1921–22 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain

1921–22 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain
Tour match photo taken at Barrow
Date	17 September 1921 – 21 January 1922
Manager	Billy Cann and George Ball
Coach(es)	Arthur Hennessy
Tour captain(s)	Les Cubitt
Summary	P W D L
Total	36 27 00 09
Test match	03 01 00 02
Opponent	P W D L
Great Britain	3 1 0 2
Tour chronology
Previous tour	1911–12
Next tour	1929–30

The 1921–22 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain was the third ever

During 1921, the New Zealand side toured Australia, playing matches against New South Wales and Queensland, which served as selection trials for the upcoming 'Australasian' team's tour, for which only one New Zealander, Bert Laing, selected.^[3] The team wore the sky blue jersey of New South Wales and the only non-New South Welsh player to appear in a test was Queenslander Billy Richards in the third.^[4]

Billy Cann was co-manager of the Australasian touring squad along with Souths' secretary, George Ball. Secretary of the Queensland Rugby League, and football journalist Harry Sunderland also accompanied the team.^[5]

On this tour Sandy Pearce at 38 years of age became the oldest Australian international player.^[6]

New South Wales

Early in the

Queensland

New Zealand

The sole New Zealand player that accompanied the Australians on tour has been listed in the

Before sailing for England the team stopped in New Zealand for an exhibition match at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.^[9] Also during the tour, the Northern Rugby Football Union tried to arrange a match in Paris, but opposition from the RFU-aligned French Rugby Federation made it impossible.^[10]

After arriving in England, the Kangaroos played four matches against local clubs before the first Ashes test, winning all of them with dominant margins:

First Ashes test

1 October 1921

Great Britain	6–5	Australia
Tries: Billy Stone Goals:	[11]	Tries: Cec Blinkhorn Goals: Jim Craig (1)

Headingley, Leeds Attendance: 31,700 Referee: Frank Renton (England)

The Kangaroos' winning streak came to an end when they played against England. Australasia led 5–3 at the break and the match seemed to be theirs when Frank Burge scored a late try, but it was disallowed by referee Frank Renton. Thus, a sole second-half try from the British close to full-time was enough for them to win it.

10 October 1921	England	5–4	Australasia	Highbury, London
	Tries: Frank Todd Goals: Tom Clarkson (1)	[12]	Goals: Goals: Bert Gray (1) Duncan Thompson (1)	Attendance: 12,000

At halftime York led 4–3 in a game that "was characterised by rough and scrambling play, minor injuries being numerous."^[15]

Second Ashes test

5 November 1921

Great Britain	2–16	Australia
Goals: Johnny Rogers Goals:	[16]	Tries: Cec Blinkhorn (2) Harold Horder Dick Vest Goals: Duncan Thompson (2)

The Boulevard, Hull Attendance: 21,504 Referee: R. Robinson

In the second Test the scores were 2-all at half-time, but after that the Australian backline of Horder, Carstairs, Vest and Blinkhorn cut loose. The Kangaroos scored 4 tries to nil, the win setting up the third and final Test as the Ashes decider. This was also the last Test in the international career of Sandy Pearce and made him the oldest ever Kangaroo.

The Kangaroos played sixteen more tour matches between the second and third Tests:

Up to and including the final Kangaroo Tour which included matches against English club sides in 1994, this would be the highest ever score by the Kangaroos. The closest The Kangaroos ever came to this score was an 80–2 win over the Sheffield Eagles in 1994.

10 December 1921	Wales	16–21	Australasia	Taff Vale Park, Pontypridd
	Goals: Jim Sullivan (1)	[17]	Tries: Cec Blinkhorn, Frank Burge, Jim Craig, Harold Horder, Albert Johnston Goals: Duncan Thompson (3)	Attendance: 13,000

Among those present for this match was the UK's

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2 January 1922	Hunslet	10–19	Australasia	Parkside, Hunslet
	Tries: 2 Goals: 2		Tries: 5 Goals: 2	Attendance: 3,174

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7 January 1922	Cumberland	12–25	Australasia	Lonsdale Park, Workington
	Tries: 2 Goals: 3		Tries: 7 Goals: 2	Attendance: 5,000

Third Ashes test

14 January 1922

Great Britain	6–0	Australia
Tries: Herman Hilton F Gallagher Goals:	[19]	Tries: Goals:

The Willows, Salford Attendance: 22,000 Referee: R. Jones

Great Britain	Position	Australia
Gwyn Thomas	FB	Charles Fraser (c)
Danny Hurcombe	WG	Cec Blinkhorn
Jim Bacon	CE	Dick Vest
Harold Wagstaff (c)	CE	George Carstairs
Jim Owen	WG	Harold Horder
John Greenall	SO	Harry Caples
Johnny Rogers	SH	Duncan Thompson
Arthur Skelhorne	PR	Bill Schultz
Joe Cartwright	HK	Clarrie Prentice
Billy Cunliffe	PR	Felix Ryan
Herman Hilton	SR	Reg Latta
Bob Taylor	SR	Bill Richards
Frank Gallagher	LF	Frank Burge
	Coach

The decider was played on a heavy, snow-bound field, much to the dismay of the fleet-footed Kangaroos. Early in the match the Australians were reduced to twelve men when Chook Fraser suffered a broken leg.[20] In what was described as "a bruising encounter", Herman Hilton took a pass from his captain, the "prince of centres", Harold Wagstaff to dive over, taking two defenders over the try-line with him.^[21] The final score was 6–0 to the home side.^[22] By winning this third and deciding test of the series, Britain claimed the Ashes.

By the end of the tour, Australian three-quarter, Cec Blinkhorn, had scored 39 tries in 29 matches, which still stands as the record for most tries scored on a Kangaroo tour.^[23] The other winger, Harold Horder scored 35, and forward Frank Burge was not far behind with 33 tries from 23 games.^[24]

The team travelled back to Australia on the Orvieto, arriving in