The 1992 Great Britain Lions tour was a tour by the Great Britain national rugby league team, nicknamed the 'Lions', of Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand which took place between May and July 1992. The tour was the last of such length undertaken by the Great Britain team, and included a test match against Papua New Guinea, a three-test series against Australia for The Ashes, and a two-test series against New Zealand for the Baskerville Shield, all interspersed with matches against local club and representative teams.
Taking place following the conclusion of England's 1991–92 Rugby Football League season and during Australia's 1992 Winfield Cup premiership season, the tour led to friction between the Great Britain team's management and the Australian Rugby League over match scheduling and promotion. For the first time ever, a Lions tour was shown live on television in the United Kingdom through Sky Sports. The commentators for the tour were Eddie Hemmings and former Lions World Cup hooker Mike Stephenson who had a greater insight into the Australian game having spent most of the 1970s and 1980s, playing, coaching and commentating in the Sydney premiership.Great Britain's 1992 Tour Of Australasia The Lions finished the tour with thirteen wins and four losses and a profit of £244,645. Unfortunately for the Lions, three of their losses came in the Test matches, two against Australia and one against New Zealand with the other loss coming against Sydney club side Parramatta.Lion Red Rugby League Annual 1992 New Zealand Rugby League, 1992. pp. 52–73
Touring squad A 32-man squad was selected for the tour, including 13 players from Wigan, setting a record for the number of players supplied by one club. One of the Wigan players selected was Andy Gregory, who had announced his international retirement in 1990, but made himself available for selection after being persuaded to reconsider his decision. From the originally selected squad, Leeds scrum-half Bobbie Goulding was dropped due to suspension, and Widnes' Welsh international Jonathan Davies (who had spent part of 1991 playing with Sydney club Canterbury-Bankstown) withdrew from the squad due to injury. Aston, Hulme, Sampson, McNamara, Myers and Harrison were called up during the tour to replace injured players.
Hull F.C. winger Paul Eastwood was the leading point scorer on tour with 58 from 3 tries and 23 goals (he was also the leading goal kicker on tour). Wigan winger Martin Offiah, who before the tour was the undisputed "fastest player in rugby league", was the leading try scorer with 7.
The coach was former Great Britain international Mal Reilly, marking his fourth Lions tour after appearing as a player on the successful 1970 tour and coaching the 1988 and 1990 touring teams. The assistant coach was Widnes coach and the Rugby Football League's Director of Coaching Phil Larder. The team manager was RFL and Wigan President Maurice Lindsay. Ellery Hanley was the tour captain, but due to injury only played in one game on tour. Garry Schofield was subsequently named the Test captain while Featherstone Rovers halfback Deryck Fox was the team captain when either Hanley or Schofield weren't playing.
Name Club Apps Tests Tries Goals Drop goals Points Notes Sheffield Eagles 4 0 0 0 0 0 Wigan 11 6 2 0 0 8 Sheffield Eagles 2 0 0 0 0 0 Wigan 9 6 3 0 0 12 St Helens 13 4 3 0 0 12 Wigan 5 0 0 0 0 0 Castleford 7 2 0 1 0 2 Wigan 8 4 0 0 0 0 Widnes 9 1 2 1 0 10 Hull 9 5 4 23 0 62 Wigan 10 6 4 0 0 16 Warrington 8 0 3 0 1 13 Bradford Northern 11 2 3 0 0 12 Featherstone Rovers 9 0 0 14 0 28 Wigan 5 1 0 0 0 0 Hull Kingston Rovers 8 0 2 1 0 10 Wigan 7 1 1 0 0 4 Leeds 1 0 0 0 0 0 Halifax 8 4 0 0 0 0 Widnes 3 0 0 0 0 0 Widnes 8 3 0 0 0 0 St Helens 9 0 6 0 0 24 Hull 8 2 1 0 0 4 Wakefield Trinity 8 2 0 0 0 0 St Helens 5 2 0 7 0 14 Wigan 3 1 0 0 0 0 Wigan 11 5 3 0 1 13 Wigan 9 4 1 0 0 4 Hull 4 0 1 0 0 4 Wigan 4 0 0 0 0 0 Featherstone Rovers 12 5 3 0 0 12 St Helens 3 1 0 0 0 0 Wigan 7 6 7 0 0 28 Wigan 9 6 2 0 0 8 Sheffield Eagles 9 6 0 0 0 0 Castleford 2 0 0 0 0 0 Leeds 9 6 3 0 2 14 Wigan 9 5 1 0 0 4 Castleford 8 5 2 4 0 16
Papua New Guinea The first country the touring Lions visited was Papua New Guinea.
This match saw the most points scored of any match on the tour.
FB 1Phillip BogeRW 2Joshua KouoruCE 3Richard WagambieCE 4August JosephLW 5Kini TaniFE 6Aquila EmilHB 7Ngala Lapan (c)PR 8Ben BiriHK 9Michael MatmilloPR 10Kera NgaffinSR 11Bobby AkoSR 12Joe GispeLK 13Matthew ElaraSubstitutions:IC 14Korul SinemauIC 15Michael AngaraIC 16S KapanIC 17Nande YerCoach: FB 1 Steve HampsonRW 2 Paul EastwoodCE 3 Garry Schofield (c)CE 4 Paul LoughlinLW 5 Martin OffiahSO 6 Daryl PowellSH 7 Shaun EdwardsPR 8 Lee CrooksHK 9 Martin DermottPR 10 Andy PlattSR 11 Denis BettsSR 12 Karl FairbankLF 13 Phil ClarkeSubstitutions:IC 14 Joe LydonIC 15 Kelvin SkerrettIC 16 Paul NewloveIC 17 Sonny NickleCoach: Mal Reilly
Australia The Lions next traveled to Australia to contest The Ashes series. The Ashes series attracted 103,419 fans across the three tests, including the first ever Ashes test played in Melbourne. This was the largest Ashes attendance in Australia since 133,791 had attended the 1974 Ashes series and easily eclipsed the 66,792 of 1979, the 75,480 of 1984 and the 67,554 who attended the 1988 series.
The three Ashes series tests took place at the following venues. For the first time an Ashes test was played outside of the traditional rugby league states of New South Wales and Queensland.
Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Sydney Football Stadium Princes Park Lang Park Capacity: 42,500 Capacity: 32,000 Capacity: 32,500
FB 1Brett SchultzRW 2Troy WhiteCE 3Peter HamiltonCE 4Ken RobertsonLW 5Gerard KerrFE 6Jason HetheringtonHB 7Craig Grauf (c)PR 8Eric KennedyHK 9Kevin MartyPR 10Bradley PikeSR 11Steele RetchlessSR 12Matt CliffordLK 13Craig SparkSubstitutions:IC 14Paul FisherIC 15Neil SmithIC 16Steve MillsIC 17Steven BellaCoach:Ross O'Reilly FB 1 Joe LydonRW 2 Graeme HallasRC 3 Gary ConnollyLC 4 Kevin EllisLW 5 Alan HunteSO 6 Shaun EdwardsSH 7 Andy Gregory (c)PR 8 Ian LucasHK 9 Lee JacksonPR 10 Neil CowieSR 11 Karl FairbankSR 12 John DevereuxLF 13 Billy McGintySubstitutions:IC 14 Deryck FoxIC 15 Kelvin SkerrettIC 16 Paul NewloveIC 17 Denis BettsCoach: Mal Reilly
FB 1Brett MullinsRW 2Sean HoppeCE 3Brendan NortonCE 4Scott GaleLW 5Jason CrokerFE 6Chris O'SullivanHB 7Ricky Stuart (c)PR 8Darrell McDonaldHK 9Steve StonePR 10David WoodsSR 11Ian GrahamSR 12Gary CoyneLK 13Craig BellamySubstitutions:IC 14Adam FriendIC 15James HuntIC 16Ken NagasIC 17Michael SpinksCoach: Tim Sheens FB 1 Graham SteadmanRW 2 Paul EastwoodCE 3 Paul NewloveCE 4 Paul LoughlinLW 5 Alan HunteSO 6 Garry Schofield (c)SH 7 Andy GregoryPR 8 Kelvin SkerrettHK 9 Martin DermottPR 10 Andy PlattSR 11 Denis BettsSR 12 Michael JacksonLF 13 Phil ClarkeSubstitutions:IC 14 Les HollidayIC 15 Deryck FoxIC 16IC 17 Gary ConnollyCoach: Mal Reilly
In what can only be described as bad scheduling, the Lions faced the Canberra Raiders on a Saturday night with the Raiders due to play a club game against Parramatta the next afternoon. This saw Raiders coach Tim Sheens not playing the likes of Australian test players Mal Meninga, Bradley Clyde, Steve Walters and Laurie Daley, as well as David Furner, Phil Blake, Darren Fritz, Brett Hetherington and Paul Osborne. It also saw Canberra go into the match with 7 players on the bench, though Sheens would only use the regulation 4. Andy Gregory served notice of his form by leading the Lions to a 20-6 half time lead, though he aggravated a groin injury when he put in a grubber kick for one of Andy Platt's two tries late in the first half and with the first test less than a week away did not return for the second half.
FB 1Brett DochertyRW 2Brendan O'MearaCE 3Ryan GirdlerCE 4Paul McGregorLW 14Jonathan BrittenFE 6Aaron WhittakerHB 15Mick NeilPR 8Steve WaddellHK 9Dean SchifillitiPR 12Craig TeitzelSR 16Dave GallagherSR 11John Cross (c)LK 13Ian RussellSubstitutions:IC 10David WalshIC 17Neil PiccinelliIC 18Bill DunnIC 19Andrew PaulsCoach: Graham Murray FB 1 Steve HampsonRW 2 John DevereuxCE 3 Gary ConnollyCE 4 Daryl PowellLW 5 Graeme HallasSO 6 Kevin EllisSH 7 Shaun Edwards (c)PR 8 Ian LucasHK 9 Lee JacksonPR 10 Lee CrooksSR 11 Karl FairbankSR 12 Les HollidayLF 13 Billy McGintySubstitutions:IC 14 Alan HunteIC 15 Michael JacksonIC 16 Deryck FoxIC 17 Neil CowieCoach: Mal Reilly
With the first test only three days after the game, Steelers coach Graham Murray was without the services of goal kicking Australian test winger Rod Wishart. The Steelers, in their first and only game against an international touring side, almost pulled off an upset until a late Kevin Ellis field goal sealed a tense 11–10 win for the tourists.
The Ashes series The 1992 Ashes series was the final Ashes series to date played in Australia and attracted 103,459 spectators over the three tests. This compared favourably to the 75,480 aggregate of the 1984 Ashes series in Australia and the 67,554 aggregate of the 1988 series in Australia. A large number of English fans followed their team on the tour, but with Great Britain's wins in the final test of 1988 and the first test of the 1990 series, public interest had risen with Australia, although still winning, proving less dominant than during the 1980s.
After 4 of the previous 5 Ashes series had been controlled by French referees (Julien Rascagneres in 1982 and 1986, Francois Desplas in 1988 and Alain Sablayrolles in 1990 – none of whom spoke any English), which had brought numerous complaints from both sides regarding their incompetency, the Rugby League International Federation, ARL and RFL agreed to the use of New Zealand referee Dennis Hale (who had been a touch judge in the 1988 Rugby League World Cup final) for all three tests.
First Test With Ellery Hanley out injured, Mal Reilly appointed five-eighth Garry Schofield as British captain for the first test. The Australians stuck with most of those who had won the 1991 Trans-Tasman Test series against New Zealand, with only winger Michael Hancock in for an injured Willie Carne, prop Glenn Lazarus (for Craig Salvatori) and second rowers Paul Sironen and Bob Lindner returning to the side with Newcastle Knights prop forward Paul Harragon making his test debut. Peter Jackson was also re-called to the side after Dale Shearer who had been selected in the centres had been ruled out with injury. Shearer, who had been widely tipped never to play test football again after a poor Game 1 against New Zealand the previous year, had starred at fullback for Queensland in the State of Origin series and was selected in the centres for all three tests, but was an injury withdrawal on each occasion. Jackson's recall at five-eighth saw Laurie Daley moved to the centres.
AustraliaPositionGreat BritainAndrew EttingshausenFBGraham SteadmanRod WishartWGPaul NewloveMal Meninga (c)CEDaryl PowellLaurie DaleyCEPaul LoughlinMichael HancockWGMartin OffiahPeter JacksonFE/SOGarry Schofield (c)Allan LangerHB/SHAndy GregoryPaul HarragonPRKelvin SkerrettSteve WaltersHKMartin DermottGlenn LazarusPRLee CrooksPaul SironenSRDenis BettsBob LindnerSRAndy PlattBradley ClydeLFPhil ClarkeDavid GillespieRes.Joe LydonBrad MackayRes.Shaun EdwardsBrad FittlerRes.Ian LucasKevin WaltersRes.Michael JacksonBob FultonCoachMal Reilly