1899 British Lions Tour To Australia

The 1899 British Isles tour to Australia was the fourth rugby union tour by a British Isles team and the second to Australia; though the first tour in 1888 was a private venture, making the 1899 tour the first official undertaking of Australia. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950.

Negotiations had also taken place for the tour to incorporate matches against New Zealand, either through a visit to New Zealand, or a New Zealand team to play in Australia. No agreeable terms could be found.

This tour was the first to truly represent the British Isles, with players from all four Home Nations. Despite this fact, many Australian newspapers, and some British dailies, referred to the tourists as "the English football team".Griffiths (1987), pg 9:4.

Plan to tour in 1898

After the tour of South Africa in 1896, players in Britain expressed wishes to make a similar tour to Australia. In August 1897, the New South Wales Rugby Football Union (NSWRFU), received a letter from Reverend Matthew Mullineux asking whether a tour beginning in June 1898 would be possible and welcomed by the Union. This request was discussed in depth by the NSWRFU at their 30 September meeting, and it was decided to extend an invitation with the following stipulations. The tour was to be under the auspices of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), with the touring team paying for passage to and from Sydney. The NSWRFU would pay for their internal expenses once in Australia. The British team was to receive a percentage of the profits earned by the attendance at each match, but only up to the cost of their travel. Some debate centred about what level of reimbursement would be allowed, they settled on fifty percent after the initial proposal of twenty percent was deemed too low. They specified that a playing squad be made up of twenty-one players inclusive of the tour manager. They would play two games a week while on tour, in New South Wales, Queensland, and New Zealand. There was also the possibility that the tour would take in Victoria.

The proposal was sanctioned by the RFU, with the strict stipulation that the tour would take place on a purely amateur basis. It was the plan of Mullineux to fill the team with players from the Universities, but the timing of the tour meant that players would need to leave Britain in early May, when vacation had not yet begun. Due to a lack of time to make the necessary arrangements, the tour for 1898 was subsequently cancelled.

Plan to tour in 1899

A new invitation was sent from the NSWRFU, for a tour to take place in 1899. The RFU at about the same time, received an invitation from the South African Rugby Football Union, to send a team to tour South Africa in 1899. The RFU wanted confirmation from Mullineux, that a team to tour Australia was for certain able to be formed if the invitation from South Africa was to be turned down. After numerous meetings between the RFU and Mullineux a decision was made in February 1899, to turn down the tour to South Africa. A cable message was received in February 1899 by the NSWRFU, that was erroneously construed to mean that the Australian tour had been the tour abandoned, with players preferring to make the tour of South Africa. The NSWRFU having completed all the arrangements for the tour to take place and having rearranged club schedules to accommodate the tour, made enquiries as no official confirmation of the cancellation was received. The misunderstanding was cleared up on 22 February by a message that indicated the tour to Australia was going to proceed. Mullineux stated, ''there was never any suggestion of abandoning the Australian tour.''

Touring squad selection

The makeup of the touring squad was described in the earliest communication of 1897 from Mullineux, as a team made of University students from his school Cambridge, as well as Oxford University, and also of international representatives. Two problems faced Mullineux, the first was that the timing of the tour meant that players would need to leave Britain in early May, when the university vacations had not yet begun. The second was that a long tour would preclude many of the best players from participating due to other commitments. Consequently, early lists of probable touring players had few players listed that finally made the tour. In the pool of potential players the following were noted: James Byrne, Cecil Boyd, Viv Huzzey, Zimans, Ernest Fookes, Lindsay Watson, M Elliott, Herbert Dudgeon, James Gowans, James Franks, J H Kipling, R Forest, Lawrence Bulger, Timoins, R O Swartz, C B Marston, W Neeks (or Needs), Dr Rowland, J W Gorman, and James Couper. Among these names were several high-profile players that recruitment attempts failed to secure. Byrne declined due to pressure of business, while Ernest Fookes was awaiting a serious medical operation. The final member to join the team was Scottish international Alf Bucher, after failed approaches were made to recruit fellow Scot James Couper and Welsh wing Viv Huzzey.

Touring party

The team consisted of 21 players, nine had international experience, five had played for England, three for Ireland, and one for Scotland and Wales. Commentators thought that the selected team did not fully represent the strength of British rugby, particularly with the absence of James Byrne.

The team played in a kit consisting of a jersey with thick blue bands and thinner red and white bands, representing the colours of the Union Jack; with dark blue shorts and blue stockings finished with red and white tops. The team caps were maroon in colour and bore the motif of a kangaroo. Formal dress comprised a navy blazer, with a breast badge that read "The Anglo-Australian Rugby Football Team".

Full Backs

* Esmond Martelli, was 20 years of age when the team departed England. He played for Dublin Wanderers. On tour he played as a fullback, but was able to play at three-quarters also. He was a skilled place, drop and punt kicker.
* Charles Thompson, was approximately 25 years old, and played for Lancashire. A versatile player who had played at three-quarter, as well as in the forwards. He was a skilled kicker.

Three-Quarters

* Alec Boswell Timms, was approximately 27 years of age, and had played for Edinburgh University, and trial matches for Scotland, making the Scottish national team in one match in 1896. He excelled as a centre or on the wing. Timms was born in Melbourne, Australia but had been sent to England to study medicine.
* Elliot Nicholson