1930 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
1930 British Lions Tour to New Zealand and Australia | |
---|---|
Date | 21 May – 1 October |
Coach(es) | James Baxter |
Tour captain(s) | Doug Prentice |
Test series winners | (v New Zealand) New Zealand (1–3) (v Australia) Australia (1–0) |
Top test point scorer(s) | Carl Aarvold (9) |
The 1930 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia was the twelfth tour by a British Isles team and the fifth to New Zealand and Australia. This tour is recognised as the first to represent a bona fide British team[1] and the first to be widely dubbed the 'Lions', after the nickname was used by journalists during the 1924 tour of South Africa.[2]
Led by England's Doug Prentice and managed by James Baxter the tour took in 28 matches, seven in Australia and 21 in New Zealand. Of the 28 games, 24 were against club or invitational teams, four were test matches against New Zealand and one was a test match against Australia. The test match results saw the Lions lose to Australia, and win only one of the four New Zealand tests.
As with earlier trips, the selectors had a difficult time putting together the final team that made up the British Isles tour. Roughly a hundred players were approached before the 29 who eventually sailed could be chosen. Of the Lions, the players who stood out on the tour included Roger Spong, Harry Bowcott and Jack Bassett, while Ivor Jones impressed in the pack and set up a memorable try in the first game against New Zealand which gave the Lions their only test win.
Touring party
- Manager: James Baxter
Full Backs
- Jack Bassett (Penarth and Wales)
- William Gordon MacGregor Bonner (Bradford)
Three-Quarters
- Carl Aarvold (Cambridge U. and England)
- James "Jim" SR Reeves (Harlequins and England)
- Jack Morley (Newport and Wales)
- Anthony "Tony" L Novis (Blackheath and England)
- Roy Jennings (Redruth)
- Harry Bowcott (Cambridge U. and Wales)
- Tommy Jones-Davies (London Welsh and Wales)
- Paul Finbarr Murray (Wanderers and Ireland)
Half backs
- Roger Spencer Spong (Old Millhillians and England)
- Wilfred "Wilf" Henry Sobey (Old Millhillians and England)
- Thomas "Tom" Caldwell Knowles (Birkenhead Park)
- Howard Poole (Cardiff)
Forwards
- Doug Prentice (Leicester and England) (captain)
- Henry Rew (Blackheath and England)
- Dai Parker (Swansea and Wales)
- WB Welsh (Hawick and Scotland)
- Brian Henry Black (Oxford U. and England)
- Michael "Mike" Joseph Dunne (Lansdowne and Ireland)
- George Beamish (Leicester and Ireland)
- James "Jimmy" Leo Farrell (Bective Rangers and Ireland)
- John McDonald Hodgson (Northern)
- Henry O'Hara O'Neill (Queens and Ireland)
- Ivor Jones (Llanelli and Wales)
- Harry Wilkinson (Halifax and England)
- Samuel "Sam" Airey Martindale Martindale (Kendal and England)
- Douglas Kendrew (Leicester and England)
- HCS Jones (Manchester and England)
Results
Date | Opponent | Location | Result | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Match 1 | 21 May | Wanganui | Wanganui, New Zealand | Won | 19–3 |
Match 2 | 24 May | Taranaki | New Plymouth, New Zealand | Won | 23–7 |
Match 3 | 28 May | Manawhenua | Palmerston North, New Zealand | Won | 34–8 |
Match 4 | 31 May | Wairarapa-Bush | Masterton, New Zealand | Won | 19–6 |
Match 5 | 3 June | Wellington | Wellington, New Zealand | Lost | 8–12 |
Match 6 | 7 June | Canterbury | Christchurch, New Zealand | Lost | 8–14 |
Match 7 | 11 June | West Coast/Buller | Greymouth, New Zealand | Won | 34–11 |
Match 8 | 14 June | Otago | Dunedin, New Zealand | Won | 33–9 |
Match 9 | 21 June | New Zealand | Dunedin | Won | 6–3 |
Match 10 | 25 June | Southland | Invercargill, New Zealand | Won | 9–3 |
Match 11 | 28 June | Ashburton/South Canterbury/North Otago | Timaru, New Zealand | Won | 16–9 |
Match 12 | 5 July | New Zealand | Christchurch | Lost | 10–13 |
Match 13 | 9 July | NZ Māori | Wellington | Won | 19–3 |
Match 14 | 12 July | Hawke's Bay | Napier, New Zealand | Won | 14–3 |
Match 15 | 16 July | East Coast/Poverty Bay/Bay of Plenty | Gisborne, New Zealand | Won | 25–11 |
Match 16 | 19 July | Auckland | Auckland, New Zealand | Lost | 6–19 |
Match 17 | 26 July | New Zealand | Auckland | Lost | 10–15 |
Match 18 | 30 July | North Auckland | Whangarei, New Zealand | Won | 38–5 |
Match 19 | 2 August | Waikato/Thames Valley/King Country | Hamilton, New Zealand | Won | 40–16 |
Match 20 | 9 August | New Zealand | Wellington | Lost | 8–22 |
Match 21 | 12 August | Nelson, Marlborough, Golden Bay and Motueka | Blenheim, New Zealand | Won | 41–3 |
Match 22 | 23 August | New South Wales | Sydney | Won | 29–10 |
Match 23 | 30 August | Australia | Sydney | Lost | 5–6 |
Match 24 | 3 September | Queensland | Brisbane, Australia | Won | 26–16 |
Match 25 | 6 September | Australian XV | Brisbane | Won | 29–14 |
Match 26 | 10 September | New South Wales | Sydney | Lost | 3–28 |
Match 27 | 13 September | Victoria | Melbourne, Australia | Won | 41–36 |
Match 28 | 22 September | Western Australia | Perth, Australia | Won | 71–3 |
Match 29* | 1 October | Ceylon | Colombo, Sri Lanka | Won | 45–0 |
- .*not listed in traditional Lions texts
Bibliography
- Godwin, Terry; Rhys, Chris (1987). The Guinness Book of Rugby Facts & Feats. Enfield: Guinness Superlatives Limited. ISBN 0-85112-214-0.
- Griffiths, John (1987). The Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records. London: Phoenix House. ISBN 0-460-07003-7.
- Perera, SS (1981). 100 Years of Rugby Football in Sri Lanka 1879–1978. Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union.
References
- 1930 rugby union tours
- British and Irish Lions tours
- Rugby union tours of New Zealand
- Rugby union tours of Australia
- 1930 in Irish sport
- 1929–30 in English rugby union
- 1929–30 in Welsh rugby union
- 1929–30 in Scottish rugby union
- 1929–30 in British rugby union
- 1930 in New Zealand rugby union
- 1930 in Australian rugby union