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1979 England rugby union tour of Japan, Fiji and Tonga

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In 1979 an England rugby union touring team toured Japan, Fiji and Tonga. The tourists won all their seven matches, scoring 270 points and conceding only 93. Only the first international against Japan was close, with Japan leading 19–15 going into injury time – a converted try by Peter Squires allowed England to win the match.

Contents

England did not award full international caps for the matches against Japan, Fiji and Tonga and the tourists played under the name of England XV rather than England in those games. The Welsh referee Clive Norling travelled with the party and refereed five of the matches. The leading tour points scorer was Huw Davies, with 60 points, and the leading try-scorers were John Carleton (9 tries) and Mike Slemen (7 tries).

The visit to Tonga was the first time that a major rugby nation had visited the country.

Matches

Scores and results list England's points tally first.

Touring party

  • Manager: Budge Rogers
  • Assistant Manager: Mike Davis
  • Captain: Bill Beaumont
  • Full back

  • Dusty Hare (Leicester)
  • Alastair Hignell (Bristol)
  • Three-quarters

  • Peter Squires (Harrogate)
  • Mike Slemen (Liverpool)
  • John Carleton (Orrell)
  • Paul Dodge (Leicester)
  • Richard Cardus (Roundhay)
  • A. L. McMillan (Gosforth)
  • Half-backs

  • Neil Bennett (London Welsh)
  • Huw Davies (Cardiff)
  • Chris Gifford (Moseley)
  • Ian Peck (Bedford)
  • Forwards

  • John Scott (Cardiff)
  • Toby Allchurch (Durham University)
  • Nigel Pomphrey (Bristol)
  • R. J. Mordell (Rosslyn Park)
  • Mike Rafter (Bristol)
  • Bill Beaumont (Fylde)
  • Maurice Colclough (Angoulême)
  • J. L. Butler (Gosforth)
  • Colin Smart (Newport)
  • Gary Pearce (Northampton)
  • R. J. Doubleday (Bristol)
  • Peter Wheeler (Leicester)
  • J. A. G. D. Raphael (Bective Rangers)
  • References

    1979 England rugby union tour of Japan, Fiji and Tonga Wikipedia