The 1986 New Zealand rugby league tour of Australia and Papua New Guinea was a tour by the
New Zealand national rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...
team. Test matches were played in New Zealand, Australia and Papua New Guinea. The tour began on 6 July in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
and finished on 17 August in
Port Moresby
(; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...
, consisted of five
test matches, with two of them counting towards the
1985-88 World Cup.
After having lost 18–0 to the Kiwis at
Carlaw Park
Carlaw Park was a multi-purpose stadium in Parnell, a central suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It neighboured the Auckland Domain's Northern end. It was primarily used for rugby league and had a peak spectator capacity of around 28,000 in the 1 ...
in the 3rd test of the
1985 series, Australia won the 1986 series 3–0. New Zealand then continued their tour to Papua New Guinea. In Papua New Guinea they won the first test against
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
36–26. They then lost the second test match 22–24, a match which counted towards the
1988 World Cup.
Squads
Australia
Australia was coached for the first time by 1956–57 Kangaroo Tourist
Don Furner
Don Furner (26 December 1932 – 24 February 2020) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. As a player, he represented Queensland on nine occasions and also toured with the 1956–57 Kangaroos.
He began his coaching career as a pl ...
.
Wally Lewis
Walter James Lewis AM (born 1 December 1959) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He became a commentator for television coverage of the sp ...
was the captain of the team with
Wayne Pearce
Wayne John Pearce OAM (born 29 March 1960 in Balmain, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. An athletic for the Balmain Tigers, he was known as Junior. Pearce represented New South Wales in t ...
the team vice captain.
The players used by Australia in the series was: Wally Lewis (
Wynnum Manly) (c), Wayne Pearce (
Balmain) (vc),
Noel Cleal
Noel Harvey "Crusher" Cleal (born 16 October 1958) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. A destructive for the Manly Sea Eagles, he also represented New South Wales in the State of Origin Series and the Austra ...
(
Manly Warringah),
Steve Folkes (
Canterbury-Bankstown
Canterbury-Bankstown is a customary region of Sydney, Australia, in the south-western suburbs. The area is located around the Bankstown railway line, to the west of the St George region and to the south of the Inner West region. The suburbs ...
),
Garry Jack
Garry Jack (born 14 March 1961) is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He was a representative in the Australian national team and star player with the Balmain Tigers. Jack was a for the Tigers during the late 1980s, and ea ...
(Balmain),
Brett Kenny
Brett "Bert" Edward Kenny (born 16 March 1961) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He was a and for the Australian national team and New South Wales Blues representative sides, and ...
(
Parramatta
Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...
),
Les Kiss
Les Kiss (born 9 December 1964) is an Australian professional rugby union coach who is the head coach of London Irish in the Gallagher Premiership. He is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the Brisbane Rugby League and ...
(
North Sydney),
Terry Lamb
Terence John Lamb (born 15 September 1961), also nicknamed "Baa", is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He played 350 games, with the Western Suburbs (1980–1983) and Canterbury (1984–1996).
Lamb was known for his su ...
(Canterbury-Bankstown),
Gene Miles
Gene Miles (born 21 July 1959) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative , he played his club football in the Brisbane Rugby Lea ...
(Wynnum Manly),
Bryan Niebling
Bryan Niebling (born 18 July 1960) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. Niebling played in the forwards. After a successful Brisbane Rugby League premiership, and representative caree ...
(
Redcliffe),
Michael O'Connor Michael O'Connor may refer to:
Politicians
* Michael O'Connor (Australian politician) (1865–1940), Australian politician
* Michael O'Connor (Wisconsin politician) (1856–1925), Wisconsin State Assemblyman
* Michael J. O'Connor (politici ...
(
St George),
Steve Roach (Balmain),
Dale Shearer
Dale Shearer (born 25 July 1965), also known by the nickname of "Rowdy", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative ...
(Manly-Warringah),
Royce Simmons
Royce Michael Simmons (born 2 May 1960) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. A one-club man, he played as a for the Penrith Panthers in the NSWRL from 1980 to 1991, winning a premiership in his final season. ...
(
Penrith),
Peter Sterling (Pattamatta),
Peter Tunks (Canterbury-Bankstown).
Of the players used by Australia, only Wayne Pearce (injury) and Peter Tunks (personal reasons) did not go on the end of season
1986 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France The 1986 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France was the sixteenth Kangaroo tour in which the Australian national rugby league team (known as the Winfield Kangaroos due to sponsorship) plays a number of tour matches against British and French tea ...
.
New Zealand
The New Zealand test team was coached by
Graham Lowe
Sir Graham Michael Lowe is the owner of the Bradford Bulls together with fellow New Zealander Andrew Chalmers. He is a New Zealand former rugby league football coach and administrator. He previously coached in Australia and England and was the ...
and captained by
Mark Graham.
The Kiwis squad was: Mark Graham (North Sydney) (c),
Dean Bell
Dean Bell, also known by the nicknames of "Mean Dean", and "Deano", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer, and coach. A New Zealand international representative centre, he played his club football in England, Australia a ...
(
Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to:
Places
*Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India
*Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia
**Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia
Sports clubs
;Association football
*Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand
* Eastern ...
),
Shane Cooper (
Mt Albert),
(
Te Atatu),
Olsen Filipaina (North Sydney),
Gary Freeman (
Northcote),
Barry Harvey
Barry Kenneth Harvey is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand in three test matches, including matches that counted towards the 1988 World Cup.
Playing career
A 1983 Junior Kiwi, Harvey played for the Western ...
(Western Suburbs (
Taranaki
Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont.
The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...
)),
Gary Kemble
Gary Edward Kemble (born 23 August 1956), also known by the nickname "Crayfish", is a New Zealand rugby league coach and former player. He has both played and coached the New Zealand national rugby league team. He is the current head coach of t ...
(
Hull),
A'au Leulaui (Hull),
(Eastern Suburbs),
Dane O'Hara
Dane Bradford Mark O'Hara is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand. At the time of his retirement he held the record for most international matches for New Zealand.
Early years
O'Hara attended St. Paul's Colle ...
(Hull),
Ron O'Regan
Ronald Phillip O'Regan is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer, and coach who represented New Zealand between 1983 and 1986. His nephew, Daniel, played for the New Zealand Warriors.
Playing career
As a young boy he idolised players such ...
(Mt Albert),
Gary Prohm
Gary Prohm (born 3 October 1956) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer and coach who represented New Zealand, including in matches that counted towards the 1988 World Cup.
Playing career
Prohm played in the Auckland Rugby League com ...
(
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challen ...
),
Joe Ropati
Joseph Ropati is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand in thirteen test matches, including in games that counted towards the 1988 World Cup. Ropati is part of a large rugby league family that inc ...
(
Warrington
Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
),
Kurt Sorensen
Kurt John Sorensen (born 8 November 1956) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Background
He is the brother of fellow Kiwi international, Dane Sorensen, and the nephew of anothe ...
(
Widnes
Widnes ( ) is an industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 census had a population of 61,464.
Historically in Lancashire, it is on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form th ...
),
Brent Todd
Brent Trevor Todd (born 5 December 1964) is a New Zealand former professional sportsman who has represented New Zealand at both rugby league football and water polo. His rugby league position was prop forward.
Early years
Todd played in the Ne ...
(Linwood),
Wayne Wallace
Wayne John Wallace is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer and coach who represented New Zealand in the 1988 World Cup Final.
Playing career
Wallace played in the Canterbury Rugby League club competition for Hornby, although he spent on ...
(Hornby),
Darrell Williams (Mt Albert),
Owen Wright (
Manukau
Manukau (), or Manukau Central, is a suburb of South Auckland, New Zealand, centred on the Manukau City Centre business district. It is located 23 kilometres south of the Auckland Central Business District, west of the Southern Motorway, so ...
).
Peter Brown,
Tea Ropati,
Marty Crequer
Martin (Marty) Paul Crequer (born 28 June 1965) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand.
Playing career
A Hornby junior in the Canterbury competition, Crequer was a Schoolboy Kiwi in 1979 and a Junior Kiwi ...
,
Dean Lonergan,
Adrian Shelford
Adrian Tremain Shelford (4 January 1964 – 19 September 2003) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for New Zealand, and at club level for Wigan and Wakefield Trinity ( H ...
,
Sam Stewart,
James Goulding,
Glenn Donaldson and
Gary Mercer
Gary Ivan Mercer (born 22 June 1966) is a New Zealand rugby league and rugby union coach and former professional rugby league footballer. A New Zealand international representative player, he has spent most of his career in Britain both playing ...
also played for the Kiwis against Papua New Guinea.
New Zealand leg
The tour began with Australia coming to Auckland to play the first of three test matches between the trans-Tasman rivals.
This would be the 18th and final test played between New Zealand and Australia at the
Carlaw Park
Carlaw Park was a multi-purpose stadium in Parnell, a central suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It neighboured the Auckland Domain's Northern end. It was primarily used for rugby league and had a peak spectator capacity of around 28,000 in the 1 ...
ground in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
. Due to sponsorship, the test series was known as the "
Winfield Test Series".
With the selection of goal kicking
St George and
NSW
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
outside back
Michael O'Connor Michael O'Connor may refer to:
Politicians
* Michael O'Connor (Australian politician) (1865–1940), Australian politician
* Michael O'Connor (Wisconsin politician) (1856–1925), Wisconsin State Assemblyman
* Michael J. O'Connor (politici ...
, the former
Wallaby
A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and som ...
became Australia's 39th
dual-code rugby international
A dual-code rugby international is a rugby footballer who has played at the senior international level in both codes of rugby, 13-a-side rugby league and 15-a-side rugby union.
Rugby league started as a breakaway version of rugby in Northern Eng ...
.
Dale Shearer
Dale Shearer (born 25 July 1965), also known by the nickname of "Rowdy", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative ...
,
Steve Folkes and utility reserve
Terry Lamb
Terence John Lamb (born 15 September 1961), also nicknamed "Baa", is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He played 350 games, with the Western Suburbs (1980–1983) and Canterbury (1984–1996).
Lamb was known for his su ...
also played in their debut tests for Australia.
First test
Australian leg
In the tour games the Kiwis defeated
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
22–17,
Riverina
The Riverina
is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...
14–16,
Wide Bay 32-7 and
North Queensland 46–6.
Second test
After having been Sydney's main test match venue since 1914, this would be the 69th and final test played at the
Sydney Cricket Ground until
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
. Gary Freeman, who would go on to play a total of 46 tests for New Zealand until 1995, made his test debut in this game while for Australia,
North Sydney and
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
winger
Les Kiss
Les Kiss (born 9 December 1964) is an Australian professional rugby union coach who is the head coach of London Irish in the Gallagher Premiership. He is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the Brisbane Rugby League and ...
made his test debut replacing an injured Dale Shearer.
Third test
Australian vice-captain
Wayne Pearce
Wayne John Pearce OAM (born 29 March 1960 in Balmain, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. An athletic for the Balmain Tigers, he was known as Junior. Pearce represented New South Wales in t ...
tore the
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...
in his left knee during the first half. Despite surgery and an intense rehabilitation, he was eventually ruled out of the
1986 Kangaroo Tour The 1986 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France was the sixteenth Kangaroo tour in which the Australian national rugby league team (known as the Winfield Kangaroos due to sponsorship) plays a number of tour matches against British and French team ...
after failing a team medical.
Australia continued its international dominance and scored a clean sweep against the Kiwis with a 32–12, 6 tries to 2 win in front of almost 23,000 at Lang Park. The match was broadcast into NSW and Qld by the
Nine Network and via relay into New Zealand. This game also counted towards the
1985-1988 Rugby League World Cup.
Papua New Guinea leg
In Papua New Guinea they defeated Island Zone 26-6 and lost to Southern Zone 20-26 before the two test matches.
First test
Second test
This match counted towards the
1988 Rugby League World Cup
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
.
Papua New Guinea scored their first ever test match victory against New Zealand and their first test win since defeating
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
37–6 in 1977. The Kumuls would not win another test until 1990.
Papua New Guinea Kumuls results at Rugby League Project
/ref>
Aftermath
Following the loss to Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
, Graham Lowe
Sir Graham Michael Lowe is the owner of the Bradford Bulls together with fellow New Zealander Andrew Chalmers. He is a New Zealand former rugby league football coach and administrator. He previously coached in Australia and England and was the ...
resigned in August to take up the position of head coach with English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
club side Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...
. Tony Gordon
Tony Gordon is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by actor Gray O'Brien. The character first appeared on-screen on 16 September 2007. He appeared as a regular character for two years befor ...
was appointed as his replacement in September.
Dun Furner and Wally Lewis would lead the Australian team on the undefeated 1986 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France The 1986 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France was the sixteenth Kangaroo tour in which the Australian national rugby league team (known as the Winfield Kangaroos due to sponsorship) plays a number of tour matches against British and French tea ...
at the end of the NSWRL
The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was ...
and BRL
The Brazilian real (plural, pl. '; currency symbol, sign: R$; ISO 4217, code: BRL) is the official currency of Brazil. It is subdivided into 100 centavos. The Central Bank of Brazil is the central bank and the issuing authority. The real repl ...
seasons.
See also
*Australia vs New Zealand in rugby league
Australia vs New Zealand in rugby league is a rivalry between the Australian Kangaroos and the New Zealand Kiwis in the sport of rugby league. The first match between the two sides was in 1908, with New Zealand running out 11–10 winners.
I ...
* 1985-88 Rugby League World Cup
References
{{Kiwis tours
New Zealand national rugby league team tours
Rugby league tours of Australia
Rugby league tours of Papua New Guinea
New Zealand rugby league tour of Australia and Papua New Guinea
New Zealand rugby league tour of Australia and Papua New Guinea
New Zealand rugby league tour of Australia and Papua New Guinea