The 1993 New Zealand rugby league tour of Great Britain and France was a tour by the New Zealand national rugby league team. The New Zealand national rugby league team lost a series 0-3 against Great Britain but defeated Wales and France in one-off test matches. They also won games against Wigan, St Helens, Widnes, Leeds and the Great Britain under 21's.
Background New Zealand last toured Great Britain in 1989.
Earlier in 1993, New Zealand had drawn 14-all with the Kangaroos at Mt Smart Stadium. This was the first ever draw between the two countries. They then lost 8-16 on a very wet Palmerston North Showgrounds before finishing the 1993 Trans-Tasman Test series by going down 4-16 at Lang Park in Brisbane.
The New Zealand squad for those matches was: Morvin Edwards, Sean Hoppe, Jarrod McCracken, Dave Watson, Daryl Halligan, Tea Ropati, Gary Freeman (C), Se'e Solomona, Duane Mann, Brent Todd, Gary Mercer, Quentin Pongia, Tawera Nikau, Tony Kemp, Brendon Tuuta, Jason Donnelly, Stephen Kearney, Gavin Hill and John Lomax while Howie Tamati was the coach and Richard Bolton was the manager. All of this squad, with the exception of Gavin Hill and Tony Kemp, were also selected for the tour of Great Britain and France. However, before the tour, they lost McCracken (surgery) and Brent Todd (injury). The Kiwis would also be without first choice goal kicking fullback Matthew Ridge who had suffered a season ending knee injury earlier in the year while playing for Manly. However, with the presence of other known Superboots Daryl Halligan and Wigan's Frano Botica, the Kiwi squad lacked nothing for goal kicking.
The Frank Endacott-coached Junior Kiwis toured Great Britain at the same time as the senior Kiwis, winning 11 of their 12 matches.
Squad A 26-man touring squad was selected in September 1993. Jarrod McCracken and Brent Todd both withdrew before the tour due to injuries, and were replaced by Blair Harding and Paul Johnson. Howie Tamati was the coach and Richard Bolton was the manager.
New Zealand players contracted to British clubs were not included in the touring squad, but could still be selected for the three Tests against Great Britain.
Junior Kiwis captain Henry Paul was called up to join the main squad mid-tour as a replacement for the injured Robert Piva.
Name Club/District Games Tests Tries Goals FGs Points Canterbury 0 0 0 0 0 Castleford 1 0 0 0 0 Wigan 2 0 5 0 10 St. George 0 0 0 0 0 Canterbury 1 0 0 0 0 Balmain 3 0 0 0 0 Wellington 1 0 0 0 0 (c) Eastern Suburbs 4 1 0 0 4 North Sydney 3 1 12 0 28 Canterbury 0 0 0 0 0 Canberra 3 1 0 0 4 Leeds 4 2 0 0 8 Canterbury 0 0 0 0 0 Wellington 2 0 0 0 0 Western Suburbs 4 0 0 0 0 Castleford 2 0 0 0 0 Wellington 2 0 0 0 0 Canberra 5 0 0 0 0 Eastern Suburbs 2 0 0 0 0 Northland 5 2 0 0 8 Auckland 3 0 0 0 0 Leeds 1 0 0 0 0 Manly-Warringah 2 0 0 0 0 Castleford 1 0 0 0 0 Canterbury 0 0 0 0 0 Auckland 0 0 0 0 0 Wellington 1 0 0 0 0 Canberra 5 0 0 0 0 Auckland 4 2 0 0 8 Oldham 2 0 0 0 0 Canterbury 5 0 0 0 0 Canterbury 5 1 0 0 4 Bradford Northern 3 1 0 0 4 Canterbury 1 0 0 0 0 Canterbury-Bankstown 5 1 0 0 4
Fixtures The New Zealand side played a total of five test matches while on their European tour and one test in New Zealand before leaving.
Great Britain Test Venues The three Great Britain vs New Zealand tests took place at the following venues.
London Wigan Leeds Wembley Stadium Central Park Headingley Capacity: 82,000 Capacity: 25,000 Capacity: 22,000
Wales Test The Kiwis opened their tour with what was their first test against Wales since the 1975 Rugby League World Cup. That game, won 25-24 by the Welsh, was also played in Swansea but at the St. Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground. This game was played at the Vetch Field.
FB 1 Phil FordRW 2 Gerald CordleRC 3 Allan BatemanLC 4 John DevereuxLW 5 Anthony SullivanSO 6 Johnathan Davies (c)SH 7 Kevin EllisPR 8 Mark JonesHK 9 Barry WilliamsPR 10 Dai YoungSR 11 Ian MarlowSR 12 Rowland PhillipsLK 13 Jonathan GriffithsSubstitutions:IC 14 Adrian HadleyIC 15 Rob AckermanIC 16IC 17Coach: Clive Griffiths FB 1 Morvin EdwardsRW 2 Daryl HalliganRC 3 Iva RopatiLC 4 Whetu TaewaLW 5 Sean HoppeFE 6 Gene NgamuHB 7 Gary Freeman (c)PR 8 John LomaxHK 9 Duane MannPR 10 Brent StuartSR 11 Stephen KearneySR 12 Quentin PongiaLK 13 Jason MackieSubstitutions:IC 14 Jason WilliamsIC 15 Robert PivaIC 16IC 17Coach: Howie Tamati
Wales led for much of the first half. Two kicked penalties from Jonathan Davies and a drop goal from John Griffiths gave the impetus and on 27 minutes Davies put in a fantastic 40 yard kick to set up the flying Gareth Cordle to score Wales' first try.
However New Zealand were kept in the game by a succession of goals from the classy kicker Daryl Harrigan, and when Quentin Pongia punished a rare weak kick from Davies to set up Mackie just before half-time, the Kiwis took a narrow lead.
Ropati extended the lead to 7 points after the restart before Jiffy's magic took hold on the game again. He kicked a penalty and then repeated the trick of the first half, sending another long kick over the defence to give Cordle his second. Wales smelt victory at 17-16 but almost immediately a lost ball from Devereux allowed Mackie to set up the strong running Sean Hoppe. Both sides exchanged penalties and with a few minutes to go John Devereux took advantage of a hoisted bomb to send Wales into rapture with what they thought was the winning try. Agonisingly for the home side, reserve back Adrian Hadley was correctly ruled offside and Wales' last chance to steal the match was gone.
Although Wales did not record a notable victory, their performances in the lead-up to the World Cup suggested they were becoming increasingly competitive.Wales v New Zealand highlights 1993
Bradford Northern: Dave Watson, Gerald Cordle, Steve McGowan, Darrel Shelford, Brimah Kebbie, Neil Summers, Deryck Fox, Paul Grayshon, Trevor Clark, Jon Hamer, Roy Powell, Paul Medley, Karl Fairbank. Res – Daio Powell, Carl Winterburn, Adam Greenwood, Keith Mumby. Coach – Peter Fox
New Zealand: Peter Edwards, Whetu Taewa, Jason Williams, Blair Harding, Jason Donnelly, Mark Nixon (c), Aaron Whittaker, Robert Piva, Denvour Johnston, Jason Lowrie, Simon Angell, David Lomax, Logan Edwards. Res – Gary Freeman, Quentin Pongia, Daryl Halligan, Paul Johnson
Kiwi forward Quentin Pongia was suspended for one game after being sent off for a high tackle.
Wigan: Joe Lydon, Jason Robinson, Dean Bell (c), Gary Connolly, Sam Panapa, Frano Botica, Shaun Edwards, Neil Cowie, Martin Hall, Ian Gildart, Denis Betts, Andy Farrell, Phil Clarke. Res - Paul Stevens, Barrie-Jon Mather, Mick Cassidy, Martin Dermott. Coach - John Dorahy
New Zealand: Daryl Halligan, Sean Hoppe, Iva Ropati, Whetu Taewa, Jason Williams, Gene Ngamu, Gary Freeman (c), John Lomax, Duane Mann, Brent Stuart, Stephen Kearney, Robert Piva, Jason Mackie. Res - Aaron Whittaker, David Lomax, Jason Donnelly, Jason Lowrie
Surprisingly, Kiwi coach Howie Tamati elected to have Gene Ngamu kicking the goals despite the presence of 'superboot' Daryl Halligan at fullback in place of Morvin Edwards who was suffering from the flu. The ploy almost backfired as Ngamu only kicked one goal from five attempts. The match was highlighted by Sean Hoppe's 90 metre intercept try in the second half in which he left both Gary Connolly and Sam Panapa in his wake. Frano Botica, who would represent the Kiwis later in the test series, played against his national squad for Wigan.
Castleford: Graham Steadman, St. John Ellis, Richie Blackmore, Grant Anderson, Simon Middleton, Tony Kemp, Mike Ford, Lee Crooks (c), Richard Russell, Tony Morrison, Mike Ketteridge, Andrew Hay, Ian Smales. Res – Jason Flowers, Keith England, Tony Smith, Dean Sampson. Coach – John Joyner
1st Test
FB 1 Johnathan DaviesLW 2 Jason RobinsonRC 3 Paul NewloveLC 4 Gary ConnollyRW 5 John DevereuxSO 6 Garry Schofield (c)SH 7 Shaun EdwardsPR 8 Karl HarrisonHK 9 Martin DermottPR 10 Karl FairbankSR 11 Denis BettsSR 12 Chris JoyntLK 13 Phil ClarkeSubstitutions:IC 14 Daryl PowellIC 15 Richard EyresIC 16 Alan TaitIC 17 Sonny NickleCoach: Mal Reilly FB 1 Morvin EdwardsRW 2 Daryl HalliganRC 3 Kevin IroLC 4 Dave WatsonLW 5 Sean HoppeFE 6 Gene NgamuHB 7 Gary Freeman (c)PR 8 John LomaxHK 9 Duane MannPR 10 Brent StuartSR 11 Stephen KearneySR 12 Quentin PongiaLK 13 Tawera NikauSubstitutions:IC 14 Jason MackieIC 15 Jason WilliamsIC 16 Whetu TaewaIC 17 Jason LowrieCoach: Howie Tamati
St Helens: David Lyon, Mike Riley, Phil Veivers, Paul Loughlin, Alan Hunte, Tea Ropati, Jonathan Griffiths, Jon Neill, Bernard Dwyer, George Mann, Chris Joynt, Sonny Nickle, Shane Cooper (c). Res – Les Quirk, Adam Fogerty, Augustine O'Donnell. Coach – Eric Hughes
Leeds: Alan Tait, Jim Fallon, Kevin Iro, Simon Irving, Jonathan Scales, Garry Schofield (c), Gareth Stephens, Neil Harmon, James Lowes, Gary Rose, Ian Scott, Richie Eyres, Gary Mercer. Res – Graham Holroyd, Andy Gregory, Jim Leatham, Francis Cummins. Coach – Doug Laughton
2nd Test
FB 1 Johnathan DaviesRW 2 John DevereuxRC 3 Paul NewloveLC 4 Gary ConnollyLW 5 Martin OffiahSO 6 Garry Schofield (c)SH 7 Shaun EdwardsPR 8 Karl HarrisonHK 9 Lee JacksonPR 10 Karl FairbankSR 11 Sonny NickleSR 12 Chris JoyntLK 13 Phil ClarkeSubstitutions:IC 14 Daryl PowellIC 15 Richard EyresIC 16 Alan TaitIC 17 Michael JacksonCoach: Mal Reilly FB 1 Morvin EdwardsRW 2 Frano BoticaRC 3 Kevin IroLC 4 Iva RopatiLW 5 Sean HoppeFE 6 Tony KempHB 7 Gary Freeman (c)PR 8 Se'e SolomonaHK 9 Duane MannPR 10 Brent StuartSR 11 Stephen KearneySR 12 Quentin PongiaLK 13 Jason MackieSubstitutions:IC 14 Jason WilliamsIC 15 John LomaxIC 16 Whetu TaewaIC 17 Gary MercerCoach: Howie Tamati
Martin Offiah's standing as the fastest player in rugby league took a beating during the second half when after making a break, he was unceremoniously bundled into touch after a 40-metre run by Kevin Iro. Offiah, recalled to the Lions test side after missing the first test at Wembley through injury, had a 3-metre head start on the Kiwi centre.
Widnes: Stuart Spruce, David Myers, Dave Ruane, Karle Hammond, Adrian Hadley, Christian Tyrer, Bobbie Goulding, Andy Ireland, Steve McCurrie, Rodney Howe, Esene Faimalo, Jon Grieve, Paul Hulme (c). Res – Jason Hunter, Paul Harris, David Smith. Coach – Phil Larder
3rd Test Great Britain wrapped up the series 3-0 with a commanding 29-10 win at Headingley in Leeds.
FB 1 Johnathan DaviesRW 2 John DevereuxRC 3 Paul NewloveLC 4 Gary ConnollyLW 5 Martin OffiahSO 6 Garry Schofield (c)SH 7 Shaun EdwardsPR 8 Karl HarrisonHK 9 Lee JacksonPR 10 Karl FairbankSR 11 Andy FarrellSR 12 Chris JoyntLK 13 Phil ClarkeSubstitutions:IC 14 Daryl PowellIC 15 Sonny NickleIC 16 Alan TaitIC 17 Michael JacksonCoach: Mal Reilly FB 1 Dave WatsonRW 2 Frano BoticaRC 3 Kevin IroLC 4 Iva RopatiLW 5 Sean HoppeFE 6 Tony KempHB 7 Aaron WhittakerPR 8 Se'e SolomonaHK 9 Denvour JohnstonPR 10 Brent StuartSR 11 Stephen Kearney (c)SR 12 Quentin PongiaLK 13 Jason MackieSubstitutions:IC 14 Richie BlackmoreIC 15 John LomaxIC 16 Whetu TaewaIC 17 David LomaxCoach: Howie Tamati
After New Zealand lost the second test, and the series, coach Howie Tamati selected Aaron Whittaker at halfback over the incumbent captain, Gary Freeman. After the match Tamati stated "I didn't believe I could win with Gary, it didn't come off but I believe the decision I made gave us a chance, whereas before we had no chance."
The match was highlighted by an 80-metre try to Lions fullback Jonathan Davies.Jonathan Davies Best Tries
France
French Test The Kiwis restored some pride by defeating France 36-11 in the test in Carcassonne.