The 1948–49 Kangaroo tour was the seventh Kangaroo tour, in which the Australian national rugby league team travelled to Great Britain and France and played thirty-seven matches, including the Ashes series of three Test matches against Great Britain, an international match against Wales and two Test matches against the French. It followed the tour of 1937-38 and a cessation of overseas international tours due to World War II. The next was staged in 1952-53.

Selection Controversy Earlier in the season, Newtown's Len Smith had captain-coached the Australians to a series win over the touring New Zealand team. In what turned out to be a selection controversy, Smith, a dual rugby international was then left out of the 1948 Kangaroo Tour squad altogether. After years of dignified silence on the issue Smith, who promptly retired from playing after his non-selection, would claim in the early-mid 1990s that he believed he was left out of the side as the league (NSWRFL) wanted a Mason to captain the side as Smith believed one had captained every Kangaroo touring team since the inaugural Kangaroos in 1908–09.Flashback: June 1948

The squad's leadership The team was selected with Col Maxwell as captain and Bill Tyquin as vice-captain. Tour co-managers were Bill Buckley and Eric Simmonds. Maxwell captained the team on 12 occasions, including the Second Test against Great Britain. Tyquin captained the team in 10 matches, including the exhibition match against South Australia and in three Test matches, the two victories over France and the Third Test loss to Great Britain.

Wally O'Connell captained the Kangaroos in the First Test Match against Great Britain, the international against Wales, and on six other occasions (Salford, Cumberland, St Helens, Bradford Northern, Swindon, and Yorkshire). In the matches in which neither Maxwell, Tyquin nor O’Connell played, the Kangaroos were captained by Keith Froome on 3 occasions (Dewsbury, Hull Kingston Rovers, and Lancashire), Billy Thompson on 3 occasions (Castleford, Languedoc, and Cannes) and Doug McRitchie twice (Hull & Leigh).

Touring squad The Rugby League News published a photo and the names and states of the selected players. Match details - listing surnames of both teams and the point scorers - were included in E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook, as was a summary of the players' point-scoring. Benton, Brosnan, Hall, Horrigan, McMahon, Pegg, Thompson, and Tyquin were selected from Queensland clubs. Dimond, Gibbs, Hawke, and Schubert were selected from clubs in New South Wales Country areas. The balance of the squad had played for Sydney based clubs during the 1948 season.

Player Age Weight Club TestsonTour Games Tries Goals FG Points Henry Benton 29 12.10 (81) Centrals Townsville 10 0 0 0 0 Eddie Brosnan 30 15.0 (95) Brisbane Brothers 1 17 2 0 0 6 Vic Bulgin 20 11.10 (74) Eastern Suburbs 16 1 1 1 7 Clive Churchill 21 11.10 (74) South Sydney 6 21 0 1 0 2 Les Cowie 23 12.10 (81) South Sydney 1 20 10 0 0 30 Fred de Belin 27 14.7 (92) Balmain 4 15 4 0 0 12 Bobby Dimond 18 12.0 (76) Dapto 15 9 0 0 27 Keith Froome 27 10.8 (67) Newtown 4 16 3 39 0 87 Alf Gibbs 27 14.6 (92) South Newcastle 4 19 2 0 0 6 John Graves 22 12.4 (78) South Sydney 2 20 16 35 0 118 Duncan Hall 23 14.7 (92) Brisbane Western Suburbs 4 21 10 0 0 30 Nevyl Hand 25 14.4 (91) North Sydney 1 13 2 0 0 6 Johnny Hawke 22 11.5 (72) West City Canberra 5 23 11 0 0 33 Jack Holland 25 14.10 (93) St George 2 19 3 0 0 9 Bruce Hopkins 21 11.3 (71) Canterbury 1 13 1 10 0 23 Jack Horrigan 24 13.1 (83) Brisbane Valleys 2 20 16 8 0 64 Frank Johnson 26 13.10 (87) Newtown 2 7 1 0 0 3 Bob Lulham 21 11.9 (74) Balmain 4 18 12 0 0 36 Col Maxwell 30 13.9 (87) Western Suburbs 1 12 2 0 0 6 Pat McMahon 21 12.7 (79) Toowoomba South End 6 22 12 0 0 36 Doug McRitchie 24 13.6 (85) St George 4 14 3 0 0 9 Noel Mulligan 22 13.10 (87) Newtown 5 21 6 0 0 18 Wally O'Connell 25 11.2 (71) Eastern Suburbs 6 21 4 0 0 12 Len Pegg 26 12.7 (79) South Brisbane 13 1 0 0 3 Jack Rayner 27 14.7 (92) South Sydney 3 24 5 1 0 17 Kevin Schubert 21 14.7 (92) Wollongong 6 22 1 0 0 3 Billy Thompson 25 11.0 (70) Toowoomba Valleys 1 15 2 0 0 6 Bill Tyquin 27 13.10 (87) South Brisbane 4 14 6 0 0 18

Note: Tallies in the table above excludes the exhibition match against South Australia.

Match results The tourists travelled to Marseille aboard the , making stops in Adelaide, Perth, Colombo, Mumbai and Aden. A scheduled exhibition match in Perth was cancelled when, due to rough seas in the Great Australian Bight, the arrival of the RMS Maloja into Fremantle was delayed. Also due to delays, arrangements were made to fly the players from Marseille into England. This was accomplished in two flights, with one plane flying into Manchester and the other into the outskirts of London.

Exhibition Match

In Great Britain

1st Test vs Great Britain

Great BritainPositionAustralia Jimmy Ledgard FB Clive Churchill Johnny Lawrenson WG John Graves Ernest Ward (c) CE Doug McRitchie Albert Pimblett CE Johnny Hawke Stan McCormick WG Pat McMahon Willie Horne SO Wally O'Connell (c) Gerry Helme SH Keith Froome Ken Gee PR Jack Holland Joe Egan HK Kevin Schubert George Curran PR Alf Gibbs Bob Nicholson SR Duncan Hall Trevor Foster SR Jack Rayner Dave Valentine LF Noel Mulligan

2nd Test vs Great Britain

Great BritainPositionAustralia Martin Ryan FB Clive Churchill Johnny Lawrenson WG Pat McMahon Ernest Ward (c) CE Col Maxwell (c) Albert Pimblett CE Jack Horrigan Stan McCormick WG John Graves Dickie Williams SO Wally O'Connell Gerry Helme SH Billy Thompson Ken Gee PR Alf Gibbs Joe Egan HK Kevin Schubert George Curran PR Nevyl Hand Bob Nicholson SR Jack Rayner Trevor Foster SR Noel Mulligan Dave Valentine LF Bill Tyquin

Only Test vs Wales

WalesPosit.Australia Joe Jones FB Clive Churchill (c) Emlyn Walters WG Pat McMahon Ted Ward (c) CE Jack Horrigan Gareth Price CE Johnny Hawke Denis Boocker WG Bob Lulham Leonard Constance SO Wally O'Connell Harry Royal SH Bruce Hopkins Frank Whitcombe PR Jack Holland Frank Osmond HK Kevin Schubert Elwyn Gwyther PR Eddie Brosnan George Parsons SR Jack Rayner Doug Phillips SR Fred de Belin Ike Owens LF Les Cowie

in France

1st Test vs France

FrancePositionAustralia Gaston Comes FB Clive Churchill Ode Lespes WG Pat McMahon Joseph Crespo CE Doug McRitchie Albert Kaemph CE Johnny Hawke Robert Casse WG Bob Lulham Pierre Taillantou SO Wally O'Connell Jean Dop SH Keith Froome Gaston Calixte (c) PR Alf Gibbs Ulysse Negrier HK Kevin Schubert Élie Brousse PR Duncan Hall Louis Mazon SR Noel Mulligan Martin Martin SR Fred de Belin Andre Beraud LF Bill Tyquin (c)

2nd Test vs France

FrancePositionAustralia Jean Barreteau FB Clive Churchill Fredo Trescazes WG Pat McMahon Paul Dejean CE Doug McRitchie Robert Caillou CE Johnny Hawke Raymond Contrastin WG Bob Lulham Pierre Taillantou SO Wally O'Connell Joseph Crespo SH Keith Froome Gaston Calixte (c) PR Duncan Hall Henri Riu HK Kevin Schubert Ulysse Negrier PR Alf Gibbs Paul Bartoletti SR Fred de Belin Martin Martin SR Noel Mulligan Ambroise Ulma LF Bill Tyquin (c)

3rd Test v Great Britain This Test Match was originally intended to be played on December 18, 1948, Due to dense fog at the ground (Odsal) in the hours prior to the match, play was abandoned and the match rescheduled to occur after the French leg of the tour. Curiously, the fog of December 18 cleared around the scheduled time, 2.45pm, of kick-off. The morning of January 29 again saw fog at the ground (Odsal), but this cleared by lunch-time and the postponed match was played out under clear skies.

Great BritainPositionAustralia Martin Ryan FB Clive Churchill Johnny Lawrenson WG Bob Lulham Albert Pimblett CE Doug McRitchie Ernest Ward (c) CE Johnny Hawke Stan McCormick WG Pat McMahon Dickie Williams SO Wally O'Connell Gerry Helme SH Keith Froome George Curran PR Alf Gibbs Joe Egan HK Kevin Schubert Ken Gee PR Duncan Hall Bill Hudson SR Fred de Belin Jim Featherstone SR Noel Mulligan Dave Valentine LF Bill Tyquin (c)

References

External links 1948-49 Kangaroo Tour at Rugby League Project