The 1950 Great Britain Lions tour was a tour by the
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents Great Britain in rugby league. Administered by the Rugby Football League (RFL), the team is nicknamed The Lions.
For most of the 20th century, the Great Britain team toured overseas, ...
of Australia and New Zealand which took place between May and August 1950. The tour involved a schedule of 25 games: 19 in Australia including a three-test series against Australia for
the Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, '' The Sporting Times'', immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, its first ...
, and a further 6 in New Zealand including two test matches against New Zealand. A scheduled fixture in
Forbes, New South Wales
Forbes is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the Newell Highway between Parkes and West Wyalong. At the , Forbes had a population of 9,319. Forbes is probably named after Sir Francis Forbes, first ...
, against a Western Districts team, was abandoned when the chartered plane could not land due to bad weather.
Captained by
Ernest Ward, the Lions returned home having won 19 and lost 6 of their games. The team won the first test match of the tour but lost the second and third to lose the Ashes Test series to Australia. The team also lost both Test Matches in and against New Zealand.
Despite being a British team – five of the squad were Welsh – the team played, and were often referred to by both the press at home and away, as England.
Squad
Tom Spedding was the Team Manager, and George Oldroyd was the Business Manager, of the touring party.
Australian Leg
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1st Test
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2nd Test
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3rd Test
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New Zealand leg
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1st Test
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2nd Test
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Sources
References
{{Rugby League Ashes series
Great Britain national rugby league team tours
Rugby league tours of Australia
Rugby league tours of New Zealand
Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand
Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand
Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand