# 1948–49 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France

The 1948–49 Kangaroo tour was the seventh Kangaroo tour, in which the Australian national rugby league team travelled to Great Britain and France and played thirty-seven matches, including the Ashes series of three Test matches against Great Britain, an international match against Wales and two Test matches against the French. It followed the tour of 1937-38 and a cessation of overseas international tours due to World War II. The next was staged in 1952-53.

## Selection Controversy

Earlier in the season, Newtown's Len Smith had captain-coached the Australian's to a series win over the touring New Zealand team. In what turned out to be a selection controversy, Smith, a dual rugby international was then left out of the 1948 Kangaroo Tour squad altogether. After years of dignified silence on the issue Smith, who promptly retired from playing after his non-selection, would claim in the early-mid 1990s that he believed he was left out of the side as the league (NSWRFL) wanted a Mason to captain the side as Smith believed one had captained every Kangaroo touring team since the inaugural Kangaroos in 1908–09.

## The squad's leadership

The team was selected with Col Maxwell as captain and Bill Tyquin as vice-captain. Tour co-managers were Bill Buckley and Eric Simmonds. Maxwell captained the team on 12 occasions, including the Second Test against Great Britain.
Tyquin captained the team in 10 matches, including the exhibition match against South Australia and in three Test matches, the two victories over France and the Third Test loss to Great Britain.
Wally O'Connell captained the Kangaroos in the First Test Match against Great Britain, the international against Wales, and on six other occasions (Salford, Cumberland, St Helens, Bradford Northern, Swindon, and Yorkshire). In the matches in which neither Maxwell, Tyquin nor O’Connell played, the Kangaroos were captained by Keith Froome on 3 occasions (Dewsbury, Hull Kingston Rovers, and Lancashire), Billy Thompson on 3 occasions (Castleford, Languedoc, and Cannes) and Doug McRitchie twice (Hull & Leigh).

## Touring squad

The Rugby League News published a photo and the names and states of the selected players. Match 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.
Benton, Brosnan, Hall, Horrigan, McMahon, Pegg, Thompson, and Tyquin were selected from Queensland clubs. Dimond, Gibbs, Hawke, and Schubert were selected from clubs in New South Wales Country areas. The balance of the squad had played for Sydney based clubs during the 1948 season.
Note: Tallies in the table above excludes the exhibition match against South Australia.

## Match results

The tourists travelled to Marseille aboard the RMS Maloja, making stops in Adelaide, Perth, Colombo, Mumbai and Aden. A scheduled exhibition match in Perth was cancelled when, due to rough seas in the Great Australian Bight, the arrival of the RMS Maloja into Fremantle was delayed. Also due to delays, arrangements were made to fly the players from Marseille into England. This was accomplished in two flights, with one plane flying into Manchester and the other into the outskirts of London.

### 1st Test vs Great Britain

* October 9 3.00pm
| Great Britain | 23–21 | Australia |
| Tries: 7 Albert Pimblett (2) Stan McCormick (2) Trevor Foster (2) Dave Valentine Goals: 1 Ernest Ward | [27] [28] [29] | Tries: 5 Pat McMahon (2) John Graves Keith Froome Duncan Hall Goals: 3 John Graves (3) |
* Headingley, Leeds Attendance: 36,529 Gate: £ 8,020 Referee: A.S. Dobson
| Great Britain | Position | Australia |
| Jimmy Ledgard | FB | Clive Churchill |
| Johnny Lawrenson | WG | John Graves |
| Ernest Ward (c) | CE | Doug McRitchie |
| Albert Pimblett | CE | Johnny Hawke |
| Stan McCormick | WG | Pat McMahon |
| Willie Horne | SO | Wally O'Connell (c) |
| Gerry Helme | SH | Keith Froome |
| Ken Gee | PR | Jack Holland |
| Joe Egan | HK | Kevin Schubert |
| George Curran | PR | Alf Gibbs |
| Bob Nicholson | SR | Duncan Hall |
| Trevor Foster | SR | Jack Rayner |
| Dave Valentine | LF | Noel Mulligan |

### 2nd Test vs Great Britain

* November 6 3.00pm
| Great Britain | 16–7 | Australia |
| Tries: 4 Johnny Lawrenson (2) Albert Pimblett (2) Goals: 2 Ernest Ward (2) | [46] [47] [48] | Tries: 1 Jack Horrigan Goals: 2 John Graves (2) |
* Station Road, Swinton Attendance: 36,354 Gate: £ 6,702 Referee: George S. Phillips
| Great Britain | Position | Australia |
| Martin Ryan | FB | Clive Churchill |
| Johnny Lawrenson | WG | Pat McMahon |
| Ernest Ward (c) | CE | Col Maxwell (c) |
| Albert Pimblett | CE | Jack Horrigan |
| Stan McCormick | WG | John Graves |
| Dickie Williams | SO | Wally O'Connell |
| Gerry Helme | SH | Billy Thompson |
| Ken Gee | PR | Alf Gibbs |
| Joe Egan | HK | Kevin Schubert |
| George Curran | PR | Nevyl Hand |
| Bob Nicholson | SR | Jack Rayner |
| Trevor Foster | SR | Noel Mulligan |
| Dave Valentine | LF | Bill Tyquin |

### Only Test vs Wales

* November 20 2.30pm
| Wales | 5–12 | Australia |
| Tries: 1 Gareth Price Goals: 1 Ted Ward | [55] [56] [57] | Tries: 2 Johnny Hawke Jack Holland Goals: 3 Bruce Hopkins (2) Jack Horrigan |
* St. Helen's Rugby Ground, Swansea Attendance: 9,224 Gate: £ 1,375 Referee: Norman Railton
| Wales | Posit. | Australia |
| Joe Jones | FB | Clive Churchill (c) |
| Emlyn Walters | WG | Pat McMahon |
| Ted Ward (c) | CE | Jack Horrigan |
| Gareth Price | CE | Johnny Hawke |
| Denis Boocker | WG | Bob Lulham |
| Leonard Constance | SO | Wally O'Connell |
| Harry Royal | SH | Bruce Hopkins |
| Frank Whitcombe | PR | Jack Holland |
| Frank Osmond | HK | Kevin Schubert |
| Elwyn Gwyther | PR | Eddie Brosnan |
| George Parsons | SR | Jack Rayner |
| Doug Phillips | SR | Fred de Belin |
| Ike Owens | LF | Les Cowie |

### 1st Test vs France

* January 9 3.00pm
| France | 10–29 | Australia |
| Tries: 2 Ode Lespes Ulysse Negrier Goals: 2 Gaston Comes (2) | [74] [75] [76] | Tries: 7 Bill Tyquin (2) Pat McMahon Wally O'Connell Fred de Belin Alf Gibbs Duncan Hall Goals: 4 Keith Froome (4) |
* Stade Municipal, Marseille Attendance: 15,796 Gate: F 2,696,600 Referee: A.S. Dobson
| France | Position | Australia |
| Gaston Comes | FB | Clive Churchill |
| Ode Lespes | WG | Pat McMahon |
| Joseph Crespo | CE | Doug McRitchie |
| Albert Kaemph | CE | Johnny Hawke |
| Robert Casse | WG | Bob Lulham |
| Pierre Taillantou | SO | Wally O'Connell |
| Jean Dop | SH | Keith Froome |
| Gaston Calixte (c) | PR | Alf Gibbs |
| Ulysse Negrier | HK | Kevin Schubert |
| Élie Brousse | PR | Duncan Hall |
| Louis Mazon | SR | Noel Mulligan |
| Martin Martin | SR | Fred de Belin |
| Andre Beraud | LF | Bill Tyquin (c) |

### 2nd Test vs France

* January 23 3.00pm
| France | 0–10 | Australia |
| Tries: nil Goals: nil | [83] [84] [85] | Tries: 2 Duncan Hall Noel Mulligan Goals: 2 Keith Froome (2) |
* Stade Municipal, Bordeaux Attendance: 17,365 Gate: F 2,870,850 Referee: A. Pascall
| France | Position | Australia |
| Jean Barreteau | FB | Clive Churchill |
| Fredo Trescazes | WG | Pat McMahon |
| Paul Dejean | CE | Doug McRitchie |
| Robert Caillou | CE | Johnny Hawke |
| Raymond Contrastin | WG | Bob Lulham |
| Pierre Taillantou | SO | Wally O'Connell |
| Joseph Crespo | SH | Keith Froome |
| Gaston Calixte (c) | PR | Duncan Hall |
| Henri Riu | HK | Kevin Schubert |
| Ulysse Negrier | PR | Alf Gibbs |
| Paul Bartoletti | SR | Fred de Belin |
| Martin Martin | SR | Noel Mulligan |
| Ambroise Ulma | LF | Bill Tyquin (c) |

### 3rd Test v Great Britain

This Test Match was originally intended to be played on December 18, 1948, Due to dense fog at the ground (Odsal) in the hours prior to the match, play was abandoned and the match rescheduled to occur after the French leg of the tour. Curiously, the fog of December 18 cleared around the scheduled time, 2.45pm, of kick-off. The morning of January 29 again saw fog at the ground (Odsal), but this cleared by lunch-time and the postponed match was played out under clear skies.
* January 29 2.45pm
| Great Britain | 23–9 | Australia |
| Tries: 5 George Curran (2) Ernest Ward Stan McCormick Dickie Williams Goals: 4 Ernest Ward (4) | [88] [89] [90] | Tries: 3 Duncan Hall Bob Lulham Fred de Belin Goals: nil |
* Odsal Stadium, Bradford Attendance: 43,500 Gate: £ 6,877 Referee: George S. Phillips
| Great Britain | Position | Australia |
| Martin Ryan | FB | Clive Churchill |
| Johnny Lawrenson | WG | Bob Lulham |
| Albert Pimblett | CE | Doug McRitchie |
| Ernest Ward (c) | CE | Johnny Hawke |
| Stan McCormick | WG | Pat McMahon |
| Dickie Williams | SO | Wally O'Connell |
| Gerry Helme | SH | Keith Froome |
| George Curran | PR | Alf Gibbs |
| Joe Egan | HK | Kevin Schubert |
| Ken Gee | PR | Duncan Hall |
| Bill Hudson | SR | Fred de Belin |
| Jim Featherstone | SR | Noel Mulligan |
| Dave Valentine | LF | Bill Tyquin (c) |