity 20 – 10 Australia Belle Vue, Wakefield

Attendance: 17,615
Wednesday, 2 December Huddersfield 7 – 21 Australia Fartown, Huddersfield

Attendance: 2,349
Saturday, 5 December Hunslet 11 – 12 Australia Parkside, Hunslet

Attendance: 8,061

Third Test

This would be the final time that Great Britain (or England) would win the Ashes on home soil (as of 2017).

More information Great Britain, 18 – 12 ...
Saturday, 12 December
Central Park, Wigan
Attendance: 26,089
Referee: Eric Clay England
More information Great Britain, Position ...

France

The first two games of the French leg of the tour were actually played while The Kangaroos were still completing the British leg.

First Test

Australia won the first test against the French at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Kangaroos winger Eddie Lumsden crossed for 3 tries while legendary winger Ken Irvine made the first of 33 test appearances for Australia.

More information France, 19 – 20 ...
Saturday, 31 October
Parc des Princes, Paris
Attendance: 9,864
Referee: Georges Jameau France
Player of the Match: Eddie Lumsden
More information France, Position ...
Tuesday, 8 December French Army XIII 2 – 15 Australia Stade Marcel Saupin, Nantes

Attendance: 993

The game against the French Army XIII was played 4 days before the third Ashes test against Great Britain

Second Test

More information France, 2 – 17 ...
Sunday, 20 December
Stade Municipal, Bordeaux
Attendance: 8,848
Referee: A. Cassan France
More information France, Position ...
Thursday, 24 December Racing Club Albi XIII 19 – 10 Australia Stade Municipal d'Albi, Albi

Attendance: 5,845
Thursday, 31 December Carcassonne / Lézignan XIII 32 – 9 Australia Stade d'Albert Domec, Carcassonne

Attendance: 6,364
Friday, 1 January XIII Catalan 8 – 32 Australia Stade Jean-Laffon, Perpignan

Attendance: 6,364
Sunday, 3 January Montpellier 13 – 44 Australia Stade Sabathé, Montpellier

Attendance: 3,741
Thursday, 7 January Racing Club Marseille XIII 7 – 38 Australia Stade Vélodrome, Marseille

Attendance: 1,366
Thursday, 14 January Avignon / Cavaillon XIII 5 – 65 Australia Parc des Sports, Avignon

Attendance: 2,806

Third Test

More information France, 8 – 16 ...
Wednesday, 20 January
Parc des Sports, Roanne
Attendance: 6,932
Referee: Georges Jameau France
More information France, Position ...

Italy

To finish the tour, the Kangaroos played two games against an Italian representative team.

Saturday, 23 January Italy 15 – 37 Australia Stadio Euganeo, Padua

Attendance: 3,500
Referee: R. Somma
Sunday, 24 January Italy 22 – 67 Australia Stadio Omobono Tenni, Treviso

Attendance: 3,105
Referee: T. Rossi

Ken Irvine crossed for 6 tries in this game.

References

  1. [1]
    New South Wales Rugby Football League. (1920). "Australia's Kangaroos—1959-60". The Rugby League News. 39 (27 (29 August 1960)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. nla.obj-630517488. Retrieved 16 Jan 2021 – via Trove.
  2. [2]
    E.E.Christensen (1960). "Players' Records in N.Z.". E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook. 14. Sydney: E.E.Christensen.
  3. [3]
    1st Ashes Test
  4. [4]
    2nd Ashes Test
  5. [5]
    3rd Ashes Test
  6. [6]
    France vs Australia 1st Test
  7. [7]
    France vs Australia 2nd Test
  8. [8]
    France vs Australia 3rd Test
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