The 1958 Great Britain Lions tour was the Great Britain national rugby league team's 11th tour of Australia and New Zealand and took place from May to November 1958. The Lions played 26 games on tour including the three test Ashes series against Australia and two tests against New Zealand.[1]
| 1958 Great Britain Lions tour | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | B. Manson & Tom Mitchell | ||||
| Coach(es) | Jim Brough | ||||
| Tour captain(s) | Alan Prescott | ||||
| Top point scorer(s) | Eric Fraser (238) | ||||
| Top try scorer(s) | Mick Sullivan (38) | ||||
| Top test point scorer(s) | Eric Fraser (44) | ||||
| Top test try scorer(s) | Mick Sullivan (8) | ||||
| Summary |
| ||||
| Total |
| ||||
| Test match |
| ||||
| Opponent |
| ||||
 Australia |
| ||||
 New Zealand |
| ||||
| Tour chronology | |||||
| Previous tour | 1954 | ||||
| Next tour | 1962 | ||||
The Great Britain squad was coached by Jim Brough. The team captain was Alan Prescott from St Helens while Phil Jackson from Barrow was the tour vice-captain. The team managers were Mr B. Manson and Tom Mitchell.
The tour saw a record AU£78,417 in gate receipts with the Lions taking home a profit in excess of £40,000.
Touring squad
editDuring the tour, players used numbers 1–26 in positional order, with full-backs as numbers 1 and 2. The Rugby League News published a photo of the touring squad and pen pictures of some players in two groups: one, and two.
| Player | Pos. | Age [nb 1] | Weight | Club | Tests on Tour | Games in Aus | Games in NZ [nb 2] | Tries in Aus | Goals in Aus | FG | Points in Aus | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Alvin Ackerley | Hooker | 30 | 14 st. 0 lb. (89 kg) |  Halifax | 1 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Harry Archer | Stand-off | 23 | 13 st. 12 lb. (88 kg) |  Workington | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Eric Ashton | Centre | 23 | 13 st. 12 lb. (88 kg) |  Wigan | 4 | 13 | 20 | 13 | 0 | 86 | 116 | |
| Dave Bolton | Fullback, Stand-off | 21 | 11 st. 6 lb. (73 kg) | Wigan | 2 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| Frank Carlton | Wing | 22 | 11 st. 10 lb. (74 kg) |  St Helens | 1 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 48 | ||
| Jim Challinor | Wing, Centre | 23 | 13 st. 0 lb. (83 kg) |  Warrington | 2 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| Alan Davies | Centre, Stand-off | 25 | 13 st. 8 lb. (86 kg) |  Oldham | 4 | 15 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 33 | ||
| Brian Edgar | Prop, Second-row | 22 | 14 st. 4 lb. (91 kg) | Workington | 2 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| Eric Fraser | Fullback | 27 | 13 st. 0 lb. (83 kg) | Warrington | 5 | 13 | 5 | 82 | 0 | 179 | 238 | |
| Dennis Goodwin | Centre, Prop, Second-row | 28 | 15 st. 0 lb. (95 kg) |  Barrow | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
 Tommy Harris | Hooker | 30 | 13 st. 0 lb. (83 kg) |  Hull | 4 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| Dick Huddart | Second-row | 21 | 14 st. 4 lb. (91 kg) |  Whitehaven | 4 | 17 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 45 | ||
| Ken Jackson | Prop | 29 | 14 st. 10 lb. (93 kg) | Oldham | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
 Phil Jackson (vc) | Centre, Stand-off | 25 | 14 st. 12 lb. (94 kg) | Barrow | 3 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| Vince Karalius | Second-row, Loose forward | 25 | 14 st. 6 lb. (92 kg) | St Helens | 4 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| Mick Martyn | Second-row | 22 | 14 st. 4 lb. (91 kg) |  Leigh | 1 | 12 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 45 | ||
| Brian McTigue | Centre, Prop | 27 | 14 st. 4 lb. (91 kg) | Wigan | 4 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 31 | ||
| Glyn Moses | Fullback | 30 | 13 st. 0 lb. (83 kg) | St Helens | 0 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Alex Murphy | Scrum-half, Centre | 19 | 11 st. 0 lb. (70 kg) | St Helens | 4 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 51 | ||
| Frank Pitchford | Scrum-half | 24 | 11 st. 0 lb. (70 kg) | Oldham | 1 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| Alan Prescott (c) | Centre, Wing, Loose forward | 30 | 15 st. 10 lb. (100 kg) | St Helens | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Ike Southward | Wing | 23 | 12 st. 0 lb. (76 kg) | Workington | 4 | 12 | 13 | 20 | 0 | 79 | 165 | |
| Mick Sullivan | Wing | 24 | 11 st. 12 lb. (75 kg) | Wigan | 5 | 12 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 114 | |
| Abe Terry | Prop | 24 | 16 st. 0 lb. (102 kg) | St Helens | 2 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| Johnny Whiteley | Second-row, Loose forward | 27 | 14 st. 8 lb. (93 kg) | Hull | 4 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| William Wookey | Wing | 22 | 14 st. 0 lb. (89 kg) | Workington | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
Australian leg
editTest venues
editThe three Ashes series tests took place at the following venues. As per normal to maximise the gate, two tests were played at the 70,000 capacity Sydney Cricket Ground.
| Sydney | Brisbane |
|---|---|
| Sydney Cricket Ground | Brisbane Exhibition Ground |
| Capacity: 70,000 | Capacity: 35,000 |
.jpg) |  |
| 18 May | Southern Districts  | 18–36 |  Great Britain | Wollongong Showground, Wollongong | |
| Result[2] |
| 21 May | Western Districts  | 24–24 | Great Britain | Wade Park, Orange | |
| Scorers[3] |
| 24 May | Newcastle  | 16–35 | Great Britain | Newcastle Sportsground, Newcastle | |
Attendance: 21,126 |
| 28 May | Northern NSW  | 17–27 | Great Britain | Scully Park, Tamworth | |
| Scorers[4] |
| 31 May | Sydney  | 15–20 | Great Britain | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | |
| Program | Attendance: 48,692 Referee: Darcy Lawler |
| 4 June | Riverina  | 10–29 | Great Britain | Leeton | |
Attendance: 6,000 |
| 7 June | New South Wales  | 10–19 | Great Britain | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | |
| Program | Attendance: 52,963 Referee: Col Pearce |
The final match before the first Test was often viewed by the home side as a chance to soften up the tourists and that was certainly the case in a violent clash which saw four players dismissed by referee Col Pearce – Vince Karalius (Great Britain); Greg Hawick, Rex Mossop and Peter Dimond (NSW).
The Ashes
editThe three Ashes series tests drew an aggregate attendance of 171,060.
1st Test
editSaturday 14 June |
| Australia | 25–8 |  Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Brian Carlson Ross Kite Rex Mossop Kel O'Shea Norm Provan Goals: Gordon Clifford (5) | Database[5] Program | Tries: Dave Bolton Ike Southward Goals: Ike Southward (1) |
         Australia |   Great Britain |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After going through the tour undefeated before the test, the Lions ran into a hungry Australian side who led 10–0 after just 10 minutes and led 18–0 at halftime in front of 68,777 fans at the SCG.
| 16 June | Brisbane | 29–34 | Great Britain | Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Brisbane | |
Referee: Jack Casey |
| 21 June | Queensland  | 29–34 | Great Britain | Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Brisbane | |
Player of the Match: Brian Davies |
| 22 June | Central Division  | 19–61 | Great Britain | Browne Park, Rockhampton | |
| Result[6] |
| 26 June | Wide Bay  | 25–50 | Great Britain | Bundaberg | |
| 28 June | Far North Queensland  | 8–78 | Great Britain | Cairns | |
| 28 June | North Queensland  | 17–78 | Great Britain | Townsville | |
Lions test fullback Eric Fraser kicked 15 goals from 18 attempts in the match. Dick Huddart crossed for 4 tries while Eric Ashton and Mick Martyn each scored 3 tries.
2nd Test
editSaturday 5 July |
| Australia | 18–25 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Brian Carlson Peter Dimond Keith Holman Bill Marsh Goals: Gordon Clifford (3) | Database[7] Team[8] | Tries: Ike Southward (2) Jim Challinor Alex Murphy Mick Sullivan Goals: Eric Fraser (5) |
Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Brisbane Attendance: 33,563 Referee: Darcy Lawler Player of the Match: Alex Murphy |
| Australia | Great Britain |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Inspired by captain Alan Prescott who played on until the end despite breaking his right arm in just the 3rd minute of the game, Great Britain leveled the series at 1–all with a 25–18 win over Australia in Brisbane. The injury ended Prescott's tour as a player. At half time, Prescott was offered a pain killing injection but refused, telling team manager Tom Mitchell "I just can't got off, Tom. We would be two men short. We have got to win, so I had better help the boys". Great Britain also lost Dave Bolton with a broken collar bone after just 17 minutes.
With Vince Karalius and Brian McTigue providing the muscle and teenage scrum-half Alex Murphy providing the class, the Lions had the measure of Australia this day.
| 9 July | Toowoomba  | 19–36 | Great Britain | Toowoomba Athletic Oval, Cairns | |
Attendance: 7,500 |
| 13 July | NSW North Coast | 15–56 | Great Britain | Oakes Oval, Lismore | |
Attendance: 5,541 |
3rd Test
editFormer Australian captain Ken Kearney played his 31st and last test.
Saturday 19 July |
| Australia | 17–40 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Greg Hawick Keith Holman Norm Provan Goals: Gordon Clifford (4) | Database[9] Program Scorers[10] | Tries: Mick Sullivan (3) Alan Davies Alex Murphy Ike Southward Abe Terry Johnny Whiteley Goals: Eric Fraser (8) |
| Australia | Great Britain |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Great Britain wrapped up The Ashes with a comprehensive 40–17 win over Australia in front of another 68,000+ crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground. As he had done in the second test in Brisbane, 19 year old St Helens scrum-half Alex Murphy tormented the home side and was awarded the Man of the Match. Following the game, Lions players chaired injured captain Alan Prescott (carrying The Ashes cup) on a lap of honour of the ground.
The following matches took place after the New Zealand leg of the tour.
| 14 August | Representative Colts | v | Great Britain | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | |
| Program |
In this game against the NSWRFL's Representative Colts (U/21), future Australian captain Reg Gasnier played his first game against Great Britain.
| 17 August | Coalfields | v | Great Britain | Maitland Showground, Maitland | |
| 23 August | Western Australia  | v | Great Britain | Claremont Showground, Perth | |
New Zealand
edit1st Test
editSaturday 26 July |
| New Zealand | 15–10 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Rex Percy (2) Tom Hadfield Goals: Cyril Eastlake (3) | [11] | Tries: Phil Jackson Mick Sullivan Goals: Eric Fraser (2) |
    New Zealand | Great Britain |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Just a week after their Ashes triumph over Australia, Great Britain were brought back down to earth by a committed New Zealand side 15–10 at Carlaw Park in Auckland.
2nd Test
editSaturday 9 August |
| New Zealand | 15–32 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Tom Hadfield Rex Percy Keith Roberts Goals: Cyril Eastlake (3) | [12] | Tries: Mick Sullivan (3) Eric Ashton (2) Alex Murphy Goals: Eric Fraser (7) |
| New Zealand | Great Britain |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
With Alex Murphy returning from injury, Great Britain outclassed New Zealand 32–15 in front of 25,000 at Carlaw Park.
References
edit- ^ 1958 Great Britain Lions tour at Rugby League Project
- ^ "English League Team Wins At Wollongong". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 19 May 1958. p. 12. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ "West Holds U.K. Side To Draw". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 22 May 1958. p. 24. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ "Englishmen Challenged". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 29 May 1958. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ 1st Ashes Test
- ^ "England Has Easiest Win Of Tour". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 23 June 1958. p. 9. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ 2nd Ashes Test
- ^ "Hawick Chosen To Play In Second Test". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 30 June 1958. p. 12. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ 3rd Ashes Test
- ^ "England Wins Test With Record Score". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 21 July 1958. p. 12. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ 1st Test – New Zealand vs Great Britain
- ^ 2nd Test – New Zealand vs Great Britain