KANGAROOS PROUD HISTORY

1930-1940
BATTLE OF BRISBANE 1932

After losing the First Test against England 8-6 in Sydney, the Kangaroos displayed tremendous courage to level the series with a 15-6 win in Brisbane, despite being down to 10 men at one stage. The match was brutal and bloody. “Trainers stood on the sidelines with buckets of water, reviving men as they were knocked out,” wrote one journalist. The Third and deciding Test was a gripping affair with the scores locked 13-all inside the final minute. English winger, Stan Smith scored his third try just before the final hooter to see the tourists retain the Ashes Trophy.

The Australian team which played in the 1932 Battle of Brisbane. Toowoomba’s Herb Steinohrt is skipper

1933-34 KANGAROOS – TRAGEDY STRIKES

Centre, Ray Morris from the University club in Sydney, died on the voyage to the UK. He was taken off the ship to a hospital on Malta, where he passed away 48 hours later, from Meningitis. He was just 25.

Australia lost the series in England 3-0, but only nine points separated the teams across the three matches. The Kangaroos kick-started rugby league in France by playing an exhibition game in Paris against England, winning 63-13, with Dave Brown scoring 27 points. French fans loved the sight of the British being humiliated, and invaded the field to embrace the Australians. The Kangaroos also won a match against Wales at London’s Wembley Stadium.

LAST TOURS BEFORE WAR

England toured Australia in 1936, winning the series despite losing the First Test 24-8. Australian prop, Ray Stehr became the first man to be sent off twice in the same series, both times for fighting.

The Kangaroos toured Britain AND France for the first time in 1937-38, losing the series in England 2-1, but winning both Tests against the French, the first in Paris and the second in Marseilles. Rugby League in France was making giant strides, with many rugby union clubs switching to the new code.

The Kangaroos played two Tests against the Kiwis in Auckland, before sailing to the UK. Australia won the First Test 12-8, but lost the return match 16-15. The Kiwis arrived in London in August, 1939, but played only two club games before returning home, after the start of World War II.