1967–68 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France
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.
| 1967–68 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Jack Drewes Harry Schmidt | ||||
| Coach(es) | Reg Gasnier | ||||
| Tour captain(s) | Reg Gasnier Johnny Raper | ||||
| Top point scorer(s) | Graeme Langlands 101 | ||||
| Top try scorer(s) | Brian Moore 10 | ||||
| Top test point scorer(s) | Graeme Langlands 31 | ||||
| Top test try scorer(s) | Johnny Greaves 3 Graeme Langlands 3 | ||||
| Summary |
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| Total |
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| Test match |
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| Opponent |
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 Great Britain |
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 France |
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| Tour chronology | |||||
| Previous tour | 1963-64 | ||||
| Next tour | 1973 | ||||
The 1967–68 Kangaroo tour became infamously known as the "Bowler Hat Tour". Legend had it that a Kangaroos forward had walked through the West Yorkshire town of Ilkley one night wearing nothing but a bowler hat. Although Johnny Raper often jokingly claimed it was him, in 1988 on Brisbane television, Dennis Manteit claimed that he was in fact the man in the bowler hat. At the time, Kangaroo touring teams were housed in the Ilkley Moors Hotel located approximately 25 km west of Leeds in an effort to not only keep down costs but also to keep players out of trouble by being located in a small town rather than a larger city.
The squad's leadership
editThe 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 that saw him sit 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 just 28. He later told in an interview that he never regretted his decision to retire, explaining 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 felt it was about time that he started devoting more time to his family.[1]
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 (NSW) and Harry Schmidt (Queensland).[2] Alf Richards accompanied the team as masseur.
Touring squad
editMatch 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.[3]
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 | Age | Weight st.lb (kg) |
Club | Tests on Tour |
Games | Tries | Goals | FG | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Branson | Five-eighth | 20 | 12.12 (82) |  Nowra |
5 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Ron Coote | Lock, Second-row | 22 | 13.7 (86) |  South Sydney |
5 | 18 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Noel Gallagher | Hooker | 22 | 14.7 (92) |  Bundaberg |
2 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peter Gallagher (vc) | Prop | 30 | 15.10 (100) |  Brisbane Brothers |
6 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Reg Gasnier (ca/co) | Centre | 28 | 12.12 (82) |  St George |
2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| John Gleeson | Five-eighth, Halfback | 24 | 11.12 (75) | Brisbane Brothers |
3 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Kevin Goldspink | Second-row | 24 | 15.0 (95) |  Canterbury |
0 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Johnny Greaves | Wing, Centre | 24 | 13.7 (86) | Canterbury |
5 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Les Hanigan | Wing, Centre | 22 | 11.4 (72) |  Manly-Warringah |
0 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Ken Irvine | Wing | 27 | 11.12 (75) |  North Sydney |
1 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 34 |
| Les Johns | Fullback | 25 | 11.12 (75) | Canterbury |
6 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 20 |
| Kevin Junee | Halfback | 23 | 11.8 (73) |  Eastern Suburbs |
0 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| Noel Kelly | Prop, Hooker | 30 | 14.2 (90) |  Western Suburbs |
5 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Johnny King | Wing | 24 | 12.6 (79) | St George |
6 | 18 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| Graeme Langlands | Fullback, Centre | 25 | 13.0 (83) | St George |
6 | 19 | 5 | 43 | 0 | 101 |
| Ron Lynch | Lock, Second-row | 27 | 14.6 (92) |  Parramatta |
4 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Dennis Manteit | Prop, Second-row | 24 | 14.7 (92) | Brisbane Brothers |
3 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| John McDonald | Wing, Centre | 23 | 12.10 (81) | Toowoomba Valleys |
5 | 17 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 41 |
| Brian Moore | Centre | 23 | 14.12 (94) |  Newtown |
0 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| Johnny Raper (vc) | Lock | 28 | 13.9 (87) | St George |
5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elton Rasmussen | Prop, Second-row | 29 | 15.4 (97) | St George |
6 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Saddler | Wing, Centre | 25 | 13.6 (85) | Eastern Suburbs |
0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Sattler | Prop | 24 | 14.8 (93) | South Sydney |
0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy Smith | Halfback | 24 | 11.7 (73) | St George |
5 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
| Allan Thomson | Second-row | 24 | 14.3 (90) | Lakes United |
1 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Elwyn Walters | Hooker | 23 | 13.11 (88) | South Sydney |
0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Great Britain
editThe 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
editThe 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 |
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| Saturday, 30 September | Warrington 
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7 – 16 |  Australia
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Wilderspool, Warrington | |
| [1] |
Attendance: 11,642 |
| Wednesday, 4 October | Yorkshire 
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15 – 14 | Australia
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Belle Vue, Wakefield | |
| [2] |
Attendance: 19,370 Referee: D. Brown |
| Saturday, 7 October | Hull Kingston Rovers 
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27 – 15 | Australia
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Craven Park, Hull | |
| [3] |
Attendance: 11,252 |
| Wednesday, 11 October | Lancashire 
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2 – 14 | Australia
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The Willows, Salford | |
| [4] |
Attendance: 9,369 Referee: R. Appleyard |
| Friday, 13 October | Wigan 
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12 – 6 | Australia
|
Central Park, Wigan | |
| [5] |
Attendance: 22,770 |
| Monday, 16 October | Rochdale Hornets 
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2 – 25 | Australia
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Athletic Grounds, Rochdale | |
| [6] |
Attendance: 2,676 |
The Ashes series
editFirst Test
editThe 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.[4]
Saturday 21 October
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| Great Britain
|
16 – 11 |  Australia
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Roger Millward Chris Young Goals: Roger Millward (3) Bill Holliday (1) Drop Goals: Tommy Bishop |
[5] |
Tries: Graeme Langlands Goals: Graeme Langlands (4) |
      Great Britain
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     Australia
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| Tuesday, 24 October | St. Helens 
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8 – 4 | Australia
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Knowsley Road, St. Helens | |
| [7] |
Attendance: 17,275 |
| Saturday, 28 October | Wakefield Trinity 
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7 – 33 | Australia
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Belle Vue, Wakefield | |
| [8] |
Attendance: 10,056 |
Second Test
editThe 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.[6]
Friday 3 November
|
| Great Britain
|
11 – 17 | Australia
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Tommy Bishop Goals: Neil Fox (3) Field Goals: Tommy Bishop |
[7] |
Tries: Ron Coote Johnny King Graeme Langlands Goals: Graeme Langlands (4) |
| Great Britain
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Australia
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| Thursday, 9 November | Castleford 
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22 – 3 | Australia
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Wheldon Road, Castleford | |
| [9] |
Attendance: 6,137 |
| Saturday, 11 November | Oldham 
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8 – 18 | Australia
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Watersheddings, Oldham | |
| [10] |
Attendance: 3,174 |
| Monday, 13 November | Widnes 
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11 – 33 | Australia
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Naughton Park, Widnes | |
| [11] |
Attendance: 9,828 |
| Thursday, 16 November | Barrow 
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10 – 10 | Australia
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Craven Park, Barrow | |
| [12] |
Attendance: 8,418 |
| Saturday, 18 November | Cumberland 
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17 – 15 | Australia
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Derwent Park, Workington | |
| [13] |
Attendance: 7,545 Referee: J. Hebblethwaite |
| Wednesday, 22 November | Swinton 
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9 – 12 | Australia
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Station Road, Swinton | |
| [14] |
Attendance: 5,640 |
| Saturday, 25 November | Leeds 
|
4 – 7 | Australia
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Headingley, Leeds | |
| [15] |
Attendance: 5,522 |
| Wednesday, 29 November | Halifax 
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2 – 22 | Australia
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Thrum Hall, Halifax | |
| [16] |
Attendance: 5,285 |
| Saturday, 2 December | Bradford Northern 
|
3 – 7 | Australia
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Odsal, Bradford | |
| [17] |
Attendance: 14,173 |
Third Test
editThe 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.[8]
Saturday 9 December
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| Great Britain
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3 – 11 | Australia
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|---|---|---|
| Tries: Malcolm Price Goals: |
[9] |
Tries: Tony Branson Ron Coote Johnny King Goals: Graeme Langlands (1) |
| Great Britain
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Australia
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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
editDuring 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.
First test
edit17 December 1967
|
| France
|
7 – 7 | Australia
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Georges Bonet Goals Andre Lacaze (2) |
Tries: Les Johns Goals Les Johns (1) Graeme Langlands (1) |
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
editThird Test
edit7 January 1968
|
| France
|
16 – 13 | Australia
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Daniel Pellerin P Surre Goals Jean Capdouze (5) |
Tries: Johnny Greaves (2) Graeme Langlands Goals Les Johns (1) Graeme Langlands (1) |
References
edit- ^ Legends of Australian sport: The Inside Story. Australia: University of Queensland Press. 2003. p. 79. ISBN 9780702234101.
- ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. (1920). "Kangaroo Tour Manager". The Rugby League News. 48 (25 (24 June 1967)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. nla.obj-761718637. Retrieved 28 Jan 2021 – via Trove.
- ^ E.E.Christensen (1968). "1967-68 Kangaroo Tour Records". E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook. 22. Sydney: E.E.Christensen.
- ^ 1967 Ashes series - Game 1
- ^ 1st Ashes Test
- ^ 1968 Ashes series - Game 2
- ^ 2nd Ashes Test
- ^ 1967 Ashes series - Game 3
- ^ 3rd Ashes Test