The 1959–60 Kangaroo tour was the tenth Kangaroo tour, in which the Australian national rugby league team traveled to Europe and played thirty-seven matches against British, French and Italian teams, including the Ashes series of three Test matches against Great Britain, two Test matches against the French and an additional two non-Test matches against an Italian representative team. It followed the tour of 1956-57 and the next was staged in 1963-64.
Contents
The squad's leadership
The team was coached by Clive Churchill. The team captain was Balmain Tigers Fullback Keith Barnes and while the vice-captain was Manly-Warringah's dual rugby international Rex Mossop. Tour co-managers were Jack Argent and Ern Keffer.
Great Britain
The largest non-test attendance of the tour was 29,156 when the Kangaroos defeated St Helens at Knowsley Road.
The Ashes series
The Ashes series against Great Britain saw an aggregate crowd of 91,604 attending the Test series. The largest attendance of the tour came during the Kangaroos 22-14 first test win over Great Britain at Station Road in Swinton with 35,224 in attendance.
First Test
The first Ashes series test was played at Station Road, Swinton and drew the tours largest attendance of 35,224. Australia won the first test 22-14 with Reg Gasnier the man of the match with 3 tries.
5 days prior to the match against Bradford Northern, the Kangaroos played the first test against France.
Second Test
The Kangaroos went within one penalty goal of becoming the first All-Australian team to win The Ashes on British soil and the first touring side to win The Ashes since 1911-12. However, the Lions survived and the series would go on to a deciding 3rd test.
Third Test
This would be the final time that Great Britain (or England) would win The Ashes on home soil (as of 2016).
France
The first two games of the French leg of the tour were actually played while The Kangaroos were still completing the British leg.
First Test
Australia won the first test against the French at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Kangaroos winger Eddie Lumsden crossed for 3 tries while legendary winger Ken Irvine made the first of 33 test appearances for Australia.
The game against the French Army XIII was played 4 days before the third Ashes test against Great Britain
Italy
To finish the tour, the Kangaroos played two games against an Italian representative team.
Ken Irvine crossed for 6 tries in this game.