# 1952 New Zealand rugby league tour of Australia

The 1952 New Zealand rugby league tour of Australia was the sixteenth tour by New Zealand's national rugby league team, and the twelfth tour to visit Australia. The thirteen-match tour included three Test Matches.
Captained by Travers Hardwick and coached by Jim Amos, the Kiwis completed a successful tour, winning ten of the thirteen matches. The team recovered from losing the First Test Match, to win – in the space of five days – the Second and Third Tests and claim the series by a two-one margin.

## Squad

The team was coached by Les Amos and managed by Bill Swift and Colin Siddle. Travers Hardwick was captain in all three Test Matches and in each of the eight other tour matches in which he appeared. Tommy Baxter captained the side against Newcastle.
The Rugby League News published a Team Photo, Player Details (Occupation, Age, Height and Weight) and pen portraits of the tourists: Backs and Forwards which listed their club and provincial team.

## Matches
### 1st Test

* June 9 2pm
| Australia | 25–13 | New Zealand |
| Tries: 5 Denis Flannery (2) Noel Pidding (2) Albert Paul Goals: 5 Noel Pidding (5) | Program Report | Tries: 3 Robert Edwards Tommy Baxter Alister Atkinson Goals: 2 Des White (2) |
* Sydney Cricket Ground Attendance: 56,376 Gate: AU£ 9,090 Referee: George Bishop

### 2nd Test

* June 28
| Australia | 25–49 | New Zealand |
| Tries: 5 Col Geelan (3) Ferris Ashton Keith Holman Goals: 5 Noel Pidding (5) | Report Database Photo | Tries: 9 Alister Atkinson (2) Ron McKay (2) Tommy Baxter Frank Mulcare Cyril Eastlake Bill Davidson Robert Edwards Goals: 11 Des White (11) |
* Brisbane Cricket Ground Attendance: 29,243 Gate: AU£ 7,396 Referee: George Bishop

### 3rd Test

* July 2 3.30pm
| Australia | 9–19 | New Zealand |
| Tries: 1 Noel Hazzard Goals: 3 Clive Churchill (3) | Program Report Database | Tries: 3 Frank Mulcare Ron McKay Cyril Eastlake Goals: 5 Des White (5) |
* Sydney Cricket Ground Attendance: 44,916 Gate: AU£ 7,799 Referee: George Bishop

## Sources

| Acronym | Item | Years | Database App | Notes |
| Direct Online Access |||||
| RLN | Rugby League News | 1920-1973 | Trove | Match Program in Sydney, Team Lists, Team Photos, Articles |
| RLP | Rugby League Project | 1907–present | RLP Website | Test Match teams & scorers. |
| Sun | The Sun (Sydney) | 1910-1954 | Trove | Match Reports, Articles. |
| DT | The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) | 1931-1954 | Trove | Match Reports, Articles. |
| CM | The Courier-Mail | 1933-1954 | Trove | Match Reports, Articles. |
| - | Various Australian Regional Newspapers | up to 1954 | Trove | Match Reports, Given Names of Players |
| - | New Zealand Newspapers | up to 1950 | Papers Past | Match Reports. |
| Offline Resources |||||
| EECYB | E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Year Book | 1946-1978 | Copies at State Library of NSW | Teams, Point Scorers, Report. 1953 Yearbook covers the 1952 tour. |
| QRLG | Queensland Rugby League Gazette | 1950-1955 | Copies at State Library of Qld | Program for matches in Brisbane. Collection is predominantly of representative matches. |
| RRLG | Rockhampton Rugby League Gazette | 1951-1968 | Copies at State Library of Qld | Program for matches in Rockhampton. Collection includes club as well as Rockhampton and Central Queensland representative matches. |
| - | Ipswich Versus International Teams | 1913-1975 | Copies at SLQ & NLA | Match Report, Given Names & Club of Ipswich Players |
| - | The Bulimba Cup Era | 1925-1972 | Copies at SLQ & NLA | Clubs of Ipswich, Toowoomba and Brisbane players. This book includes Bulimba Cup match reports and team lists. |
| - | A History of Mackay Rugby League | 1919-2015 | Author's Website | Given Names & Club of Mackay Players |
| - | More Than The Foley Shield | 1908-2014 | Author's Website | Match report, team photos. Given Names & Club of North Queensland Players |