1933–34 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain

The 1933–34 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain was the fifth Kangaroo tour, and took the Australia national rugby league team around the north of England, to London and Paris. The tour also featured the 11th Ashes series which comprised three Test matches and was the first to be won by Great Britain in a clean sweep. The squad's outbound journey was marred by tragedy when Sydney University centre Ray Morris contracted meningitis en route and died in hospital. The tour match played at Stade Pershing in Paris on New Year's Day 1934 was the first rugby league international played in France.

Touring squad
Mick Madsen, 2nd Test captain
Vic Hey, three Tests at five-eighth
Dave Brown set an unsurpassed touring score record

Frank McMillan was named as captain-coach of the touring squad after his Queensland counterpart Herb Steinohrt declared himself unavailable to tour. George Bishop and Ernie Norman were selected but ruled out of the tour before the squad left Sydney. Vic Hey and "Mick" Glasheen took their places.

Name Posit. Club Tests
Dave Brown centre Eastern Suburbs 3
Alan Ridley Winger Queanbeyan 2
Wally Prigg Lock Centrals (Newcastle) 3
Sid Pearce Second row Eastern Suburbs 2
Fred Gardner Winger St George Dragons 1
Vic Hey Five-eighth Western Suburbs 3
Jim Gibbs Second row South Newcastle 2
Jack Why Winger South Sydney 2
Joe Doyle Second row Brothers (Toowoomba) 1
Frank O'Connor Front row South Sydney 2
Cliff Pearce centre Western Suburbs 3
Les Mead Halfback Western Suburbs 1
Fred Laws Halfback Newtown (Toowoomba) 1
Ray Stehr Front row Eastern Suburbs 2
Frank McMillan (c) Fullback Western Suburbs 2
Mick Madsen Front row Brothers (Toowoomba) 3
Bill 'Circy' Smith Fullback Starlights (Ipswich) 1
Viv Thicknesse Halfback Eastern Suburbs 2
Frank Doonar Rialto (Ipswich) 0
Arthur Folwell Hooker Newtown 2
Fred Gilbert Valleys (Toowoomba) 0
Dan Dempsey Hooker Booval 1
Melville Glasheen Estates (Townsville) 0
Fred Neumann Winger Fortitude Valley 0
Frank Curran Front row South Sydney 0
Henry Denny Forward Westerb Suburbs (Brisbane) 0
Jack Little Hooker Fortitude Valley 0
Les Heidke Second row Tivoli 0
Ray Morris centre University 0

The journey

Les Heidke was suffering from leg ulcers before the squad left Sydney and Dan Dempsey was brought in to take his place. The Queenslanders in the squad all contributed £10 to enable Heidke to make the tour as a private citizen and to perhaps recover in time to play. Heidke sailed with the squad from Sydney on the SS Manduna bound for Melbourne where they boarded the SS Jervis Bay for England. At sea Heidke's condition did not improve and he was put off the ship in Perth and headed home.

Exhibition matches were played in Colombo, Sri Lanka and in Egypt. Sydney University centre Ray Morris contracted an ear infection at sea. In the Mediterranean his condition worsened and he was put off the ship in Malta and hospitalised in Valletta. Two days later he died of meningitis.[1]

Test Venues

The three Ashes series tests took place at the following venues. Two of the tests were played at Swinton.

Swinton Leeds
Station Road Headingley
Capacity: 60,000 Capacity: 40,000

1st Test
7 October 1933
The Lions 4 – 0  Australia
Tries:
Goals:
Jim Sullivan (2)		 Tries:
Goals:
Station Road, Swinton
Attendance: 34,000 [2]
Referee: F Peel
The Lions Posit. Australia
Jim Sullivan (c)FBFrank McMillan (c)
Alf EllabyWGAlan Ridley
Gus RismanCECliff Pearce
Stan BrogdenCEDave Brown
Stan SmithWGJack Why
Billy DaviesSOVic Hey
Bryn EvansSHViv Thicknesse
Nat SilcockPRRay Stehr
Les WhiteHKDan Dempsey
Jack MillerPRMick Madsen
Martin HodgsonSRSid Pearce
Bill HortonSRFrank O'Connor
Jack FeethamLFWally Prigg

The Australian team enjoyed an eleven match winning streak on the tour matches leading into the first Test. For the first sixty-five minutes of the match there was no score in the muddy conditions, then Lions fullback Jim Sullivan proved the difference with two penalty goals.[3]

2nd Test
11 November 1933
The Lions 7 – 5  Australia
Tries:
Jack Woods
Goals:
Jim Sullivan (2)		 Tries:
Dave Brown
Goals:
Dave Brown (1)
Headingley, Leeds
Attendance: 29,688 [2]
Referee: F Peel
The Lions Posit. Australia
Jim Sullivan (c)FBBill Smith
Jack WoodsWGFred Gardner
Billy DingsdaleCECliff Pearce
Gus RismanCEDave Brown
Barney HudsonWGAlan Ridley
Stan BrogdenSOVic Hey
Bryn EvansSHViv Thicknesse
Nat SilcockPRMick Madsen (c)
Les WhiteHKArthur Folwell
Jack MillerPRFrank O'Connor
Martin HodgsonSRJim Gibbs
Bill HortonSRJoe Doyle
Jack FeethamLFWally Prigg

3rd Test
16 December 1933
The Lions 19 – 14  Australia
Tries:
Barney Hudson
Jack Feetham
Stan Smith
Goals:
Jim Sullivan (5)		 Tries:
Vic Hey
Wally Prigg

Goals:
Dave Brown (5)
Station Road, Swinton
Attendance: 10,990 [2]
Referee: F Peel
The Lions Posit. Australia
Jim Sullivan (c)FBFrank McMillan (c)
Barney HudsonWGCliff Pearce
Gus RismanCEDave Brown
Arthur AtkinsonCEFred Laws
Stan SmithWGJack Why
Emlyn JenkinsSOVic Hey
Billy WatkinsSHLes Mead
Nat SilcockPRMick Madsen
Thomas ArmittHKArthur Folwell
Jack FeethamPRRay Stehr
Martin HodgsonSRSid Pearce
Jack MillerSRJim Gibbs
Bill HortonLFWally Prigg

In winning the match which was played in thick fog, England became the first team to post a 3–0 clean sweep in an Anglo-Australian Test series.

Matches of the tour
N°Opposing TeamFADateVenueAttendanceStatus
1 St Helens Recs13926 Aug 1933City Road, St. Helens8,880Tour match
2 Leigh16730 Aug 1933Mather Lane, Leigh4,590Tour match
3 Hull Kingston Rovers2002 Sep 1933Craven Park, Hull7,831Tour match
4 Bramley5366 Sep 1933Barley Mow, Bramley1,902Tour match
5 Oldham3869 Sep 1933Watersheddings, Oldham15,281Tour match
6 Yorkshire13013 Sep 1933Headingley, Leeds10,309Tour match
7 Barrow24516 Sep 1933Craven Park, Barrow12,221Tour match
8 Lancashire33720 Sep 1933Wilderspool, Warrington16,576Tour match
9 Wigan10423 Sep 1933Central Park, Wigan15,712Tour match
10 Castleford39627 Sep 1933Wheldon Road, Castleford4,250Tour match
11 Halifax16530 Sep 1933Thrum Hall, Halifax10,358Tour match
12 The Lions047 Oct 1933Station Road, Swinton34,000Test match
13 Bradford Northern7511 Oct 1933Birch Lane, Bradford3,328Tour match
14 Warrington15214 Oct 1933Wilderspool, Warrington16,431Tour match
15 Hunslet221818 Oct 1933Parkside, Hunslet6,227Tour match
16 Salford91621 Oct 1933The Willows, Salford15,761Tour match
17 Widnes31026 Oct 1933Naughton Park, Widnes6,691Tour match
18 Wakefield Trinity17628 Oct 1933Belle Vue, Wakefield5,596Tour match
19 Bradford Northern10730 Oct 1933Birch Lane, Bradford3,328Tour match
20 English League571 Nov 1933Clarence Street, York3,158Tour match
21 Swinton4104 Nov 1933Station Road, Swinton13,341Tour match
22 The Lions5711 Nov 1933Headingley, Leeds29,618Test match
23 Keighley14714 Nov 1933Lawkholme Lane, Keighley3,800Tour match
24 Huddersfield13518 Nov 1933Fartown, Huddersfield7,522Tour match
25 London Highfield20522 Nov 1933White City, London10,541Tour match
26 Broughton Rangers19025 Nov 1933Belle Vue, Manchester5,527Tour match
27 Leeds15729 Nov 1933Headingley, Leeds5,295Tour match
28 St. Helens20112 Dec 1933Knowsley Road, St. Helens5,735Tour match
29 Rochdale Hornets2645 Dec 1933Athletic Grounds, Rochdale3,603Tour match
30 Cumberland16179 Dec 1933Recreation Ground, Whitehaven5,800Tour match
31 The Lions161916 Dec 1933Station Road, Swinton10,900Test match
32 York15723 Dec 1933Clarence Street, York6,500Tour match
33 Hull F.C.19525 Dec 1933The Boulevard, Hull16,341Tour match
34 Wales511930 Dec 1933Wembley, London10,000International
35 England631331 Dec 1933Stade Pershing, Paris5,000International
36 Oldham38510 Jan 1934Watersheddings, Oldham4,000Tour match
37 England141913 Jan 1934Redheugh Park, Gateshead15,576International

Tour firsts
  • The first Australian side to play a rugby exhibition match in Ceylon and Egypt.
  • The first Australian side to play a match under lights.
  • The first English side to win the Ashes in a clean sweep.
  • The first rugby international to be played in France.
  • Dave Brown's tour point-scoring record of 285 points (19 tries and 114 goals) remains unsurpassed.

Published sources
  • Whiticker, Alan & Hudson, Glen (2006) The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players, Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney
  • Andrews, Malcolm (2006) The ABC of Rugby League Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney
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References
  1. Whiticker p96
  2. Andrews The ABC of Rugby League
  3. Whiticker p97
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