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The 1978 Kangaroo tour was the Australia national rugby league team's 14th tour of Great Britain and 9th tour of France, and took place from September to December 1978. In Britain the Kangaroos played a match against Wales before contesting the Ashes series against the Great Britain Lions, winning the third and deciding Test match. The tourists then moved on to France where they were narrowly beaten in both Tests, the last series the Kangaroos would lose until 2005. In addition to these six internationals, the Australians played sixteen other matches against local club and representative sides in both countries.

Background

The 1978 Kangaroo tour was the first since 1973 and took place in the wake of Australia's rugby league season. Sydney's 1978 NSWRFL season went longer than usual as it involved a grand final replay. For the English the tour was conducted during the first half of the 1978–79 Rugby Football League season.

Touring squad

The Australian team's coach was Frank Stanton, who had already taken the City, New South Wales and the Manly-Warringah teams to victory in all of their respective competitions that year. Manly-Warringah's captain Bob Fulton, was selected to be the touring Australian side's skipper. Another Manly-Warringah grand final winner John Harvey created some controversy when he declined selection for the tour due to personal reasons. As a result his Manly-Warringah teammate Bruce Walker was called in as a replacement. The tour manager was Peter Moore, with co-manager Jim Caldwell.

Craig Young was named 'player of the tour'. Bob Fulton was the tourists' top try scorer.

Great Britain leg

A controversial late Alan Gwilliam try gave Warrington a 15-12 win over Australia, with Steve Hesford kicking six goals. In the tourists' first lost match of the tour Warrington's packmen Tommy Martyn, Mike Nicholas, Tommy Cunningham and Roy Lester were in superb form, ably supported by replacement half backs Gwilliam and Clark. This was Warrington's eighth win over Australia.

Wales

Wales	3 - 8	Australia
1 Goal: David Watkins Field goal: David Watkins		2 Tries: Bob Fulton Tom Raudonikis 1 Goal: Mick Cronin

The Kangaroos' vice captain Pierce injured his knee in this match and made no more appearances on the tour.

1st Ashes Test

The Ashes series was styled the Forward Chemicals Test series due for sponsorship reasons. Great Britain had the opportunity to re-gain the title on home soil.

Great Britain	9 - 15	Australia
1 Try: John Bevan 3 Goals: George Fairbairn		2 Tries: Kerry Boustead Bob Fulton 4 Goals: Mick Cronin Field goal: Bob Fulton

Great Britain were trailing 6 - 7 with fifteen minutes remaining when an Australian pass went to ground and Welsh winger John Bevan kicked the ball ahead. It was then a foot race between him and the Australian fullback to reach the ball which was slowing within Australia's in-goal area. Both players stumbled and dived, with Bevan getting a hand on the ball and claiming the try which was awarded, giving the home side a 9 - 7 lead. The Kangaroos then worked their way up to the other end of the field and moved the ball through the hands out to the right wing where Kerry Boustead crossed for a try, regaining his side the lead 9 - 10. In the final minutes Australian captain Bob Fulton forced his way over for a try which was also converted, so the match ended with the scoreline at 9 - 15.

By half time Widnes were leading 7 - 2.

2nd Ashes Test

Several changes were made to the Great Britain team, including a completely new front row. This match was broadcast live.

Great Britain	18 - 14	Australia
2 Tries: Stuart Wright 6 Goals: George Fairbairn		2 Tries: Ray Price Steve Rogers 4 Goals: Steve Rogers

In the final minutes of the first half the British had just made their way into Australia's half of the field when they made a break up the middle through Roger Millward. He then kicked the ball ahead as he was being tackled and his winger Stuart Wright was chasing through to get a hand on it and score. The try was converted so the home side led at the break 11 - 4.

In the second half Britain's right centre John Joyner made a break and popped a pass over to his winger Stuart Wright to cross once again. They won the match 18-14 to bring the series to 1-all.

This would be the last time Great Britain beat Australia in a Test match for another ten years.

At half time Wigan trailed Australia 2 - 5.

In a Leeds bar, a member of Surry rock band The Jam, Paul Weller, glassed the face of Jim Caldwell, the team manager from Queensland. Australian player Larry Corowa ran to defend the bloodied Caldwell, was punched from behind himself and raced into a nearby bar to get teammates to provide reinforcements for the brawl that ensued. One member of The Jam landed in hospital with broken ribs and another was reported at the time to have been charged with assault. The official police statement cleared the Australians of any wrongdoing.

3rd Ashes Test

Warrington's John Bevan came into the centres for Leeds star Les Dyl, while Hull prop Vince Farrar made his Great Britain debut in place of Hull Kingston Rovers' Brian Lockwood. The Kangaroos maintained the same backline from the 2nd Test, but brought George Peponis, Rod Morris and Les Boyd into their forward pack.

Great Britain	6 - 23	Australia
2 Tries: John Bevan Roger Millward		4 Tries: Les Boyd Geoff Gerard George Peponis Tom Raudonikis 5 Goals: Mick Cronin (5/6) 1 Field goal: Bob Fulton

The deciding test attracted the largest attendance of any match on the tour. After two penalty goals by Mick Cronin Australia led by 4 points to nil. The Kangaroos then got the first try of the match with a close-range dive from George Peponis at dummy-half. The conversion by Cronin was successful so Australia led 9 - 0. The visitors scored another try when the ball was passed from dummy-half to a steamrolling Les Boyd who raced through to score under the goal posts, bringing the lead to 12 - 0. Later, after making a break and crossing the half-way line Raudonikis passed to Geoff Gerard who ran the remaining metres to score untouched, making the score 17 - 0.

Australian fullback Graham Eadie crossed early in the second half but the try was controversially disallowed for a forward pass. Bob Fulton took the Australians' lead out to 20-0 with a drop-goal early in the second half. Great Britain scored the first try of the second half when 31-year-old Roger Millward, captaining Great Britain for the last time, reached out of a tackle and bounced the ball off the turf of the Australian in-goal area. The home side scored again when they moved the ball through the hands out to the left wing where Bevan dived over in the corner. The Kangaroos scored next when Raudonikis, directly from a scrum win, ran through and put the ball down.

Australia therefore retained the Ashes with the first of a fourteen-year winning streak between these two sides that would last until 1988.

France leg

1st Test

Steve Martin was selected to make his Test debut.

France	13 - 10	Australia
1 Try: Michel Naudo 5 Goals: Jose Moya		2 Tries: Michael Cronin Graham Eadie 2 Goals: Michael Cronin

France won the first Test 13-10 at Stade Albert Domec in Carcassonne.

2nd Test

France	11 - 10	Australia
1 Try: Michel Naudo 3 Goals: Jose Moya 2 Field goals: Gerard Borreil Eric Waligunda		2 Tries: Kerry Boustead Steve Rogers 2 Goals: Michael Cronin

The referee was Mr Laverny from Bordeaux. France were coached by Roger Garrigue. Their line-up included world class players, lock, Joel Roosebrouck and prop, Didier Hermet from Villeneuve-Sur-Lot, and Jean Marc Bourret in the centres. Ron Hilditch played at hooker in place of Max Krilich who was injured. France claimed a 2-0 series win over the touring Kangaroos with a 11-10 result at the Stade Municipal, Toulouse in front of 6,500 spectators.

France thus became the last team to record successive victories against Australia. This would be the last time the Kangaroos failed to win a series or tournament until the 2005 Tri-Nations.

References

1. news.bbc.co.uk. "Australia v Great Britain: the history". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
2. AFP (27 November 2005). "Kiwis crush Kangaroos in Tri-Nations final". ABC News. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
3. "Frank Stanton". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. sahof.org.au. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
4. Annual Report (PDF). Australia: Australian Rugby Football League. 2008. p. 57.
5. Tony Adams. "Legend Q&A". Rugby League Week (4 July 2007). Sydney, NSW: PBLMedia: pgs 22–23. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |pages= has extra text (help)
6. "Bruce Walker". yesterdayshero.com.au. SmartPack International. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
7. Clarkson, Alan (14 November 1978). "Kangaroos Brawl with Punk Group". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
8. "Craig Young". Legends. jubileeavenue.com.au. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
9. Whiticker, Alan. "Bob Fulton". rugbyleagueproject.org. Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson and Bill Bates. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
10. "Changing Times - 1970 to 1995". warringtonwolves.org. Warrington Wolves. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
11. Whiticker, Alan. "Greg Pierce". rugbyleagueproject.org. Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson and Bill Bates. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
12. "Kangaroos will play in London on 1982 tour". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 November 1981. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
13. "Ashes battles of the past". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
14. "8th November 1978: Wigan 2 Australia 28". Cherry & White. wigan.rlfans.com. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
15. Malone, Paul (13 November 2013). "Recent Billy Slater and Josh Papalii incidents far from the tip of the iceberg for Kangaroos". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
16. Walshaw, Nick (19 October 2013). "Josh Papalii robbing just the latest in long list of tour mishaps for Kangaroos in UK". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
17. de la Riviere, Richard (18 November). "On this day". totalrl.com. Retrieved 9 February 2014. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
18. "Should he stay or should he go?". The Guardian. 13 January 2004. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
19. Baker, Andrew (20 August 1995). "100 years of rugby league: From the great divide to the Super era". The Independent. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
20. wagga.nsw.gov.au. "Steve Martin". Sporting Hall of Fame. Museum of the Riverina. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
21. "FLASHBACK: December 1978". stevericketts.com.au. Steve Ricketts. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
22. Whiticker, Alan. "Ron Hilditch". rugbyleagueproject.org. Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson and Bill Bates. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
23. Koch, Dan (17 November 2006). "Britain to face Roos backlash". The Australian. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
24. "On this day". espn.co.uk. 10 December. Retrieved 9 February 2014. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

v t e Rugby league Ashes /
Teams	Original Australia Australasia Great Britain Modern Australia England Women's Australia England †Great Britain
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Women's series	1996† 2002† 2025

• Australia national rugby league team tours
• 1978 in rugby league
• 1978 in French sport
• 1978 in British sport
• 1978 in Welsh sport