1985 New Zealand rugby league tour
| 1985 Kiwis tour | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 6 October 1985 – 12 December 1985 | ||||
| Manager | Jim Campbell Tom McKeown | ||||
| Coach | Graham Lowe | ||||
| Tour captain | Mark Graham | ||||
| Summary |
| ||||
| Total |
| ||||
| Test match |
| ||||
| Opponent |
| ||||
 Great Britain |
| ||||
 France |
| ||||
| Tour chronology | |||||
The 1985 New Zealand rugby league tour was a series of matches played between October and December by the New Zealand national rugby league team in England and France. The team played a three-game series against Great Britain, named the Whitbread Trophy Bitter Tests for sponsorship reasons, and the tied the series 1–1. The team also defeated France 2–0.
Background
New Zealand last toured Great Britain in 1980.
Despite tense relations between France and New Zealand over the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, the team went ahead with the French leg of the tour as planned.[1]
Touring party
A 24-man touring squad was selected in August 1985, with Mark Graham named as captain. The squad included six players who played in the Australian Winfield Cup competition. New Zealand players contracted to British clubs were not included in the squad, but could still be considered for selection in Test matches.[2]
Graham Lowe was the coach, and Jim Campbell was the team manager.[3]
Prior to the tour, Marty Crequer withdrew from the squad due to injury, and was replaced by Shane Horo.[4] Crequer was later called up as a replacement during the tour for the injured Joe Ropati.[5][6] Ross Taylor also suffered an injury on tour, and was replaced by Brent Todd.[7]
.svg.png){kind=small}
Schedule and results
| Date | Opponents | Score (NZ first) | Venue | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 October | Wigan | 8–14 | Wigan | 13,009 | |
| 9 October | Great Britain under-21 | 16–12 | Bradford | 2,285 | |
| 13 October | Hull Kingston Rovers | 20–10 | Hull | 6,585 | |
| 15 October | Cumbria | 32–6 | Whitehaven | 5,500 | |
| 19 October | Great Britain |
24–22 | Leeds | 12,591 | |
| 23 October | Yorkshire | 8–18 | Bradford | 3,745 | |
| 27 October | St Helens | 46–8 | St Helens | 7,897 | |
| 29 October | Leeds | 16–10 | Leeds | 4,713 | |
| 2 November | Great Britain |
8–25 | Wigan | 15,506 | |
| 4 November | Widnes | 32–12 | Widnes | 5,200 | |
| 9 November | Great Britain |
6–6 | Leeds | 22,209 | This match counted towards the 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup |
| 13 November | Lancashire | N/a | Oldham | Postponed due to a frozen pitch | |
| 17 November | Hull | 33–10 | Hull | 8,500 | |
| 20 November | Invitational XIII | 20–8 | Paris | 1,500 | |
| 24 November | France |
22–0 | Marseille | 1,492 | |
| 28 November | Midi-Pyrenees XIII | 18–12 | Toulouse | 3,000 | |
| 1 December | Languedoc/Roussillon XIII | 66–1 | Carcassonne | 5,000 | |
| 7 December | France |
22–0 | Perpignan | 5,000 | This match counted towards the 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup |
| 10 December | Rest of the World | 22–10 | Narbonne | 700 | |
| 12 December | Aquitane/Côte d'Azur | 22–10 | Bordeaux | 1,930 |
Aftermath
For the series against Great Britain, the Man of the Series was awarded to Great Britain's John Fieldhouse and Dane Sorensen for New Zealand.[8]
Notes
- ^ "France tour will go ahead". The Press. Christchurch. 26 September 1985. p. 34.
- ^ "Youth blended with experience". The Press. Christchurch. 16 August 1985. p. 32.
- ^ "Kiwis' coach unshaken by opposition". The Press. Christchurch. 4 October 1985. p. 30.
- ^ "Crequer out of Kiwis tour". The Press. Christchurch. 5 September 1985. p. 4.
- ^ "Marty Crequer called into Kiwi team". The Press. Christchurch. 11 November 1985. p. 23.
- ^ "Snags hit side to play Kiwis". The Press. Christchurch. 13 November 1985. p. 80.
- ^ "Todd in for Taylor". The Press. Christchurch. 30 October 1985. p. 64.
- ^ Fletcher & Howes (1986), p. 232.
References
- "Kiwis Tour 1985". Rugby League Project.
- Fletcher, Raymond; Howes, David, eds. (1986). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1986-87. London: Queen Anne Press. ISBN 978-0-356-12417-9.