1967–68 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France
The 1967-68 Kangaroo tour was the twelfth Kangaroo Tour, where the Australian national rugby league team travelled to Europe and played 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.
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.
The squad's leadership
The 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]
Touring squad
Great Britain
The 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.
| Saturday, 30 September | Warrington 
|
7 – 16 |  Australia
|
Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington | |
| [1] | Attendance: 11,642 |
| Wednesday, 4 October | Yorkshire 
|
15 – 14 | Australia
|
Belle Vue, Wakefield | |
| [2] | Attendance: 19,370 Referee: D. Brown |
| Saturday, 7 October | Hull Kingston Rovers 
|
27 – 15 | Australia
|
Craven Park, Hull | |
| [3] | Attendance: 11,252 |
| Wednesday, 11 October | Lancashire 
|
2 – 14 | Australia
|
The Willows, Salford | |
| [4] | Attendance: 9,369 Referee: R. Appleyard |
| Friday, 13 October | Wigan 
|
12 – 6 | Australia
|
Central Park, Wigan | |
| [5] | Attendance: 22,770 |
| Friday, 13 October | Rochdale 
|
2 – 25 | Australia
|
Athletic Grounds, Rochdale | |
| [6] | Attendance: 2,676 |
The Ashes series
First Test
The 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.[2]
Saturday, 21 October
|
Great Britain 
|
16 – 11 |  Australia
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Roger Millward Chris Young Goals: Roger Millward (3) Bill Holliday (1) Drop Goals: Tommy Bishop |
[7] |
Tries: Graeme Langlands Goals: Graeme Langlands (4) |
| Great Britain | Position | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Arthur Keegan | FB | Les Johns |
| Chris Young | WG | John McDonald |
| Ian Brooke | CE | Graeme Langlands |
| Malcolm Price | CE | Reg Gasnier (c) |
| Bill Burgess | WG | Johnny King |
| Roger Millward | SO | John Gleeson |
| Tommy Bishop | SH | Billy Smith |
| Bill Holliday (c) | PR | Dennis Manteit |
| Peter Flanagan | HK | Noel Kelly |
| Cliff Watson | PR | Peter Gallagher |
| John Mantle | SR | Ron Lynch |
| Bob Irving | SR | Elton Rasmussen |
| Dave Robinson | LF | Johnny Raper |
| Coach | Reg Gasnier |
| Tuesday, 24 October | St Helens 
|
8 – 4 | Australia
|
Knowsley Road, St Helens | |
| [8] | Attendance: 17,275 |
| Saturday, 28 October | Wakefield Trinity 
|
7 – 33 | Australia
|
Belle Vue, Wakefield | |
| [9] | Attendance: 10,056 |
Second Test
The 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.[3]
Friday, 3 November
|
| Great Britain
|
11 – 17 | Australia
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Tommy Bishop Goals: Neil Fox (3) Field Goals: Tommy Bishop |
[10] |
Tries: Ron Coote Johnny King Graeme Langlands Goals: Graeme Langlands (4) |
| Thursday, 9 November | Castleford 
|
22 – 3 | Australia
|
Wheldon Road, Castleford | |
| [11] | Attendance: 6,137 |
| Saturday, 11 November | Oldham 
|
8 – 18 | Australia
|
The Watersheddings, Oldham | |
| [12] | Attendance: 3,174 |
| Monday, 13 November | Widnes 
|
11 – 33 | Australia
|
Lowerhouse Lane, Widnes | |
| [13] | Attendance: 9,828 |
| Thursday, 16 November | Barrow 
|
10 – 10 | Australia
|
Craven Park, Barrow-in-Furness | |
| [14] | Attendance: 8,418 |
| Saturday, 18 November | Cumberland 
|
17 – 15 | Australia
|
Derwent Park, Workington | |
| [15] | Attendance: 7,545 Referee: J. Hebblethwaite |
| Wednesday, 22 November | Swinton 
|
17 – 15 | Australia
|
Station Road, Swinton | |
| [16] | Attendance: 5,640 |
| Saturday, 25 November | Leeds 
|
4 – 7 | Australia
|
Headingley, Leeds | |
| [17] | Attendance: 5,522 |
| Wednesday, 29 November | Halifax 
|
2 – 22 | Australia
|
Thrum Hall, Halifax | |
| [18] | Attendance: 5,285 |
| Saturday, 2 December | Bradford Northern 
|
3 – 7 | Australia
|
Odsal Stadium, Bradford | |
| [19] | Attendance: 14,173 |
Third Test
The Kangaroos retained The Ashes with a hard fought 11-3 win on a frozen ground at Station Road in Swinton.[4]
Saturday, 9 December
|
| Great Britain
|
3 – 11 | Australia
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Malcolm Price Goals: |
[20] |
Tries: Tony Branson Ron Coote Johnny King Goals: Graeme Langlands (1) |
France
First test
17 December 1967
|
France 
|
7 – 7 | Australia
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Georges Bonet Goals Andre Lacaze (2) |
Tries: Les Johns Goals Les Johns (1) Graeme Langlands (1) |
| France | Position | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Andre Lacaze | FB | Les Johns |
| Daniel Pellerin | WG | Johnny King |
| Guy Andrieu | CE | Graeme Langlands |
| Jean Pierre Lecompte | CE | Johnny Greaves |
| Y. Reynard | WG | Ken Irvine |
| Claude Mantoulan | SO | Tony Branson |
| Roger Garnung | SH | Billy Smith |
| Christian Sabatie | PR | Dennis Manteit |
| Yves Begou | HK | Noel Kelly |
| G. Ribot | PR | Peter Gallagher |
| Georges Ailleres (c) | SR | Elton Rasmussen |
| Adolphe Alesina | SR | Ron Coote |
| Georges Bonet | LF | Johnny Raper (c) |
| Jean-Pierre Capdouze | Int. | Ron Lynch |
| Coach | Reg Gasnier |
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
24 December 1967
|
| France
|
10 – 3 | Australia
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Goals Jean-Pierre Capdouze (5) |
Tries: Johnny Greaves Goals |
| France | Position | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Andre Lacaze | FB | Les Johns |
| Daniel Pellerin | WG | Johnny King |
| Guy Andrieu | CE | Johnny Greaves |
| Roger Garrigues | CE | Graeme Langlands |
| P. Surre | WG | John McDonald |
| Jean-Pierre Capdouze | SO | Tony Branson |
| Roger Garnung | SH | Billy Smith |
| Christian Sabatie | PR | Peter Gallagher |
| Yves Begou | HK | Noel Gallagher |
| P. Dubie | PR | Elton Rasmussen |
| Georges Ailleres (c) | SR | Ron Lynch |
| Francis de Nadai | SR | Ron Coote |
| Georges Bonet | LF | Johnny Raper (c) |
| Jacques Fabre | Int. | |
| Adolphe Alesina | Int. | |
| Coach | Reg Gasnier |
Third Test
7 January 1968
|
| France
|
16 – 13 | Australia
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Daniel Pellerin P Surre Goals Jean-Pierre Capdouze (5) |
Tries: Johnny Greaves (2) Graeme Langlands Goals Les Johns (1) Graeme Langlands (1) |
| France | Position | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Mantoulan | FB | Les Johns |
| P. Surre | WG | Johnny King |
| Michael Moliner | CE | Johnny Greaves |
| Guy Andrieu | CE | Graeme Langlands |
| Daniel Pellerin | WG | John McDonald |
| Jean-Pierre Capdouze | SO | Tony Branson |
| Roger Garnung | SH | Billy Smith |
| Christian Sabatie | PR | Peter Gallagher |
| Yves Begou | HK | Noel Kelly |
| P. Dubie | PR | Elton Rasmussen |
| Francis de Nadai | SR | Allan Thomson |
| Georges Ailleres (c) | SR | Ron Coote |
| Georges Bonet | LF | Johnny Raper (c) |
| Coach | Reg Gasnier |
References
- ^ Legends of Australian sport: The Inside Story. Australia: University of Queensland Press. 2003. p. 79. ISBN 9780702234101.
- ^ 1967 Ashes series - Game 1
- ^ 1968 Ashes series - Game 2
- ^ 1967 Ashes series - Game 3
External links
| Related | |
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