History of the Great Britain national rugby league team

The Great Britain national rugby league team is one of the major national teams playing rugby league.

Early years

On the 18th January 1908, the first ever Great Britain test match took place at Headingley, versus New Zealand. At the time, Great Britain were referred to as the "Northern Union" - they won the game 14-6 before a crowd of 8000. The second test went to New Zealand by 18-6, before 14,000 in Stamford Bridge, London. The third test was played at Cheltenham, and 4,000 watched New Zealand win 8-5.

The first Kangaroos arrived in England on the 27th September 1908, they toured Britain losing more games than they won. They played their first ever test against the Northern Union in December in Loftus Road, London. It finished 22-22 in front of a crowd of 2,000. The second test in Newcastle in January 1909 attracted a crowd of 22,000, and the Northern Union won 15-5. The third test was played at Villa Park, Birmingham, the Northern Union winning again 6-5 before a crowd of 9,000. The Australians suggested that the series should be named "The Ashes" after the cricket series of the same name.

The first British tour of the Southern Hemisphere began on 4th June 1910 captained by Jimmy Lomas. The Northern Union played New South Wales in front of 33,000 spectators in Sydney, losing 28-14. But they won the first test in Sydney against Australia 27-20 in front of 42,000. They then won the second test in Brisbane 22-17. The tourists also beat combined Australasian sides in two other internationals, one before 50 000 at the SCG. These tests have been credited as making rugby league the predominate code of rugby football in Australia, a situation which continues to this day. In Auckland, on 30th July, they defeated New Zealand 52-20.

The second Lions tour down under in 1914, led by Harold Wagstaff, became the stuff of legend. After sharing the first two tests, Great Britain finished with only 10 men due to injuries, but still managed to hang on for a 14-6 victory in Sydney in July 1914. It was dubbed "Rorke's Drift test", after a battle in the Anglo-Zulu War.

The inter war period

In January 1922, an 'England' side defeated Australia 6-0 at Salford, to win back the Ashes that had been lost in 1920. They would not be lost again until 1950.

The 1924 Lions added the red and blue chevron to the all-white shirt.

On the 1928 tour of Australasia, Great Britain lost only five of 24 tour matches. The Lions won the first Test 15-12. On Saturday 14 July 1928, when Great Britain met Australia in the second Test on a sea of mud at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Lions won 8-0, containing the Kangaroos who, for the only time in Test match history, failed to score on home soil. After clinching the Test series, the Lions lost the final Test. They were presented with the Ashes Trophy by the Australians, which the two countries have competed for ever since.

Great Britain then set off for New Zealand, where they lost the first Test. On Saturday 18th August 1928 the Lions travelled to Tahuna Park, Dunedin, for the second Test. The Lions led 7-5 at the interval and went on to win 13-5. Seven days later the Lions won the third Test 6-5 to clinch the series two Tests to one. Before coming home they played some missionary games in Canada, which led to the formation of a rugby league competition in that country.

On the fifth October 1929, Australia won the first Test at Hull 31-8. Great Britain won the second 9-3 in Leeds on the ninth of November 1929. The third test, held at Swinton, resulted in a 0-0 draw. With the series tied 1-1, an unprecedented fourth test was played at Rochdale. Britain won the test 3-0 to take the Ashes.

On New Year’s Eve 1933 in Paris, England and Australia play the first game of rugby league in France. The match was one sided, with Australia winning 63-13 in front of a crowd of 5,000, but the seed was sown.

Jim Sullivan was asked to go again as captain of the 1936 tourists, but declined on the grounds of his wife's ill health.

Post war

The 1946 Lions tour saw the team sail to Australia on HMS Indomitable, stoking the boilers to keep fit. After a five day train journey across Australia, Gus Risman’s team retain the Ashes, drawing the first Test and winning the other two Tests

In 1947, Roy Francis was the first of a long line of black players, to be capped by Great Britain.

Australia made their 7th tour to the UK in 1948, and this time play the Ashes series against a side officially called Great Britain. Great Britain win both games 16-7 and 23-21.

In 1950, the British Lions returned to Perth soundly beating a full Western Australia team at Claremont Showground.

The first time that rugby league was shown on British television was on 10 November 1951 when the BBC broadcast the Second Test between Great Britain and New Zealand from Swinton’s Station Road ground. A last-minute penalty saw the home side triumph by 20-19.

On Saturday 10th November 1951 the first televised Rugby League match was broadcast from Station Road, Swinton, where Great Britain met New Zealand in the second Test of the 1951 series. The first Test was played at Bradford and the third at Leeds.

Willie Horne was captain of Great Britain for the 1954 tour of Australia, a gruelling schedule which lasted just over 3 months, and included 22 matches in Australia with a further 10 in New Zealand. [http://www.rugbyleagueoralhistory.co.uk/subjects/view/the-lions-tour-1954] The first Test was held at the SCG, Sydney and was won by Australia. 47,096 people attended the Great Britain versus Australia Test on 3 July 1954 held at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, this is still the ground attendance record for any sport. The most famous incident of the tour took place on Saturday 10th July, the weekend before the third Test with the series level at one win each, the Great Britain management decided to rest most of their Test players and field a side which was predominantly made up of forwards for the game against New South Wales. The match was an exceptionally brutal affair and was abandoned in the second half after a brawl between all 26 players. [http://www.rugbyleagueoralhistory.co.uk/subjects/view/the-lions-tour-1954] Great Britain lost the deciding third Test 20 to 16 in Sydney in front of nearly 70,000 fans.

The first Rugby League World Cup took place in France in October and November 1954. Dave Valentine’s side, without most of the first choice internationals was not expected to do well, but beat Australia and New Zealand to finish top of the table level on points with France. The final, played at the Parc des Princes packed with 30,000 fans, took place on 13th November, where Great Britain beat France 16-12.

On the 11th December 1955 the first official test match took place between Great Britain and France, at Parc des Princes, the French winning 17-5.

The Kangaroos toured in 1956, Great Britain won the first Test 21-10 at Wigan and Australia won the second 9-22 at Bradford. Great Britain defeated Australia 19-0 in the third Test held at Station Road, Swinton, to take the Ashes series 2-1.

The second Rugby League World Cup was held in Australia in 1957. A group stage was held first, with matches being held at locations in Sydney and Brisbane. Australia were declared the champions ahead of Britain by virtue of finishing top of the group – there was no World Cup Final.

After the 1957 World Cup series in Australia, Alan Prescott's team went to New Zealand and then stopped off in South Africa to play some missionary games. Mixed-race Billy Boston flew home directly and alone, as apartheid was still in force. Both teams regarded the matches as mere exhibitions and engaged in a "touch" type of football at Benoni, Gauteng. The British team played with more gusto in the second match at Durban but the French team refused to take the game seriously. Feelings ran high between the two visiting teams after this match with the French players expressing resentment at Britain's sudden volte-face. It was anticipated that the third match at East London, in view of the strained relations now existing between both teams, would prove a thriller. This supposed grudge match did not eventuate, and the series faded out with Britain again winning with consummate ease.

On Saturday 14 June 1958, Great Britain lost the first Test 25-8 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. 48 hours later the British Lions met a powerful Brisbane side led by Australian skipper Brian Davies. Britain won 34-29, and then remained undefeated throughout the rest of their visit to Australia. On 5 July 1958, the Lions defeated Australia 25-18 in the second test at Brisbane with only eight fit players on the pitch. Captain Alan Prescott plays for 77 minutes with a broken arm, substitutions not being permitted until six years later, the match became known as "Prescott’s Match" or "the Battle of Brisbane". That lifted the tourists to clinch the series by winning the decider 40-17.

During Australia's 1959 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain, Australia won the first Test 22-15 at Station Road, Swinton. Great Britain won the second 11-10 at at Headingley, Leeds. Great Britain won the third 18-12 at Cental Park, to take the The Ashes series 2-1. This was the last Ashes won on home soil to date.

ixties

In 1960, Great Britain regain the World Cup when it is played on home soil. The tournament is decided on a league system but by chance the final match became a virtual World Cup Final when Great Britain took on Australia at Odsal Stadium, Bradford as both sides were unbeaten. Eric Ashton lifted the trophy after a 10-3 victory at Odsal in front of a crowd of 32,733.

Eric Ashton was again captain of the 1962 Lions side and Colin Hutton was coach. The British Lions won the opening two Tests 31-12 and then 17-10. The third Test was staged at Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday 14 July 1962. But for a controversial last minute refereeing decision in the third test match, the Lions would have been the first team to achieve a whitewash of the Australians.

After crossing the Tasman Sea to New Zealand, they lost both Tests against New Zealand. The first Test 19–0, only the second time a British team had been held scoreless. In the second Test at Carlaw Park, Auckland on Saturday 11th August 1962, several players had to play out of position and New Zealand won 27-8. Sixteen Lions visited South Africa on the way home and played three matches against South Africa. The second of those matches took place on Saturday 25 August in Durban, Great Britain won 39-33.

Great Britain beat France 12-0 in Avignon in 1964, they also won the return leg 10-0 in Leeds but were booed off the field. All ten points had come from the boot of David Hobbs.

The Great Britain won the first Test 16-11 at Headingley. The second Test was played at the old White City Stadium on Friday 3rd November 1967, it was the only Test match ever to be played there. Australian tour manager Jack Drews appealed to the thousands of Australians living in London to support the tourists and was rewarded with a crowd of 17,445, many of them supporting Australia. Australia won 17-11, and then went on to clinch the series with a 11-3 victory in a blizzard at Swinton.

The fourth Rugby League World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand, in 1968. The match between Great Britain and Australia attracted an attendance of 62,256, the highest for a rugby league World Cup match until 1992. However, Great Britain failed to make the final.

The 1968 Great Britain World Cup squad made a visit to Queensland on their way back to Britain.They played three matches in three days, the middle match being against North Queensland at Townsville on Sunday 16 June. Britain won 25-2.

eventies

The last time that Britain won the Ashes was in 1970 with emerging stars like Roger Millward and Mal Reilly. They won the series 2-1 in Australia after winning the final two test matches. Great Britain won 22, drew one and lost one - making them the most successful British tourists so far.

The fifth Rugby League World Cup was held in England in November 1970. Britain were hot favourites, and won all three of their group stage games. All the other nations lost two games each, and Australia qualified for the final largely on the back of an impressive tally of points against New Zealand. The final was held at Headingley, Leeds. Although Great Britain dominated the possession, the Kangaroos were able to exploit their chances, and ran out unexpected 12-7 winners in a scrappy, bad-tempered game.

In 1971 New Zealand wins a series in Britain for the first time, winning 17-14 in Castleford and 18-13 in Salford.

Clive Sullivan had risen to the Great Britain captaincy, the first black captain of a home international side, and was in charge for the 1972 World Cup held in France. He led his under-rated Lions to victory over Australia (27-21), France (13-4) and New Zealand (53-19), claiming a try in each game. Clive scored a long distance try in the final in Stade Gerland, Lyon as they drew with Australia 10-10 after extra time. Great Britain win their third World Cup by virtue of having a better qualifying record. Sullivan was the last British captain to lift the World Cup.

Saturday 24 November 1973. Great Britain had won the first Test three weeks earlier at Wembley, and needed to win at Headingley to retain the Ashes. Australia won 14-6, their first Test victory at Headingley. The Kangaroos went on to win the third Test 15-5 at Wilderspool on December the first 1973, and so took the Ashes back to Australia, where they have remained ever since.

Great Britain visited New Zealand in 1974. British players had been playing under the "six tackles" rule for almost two years, but switched back to the old "four tackles" rule for international competition as the rule had not been changed in New Zealand. The Kiwis won the first Test 13-8. The second Test was staged at the Addington Showgrounds, Christchurch on Saturday 4th August 1974 and was won by Great Britain 17-8. Britain went on to win the third Test 20-0 to clinch the series.

Great Britain did not compete in the 1975 World Cup as the UK was represented by teams from England and Wales for the first time in a World Cup.

On 6th July 1975, at Boroko, Papua New Guinea played their first ever international. They were beaten 40-12 by Great Britain.

There was a reappearance for the Great Britain team at the 1977 World Cup in Australiasia under coach David Watkins. Great Britain were the underdogs going to the final, held at the Sydney Cricket Ground. They managed to dominate the possession, and it took a last minute try from Australia’s John Kolc to win the Cup 13-12 in front of 24,457 spectators.

In 1978 Great Britain beat Australia in the second test 18-14, at Bradford, before a crowd of 26,447. It was to be 10 years, and 15 consecutive test defeats before Britain beat the Kangaroos again.

The tour of Australasia in 1979 was a disastrous one in many ways. A number of players withdrew because of injury, and coach Eric Ashton was unable to fly out with his squad because his daughter had been involved in a car crash. Injuries during the tour caused three influential players to return home early, whilst attendance figures at tour matches were disappointing, and led to a financial loss of over £300,000 on the trip.

The first Test at Lang Park, Brisbane was staged on Saturday 16 June 1979, and attracted a crowd of 23,051, the lowest for an Anglo-Australian Test in Australia for over sixty years.After a string of encouraging results in the opening matches; Britain were confident of pulling off an upset. However the Lions, 16-0 down at half-time, crashed to a 35-0 defeat, the heaviest Britain had suffered in a Test played in Australia.

Eighties

Rugby league was taken into a new dimension by the 1982 Kangaroos side. The 'Invincibles' became the first team to win every game of the tour (15 games) including the first test by 40-4 at Hull in front of 26,771 spectators. They were captained by Max Krilich and included great players like Mal Meninga, Wally Lewis, Brett Kenny and Peter Sterling. The third test was held at Headingley. They scored 99 points in three tests and began an era of Australian dominance.

Great Britain toured Australia in 1984 and Garry Schofield made his début. After losing the first two Tests, Britain was expected to capitulate completely in the third Test, which was staged at Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday 7th July 1984.

The Kiwis won the first two Tests in New Zealand and the Lions faced the prospect of losing each match of a three-Test series against the Kiwis for the first time. On Saturday 28 July 1984, the Third Test was held at Carlaw Park, Auckland. The Lions started well and went into a 16-8 lead ion the second half before New Zealand recovered to score 24 points in the last 25 minutes and win 32-16. It was the first time they had scored over 30 points in a Test match against Great Britain.

The ninth Rugby League World Cup was played out between 1985 to 1988, with teams playing each other on a home and away basis. These matches were fitted into the normal international programme of three-match test series between the nations, with a pre-designated match from each series counting as the world cup fixture.

In 1985, Garry Schofield re-wrote the record books by scoring four tries as Great Britain beat New Zealand in a test series at Central Park, Wigan. Ellery Hanley and Shaun Edwards made their full Great Britain debuts against France in 1985 at Headingley. Britain went on to beat France 50-4, a record score.

In 1986 a then record northern hemisphere crowd of 50,383 attends the first test of the Ashes series at Old Trafford. The Australians won 38-16.

Mal Reilly was apointed Head Coach and opened with six wins, four against France and two over Papua, in 1987. In 1987, Ellery Hanley was appointed Great Britain captain and on the 1988 tour down under took the Lions the closest they had been for a decade to regaining the Ashes. On the 9th July 1988, Great Britain beat Australia 26-12 in Sydney to win the 3rd test, though the series had already been lost. This was the first British victory over Australia in a decade.

The final group stage match of the 1985/88 World Cup qualifier between New Zealand and Great Britain became a sudden death battle for a spot in the final, Britain only needed a draw. In the event the Kiwis came through 12-10, and went on to face Australia in the final at Eden Park, Auckland.

The tenth Rugby League World Cup followed a similar format covering the years 1989 to 1992. In 1989 Great Britain won their first home series since 1965, beating New Zealand by two tests to one. With France and Papua New Guinea being uncompetitive, it became a straight fight between Britain and the Kiwis for the right to meet the Kangaroos in the final. In the event the Lions were able to just edge out the Kiwis on points difference.

Nineties

France gained their first win in 23 years across the Channel in 1990 as they won 25-18 at Headingley. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/ray_french/2949991.stm]

In 1990, a combination of soaring temperatures, altitude and the atmosphere created by over 11,500 Papua New Guinea fans, many clinging to trees outside the tiny, ramshackle ground in Garoka, unnerved the tourists. Papua New Guinea beat Great Britain 20-18, the Lions one and only loss to the Kumuls. The series was tied 1-1. Great Britain then won a series 2-1 in New Zealand.

Great Britain defeated Australia 19-12 in the first test at Wembley on Saturday 27 October 1990 in front of a new record home crowd of 54,567. It was the first time that an Australian team had been beaten in Britain for twelve years and 37 matches. Australia made eight changes for the second Test, held at Old Trafford on Saturday 10th November 1990. With the scores tied at 10-10, with twenty seconds to go Ricky Stuart raced 50 yards before slipping the ball to Mal Meninga who dived over to give the Kangaroos a 14-10 victory. The third Test was won by Australia 14-0 to complete a 2-1 series win.

In 1992 Great Britain lost the first test 22-6 in Sydney. Two weeks' later, led by Garry Schofield and with a pack made up entirely of Wigan players, Great Britain grabbed a 33-10 win in Melbourne. They lost the third test 16-10 in Brisbane. The 1992 World Cup final at Wembley set a record attendance for a rugby league international that still stands today: 73,631 saw Australia edge Great Britain 10-6 with the only try coming from Steve Renouf.

Great Britain won the 1993 home series against New Zealand by three tests to nil, including a 17-0 victory at Wembley in the first test.

Mal Reilly stood down as Great Britain coach in 1994. Ellery Hanley was appointed coach of the Great Britain national rugby league team for the Ashes series of 1994, which was held in Great Britain. This was to be the last tour where the Australians would play matches against British provincial outfits, in additions to the Tests. Great Britain won the first test 8-4 at Wembley but lost the second and third tests.

The 1994 Kangaroo Tour was the last played in the conventional format, where the Australian side plays a number of matches against British provincial outfits, in additions to the Test matches. The outbreak of the Super League war meant that the next Kangaroo Tour, set for 1998, never eventuated; although a shortened Tour was staged in 2001. Australia continued its dominance, winning both Test series against Great Britain and France, suffering only one loss (against Great Britain in the First Test), and remained undefeated against British club outfits in a streak stretching back to 1978.

The 1995 Centenary World Cup was held in the UK, but Great Britain was split up in separate England and Wales teams for the second time.

In 1996 Great Britain embarked on a disastrous tour of the Southern Hemisphere under coach Phil Larder. They did not play Australia because of the Super League War, but played and won their first and so far only test against Fiji, before losing a series 3-0 to New Zealand. Several British players had to be sent home early because the tour ran out of money.

Andy Goodway was appointed Great Britain coach in 1997. Great Britain played a home series against the Australian Super League in 1997 and lost 2-1. Despite the series being given official test status, these games are not widely regarded as a genuine Ashes series because so many Australian stars were again missing. The continuing Super League war meant that the 1998 Kangaroo Tour was cancelled.

With the Super League War finally over in 1999, Great Britain travelled to the Southern Hemisphere for the first Tri-Nations tournament with Australia and New Zealand. Great Britain struggled to overcome Burleigh Bears in a warm-up match, went on to suffer humiliating defeats by world champions Australia and New Zealand, and then struggled to beat the New Zealand Maoris. It is obvious that a huge gap has opened up once again between the northern and southern hemispheres. In January 2000, Andy Goodway quit as Great Britain coach with a year left on his contract [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20000116/ai_n9705732] .

The New Millennium

The 2000 World Cup was held in Britain, Ireland and France but for the second time in succession there was no Great Britain team as the players were split between the four home nations.

In February 2001, Australian David Waite was appointed full-time head coach and technical director.

In 2001 the Australians arrived in Britain for the first Ashes series since 1994. Great Britain surprised everyone by winning the first test, but lost the next two.

In July 2002 Great Britain suffered a record test defeat 64-10 to Australia in Sydney.

In November 2003 Great Britain lost an Ashes series 0-3 on home soil, having led all three matches with less than five minutes to play. This was considered one of the most humiliating defeats in Great Britain Test history, as with injuries and pullouts, Australia had sent a virtually third-choice side to Great Britain. Great Britain was heavily favored to win the Ashes, but lost each Test.

In 2004, Brian Noble was appointed part-time coach. The '...and Ireland' was dropped from the team name as they reverted to 'Great Britain'. The Lions beat Australia in a tournament for the first time in 31 years when they won the league phase of the 2004 rugby league tri-nations with the most points, only to be comprehensively beaten 44-4 in the final by Australia.

In the 2005 rugby league tri-nations, Great Britain only won one game. This came against eventual tournament winners the Kiwis by over twenty points and dominated the entire match. However, the Kiwis posted their highest score ever against Great Britain in London. Great Britain did not make the final of the tournament.

On November 4th 2006, Great Britain beat Australia 23-12 in Sydney for the first time since 1988 [http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,20702569-23214,00.html] . However, they lost the other three games and went down to a record defeat against New Zealand. They failed to make the final of the tournament for the second year in succession.

At the end of the 2006 season Brian Noble's contract as Head Coach ran out and was not renewed. It was believed that the RFL were looking for a full-time Head Coach and Brian Noble wasn't willing to surrender his role as Wigan Warriors Head Coach. In March 2007, Leeds coach, Tony Smith was installed as coach. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/6494011.stm]

It was believed that the RFL were looking for a full-time Head Coach and Brian Noble wasn't willing to surrender his role as Wigan Warriors Head Coach. In March 2007, Leeds coach, Tony Smith was installed as coach. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/6494011.stm]

Results

"See:"
* Results from 1900-1940
* Results from 1940-1959
* Results from 1960-1979
* Results from 1980-1990
* Results from 1991 and beyond

ources

* [http://www.andysav.free-online.co.uk/history.htm A History of the Great Britain Rugby League Team]
* [http://www.napit.co.uk/viewus/infobank/rugby/superleague/history.php The History Of Rugby League]
* [http://www.rlheritage.co.uk/history.html Rugby League History (from rlheritage.co.uk)]
* [http://www.playtheball.com/history/default.asp History (from playtheball.com)]

External links

* [http://www.rfl.uk.com/Templates/RFLDefault.asp?modeID=Content&uID=11 The Rugby Football League’s Great Britain pages]
* [http://www.rugbynetwork.net/main/s598 Unofficial Great Britain Rugby League ]