KANGAROOS PROUD HISTORY

This is a continuation of the series of the History of the Kangaroos which Steve Ricketts compiled at the request of then Australian coach, Mal Meninga ahead of the 2024 Pacific Cup. The decade by decade look at our National Rugby League side was contained in a booklet (Printed by Gavin Allen’s company Crystal Print Media) which was presented to the players when they went into camp.

CHAPTER 11 | 1990 -2000

BIG MAL
The first half of the decade belonged to Mal Meninga , who succeeded Wally Lewis as captain of the Kangaroos. Mal led Australia to Ashes success in Britain and France in 1990 and ’94, as well as home Test series wins over Britain (1992) and the Kiwis (1991 & ’93); Papua New Guinea (’92) and France (’90). ‘Big Mal’s impact in Britain was such he was named BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year in 1990. Mal is the only man to have made four full scale Kangaroo tours of Britain and France.

The Test against France in 1990 was played at Parkes and saw the debut of future Australian captain, Laurie Daley. The Kangaroos won 34-2 with two more debutants – Brad Mackay and Mark McGaw – scoring three tries and two tries respectively. There was a one-off Test against the Kiwis in Wellington, with the Kangaroos winning 24-6. The focus was on the Kangaroo tour at the end of the year.

Wally Lewis had suffered a broken arm playing for the Broncos in what would prove his last season at the club, and he failed a medical at the end of the season.

Australia suffered a shock 19-12 loss to Great Britain in the First Test at Wembley and the Brits believed it was their destiny to win back the Ashes, which they had surrendered to Australia in 1973.

There was a full house for the return match at Old Trafford, and with 11 minutes to go it was 10-all after giant British centre, Paul Loughlin intercepted a Ricky Stuart pass to score out wide. He had a chance to improve the position, but elected to show-off with a dive. Paul Eastwood missed the conversion after first choice kicker, Loughlin declined to take the kick.

A draw looked the most likely result as the clock ticked down to fulltime, but Stuart made amends by dummying past British hooker, Lee Jackson and racing 70 metres until the cover defence converged. Then, on his inside, skipper Meninga arrived to score a try that ranks among the greatest ever in Test-match football. British centre, Garry Schofield said Jackson was the last man in the team that he would expect to take a dummy. But it is likely Jackson went for an intercept, knowing a draw was as good as a loss, in terms of winning back the Ashes, because if Britain lost the Third Test, Australia would retain the trophy anyway.

The Kangaroos were at their dominant best in the deciding Test at Elland Road, Leeds, winning 14-0. Australia then made easy work of the French in Tests at Avignon and Perpignan.

The Kiwis toured in 1991, kicking off the Test series in Melbourne where Meninga captained the side, despite the return of Lewis. Australia lost 24-8, and that spelt the end of Lewis’s glittering international career. It was the start of Steve Walters’ time in green and gold, and the selectors showed good judgement in sticking with the Canberra number 9, with Australia winning the next two Tests 44-0 in Sydney and then 40-12 in Brisbane in the decider, which saw Meninga named Man of the Match. Peter Jackson replaced his hero, Lewis, at five eighth. Lock Bob Lindner was close to Australia’s best in the First Test before breaking his leg, his place going to Brad Clyde for the rest of the series.

Great Britain toured in 1992, with 10,000 supporters following a side captained by Leeds’ superstar, Garry Schofield. Things looked bleak for the tourists after a 22-6 loss in the First Test in Sydney, but they hit back with an amazing 33-10 thrashing of the Kangaroos at Princes Park, Melbourne, home of Carlton’s AFL team. It seemed more like a British home game with the ‘barmy army’ in the stands and Melbourne’s English expatriates out in force. The cold, slippery conditions also suited the tourists, who scored five tries to two.

The decider in Brisbane was highly anticipated, and the crowd of 32,313 saw a true Ashes battle, with the Kangaroos winning 16-10. On that night ‘Big Mal’ became Australia’s longest serving Test player and the highest points scorer in Anglo-Australian Tests as well as becoming the highest points scorer in Test-match history.

The Kangaroos toured New Zealand in 1993, and the interest in the code across the Tasman was at an all time high with the Auckland Warriors set to debut in the ‘Winfield Cup’ in 1995. A club suspension ruled Meninga out of the First Test in Auckland, with his Raiders’ teammate, Laurie Daley taking the reins. It took two field goals by Daley to salvage a 14-all draw in Auckland.

The second Test at Palmerston North saw Australia play near perfect football in a 16-8 victory, but the night was quite farcical with footballs kicked into the crowd, not returning. At one stage there were no footballs available, and everyone, ball kids included, were standing around with hands on hips.

The Third Test was played back in Brisbane with the Kangaroos winning 16-4 in what proved to be ‘Big Mal’s last Test in Brisbane, where he rose to fame with the Souths Magpies. It was also the farewell Test for his former Brisbane Souths’ teammate, Bob Lindner.

By the time of the 1994 Ashes series in England, there were nearly 10,000 Australian fans following the Kangaroos through the UK and France. Kangaroo tours had become a boon for travel companies. The interest in International rugby league was sky high.

After leading the Canberra Raiders to a win over Canterbury in the 1994 Grand Final, ‘Big Mal’ embarked on his last crusade. Just like 1990, the Australians lost at Wembley, even though Britain were reduced to 12 men after just 26 minutes when Australian referee, Graham Annesley sent off Shaun Edwards for a shocking high shot on Bradley Clyde. This time there was no thriller in the return match at Old Trafford – the Kangaroos won 38-8, and they backed that up with a 23-4 win in the Third Test in Leeds.

As well as those Test series there was a World Cup Final at Wembley in 1992, with Meninga leading the Kangaroos to a win over Britain, with Steve Renouf scoring the winning try from an ‘out ball’ from Kevin Walters. Meninga’s sideline conversion gave Australia a 10-6 lead, which they protected until fulltime. The crowd of 73,361, was a record for Test Rugby League.

THE GREAT DIVIDE

Super League aligned players were ignored for the 1995 International campaigns, but the Kangaroos still reigned supreme under Bob Fulton’s coaching, with Australia winning a home series against the Kiwis, and then claiming the World Cup Final at Wembley – against England – with Brad Fittler Australia’s new skipper. The 1995 tournament marked the Centenary of the game in the UK. 

Future Immortal, Andrew Johns made his Test debut in 1995, in the Trans-Tasman series. The Kiwi side was essentially the strongest available, but as mentioned before, the Kangaroos were chosen from 50 percent of the available players. Newcastle’s Andrew ‘Joey’ Johns was one of the ARL’s pin-up boys, making his New South Wales and Australian debuts in 1995, and later becoming one of the Game’s Immortals.

Australia lost the opening game of the World Cup against England at Wembley, but then easily accounted for South Africa and Fiji to advance to the semi-finals, where they confronted New Zealand in Huddersfield. Australia led 20-6, but the Kiwis fought back to send the match into extra time. Australia had the better of extra time with Terry Hill and Geoff Toovey grabbing tries, for the Kangaroos to finish 30-20 victors.

So it was back to Wembley for the final against England, who had beaten Wales at Old Trafford. The Kangaroos, as the only side not aligned with Super League, were not meant to win – not according to the script. But ‘Joey’ Johns was simply magnificent, and the Kangaroos won 18-6. Prince Edward presented the World Cup to Brad Fittler and Johns was named player of the tournament.

There was a cloud over the 1996 season. The Australian Rugby League had won the first court battle against Super League, which meant there was still one competition, and players from both sides of the great divide would be available for the State of Origin series.

But the Kangaroos one and only Test that year was against a Fijian side, in Newcastle, with Super League aligned players declaring themselves unavailable. The Kangaroos won 84-14, with most in the crowd of close to 20,000 there to see local heroes, the Johns brothers, Andrew and Matt; Paul ‘Chief’ Harragon and Adam Muir.

In 1997 the Australian team which toured England under the coaching of John Lang, was selected solely from the ranks of Super League aligned players. There were two club competitions in 1997 – one under the control of the Australian Rugby League, and the other conducted by Super League – after the Court of Appeal overturned the original ruling favouring the ARL over News Ltd, the financiers of Super League. Captained by Laurie Daley, the 1997 Australians won the series 2-1 over the Lions.

The ARL was searching for opposition, and came up with a match against a World team chosen from players it had under contract, including former All Black, Craig Innes and British superstars, Gary Connolly and Jason Robinson. British legend, Mal Reilly, who was coaching Newcastle, was put in charge of the World side and, captained by Adrian Lam, they led at halftime in the match at Lang Park, before the Kangaroos ran out 28-8 winners.

PEACE IN OUR TIME

After the ARL and SL settled their differences, with the formation of the NRL, the International program resumed with a Trans-Tasman series. The Kiwis won the First Test at North Harbour, but the Australians claimed the Trophy by winning the two end-of-season Tests, one in Brisbane, the other in Auckland.

Bob Fulton coached Australia at North Harbour, but then stood down because of a family illness. Wayne Bennett, who had coached Queensland to success in the Origin series, took the reins for the remaining two Tests, and Allan Langer was appointed captain.

The Test match at North Harbour was a disaster for ‘new boy’, Darren Lockyer at fullback. The game is regarded as Lockyer’s International debut, but, of course, he had played four Super League Tests against full strength Kiwi and British outfits in 1997. Still, it was the first time he had worn the official Australian jumper, and he cut a desolate figure back at the team hotel after the match.

Lockyer more than made up with it in future years, going on to play a record 59 Tests, as well as captaining Australia a record 38 times, and proving our most successful skipper. He also proved himself the best player in the world at fullback, and then the best in the world at his new position, five eighth.

A Tri-series was played for the first time in 1999, with Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand the competing nations. The Kiwis beat the Kangaroos in a round robin game in Auckland, but Australia got revenge in the final, winning 22-20 in a thriller. Future code hoppers, Mat Rogers and Wendell Sailor were simply outstanding. Andy Farrell, who coached the British and Irish Lions’ rugby union side in Australia in 2025, was captain of the British side, which failed to win a game in a disastrous campaign.

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