Kiwi rugby league players take the field
The touring Kiwis signalled danger ahead for the Kangaroos when they demolished New South Wales in the second match of their 1956 Australian tour.
The Kangaroos were looking to save face in the eyes of Australian supporters after losing the 1955 home series against the Jacques Merquey’ captained French side.
But New Zealand, who had won the series the previous time they toured in 1952, made it clear they would not be a pushover with centre Bill Sorensen scoring three tries while fullback Des White landed seven goals.
Lock Frank Mulcare scored the Kiwis’ first try and tourists led 14-5 at halftime, never looking in danger of defeat, their fast-moving defence frustrating the Blues.
In the days of contested scrums the Blues’ former Wallaby hooker Ken Kearney won the scrums 24-16 so New South Wales had no excuses with fans in the 30,000 plus crowd venting their displeasure.
Australian Associated Press’s correspondent (not named in his report) wrote that NSW fullback Ron Willey was ‘pathetic”. “He (Willey) received a bad knock early and this apparently unsettled him.”
Willey probably had concussion and under today’s guidelines would have been taken from the field.
New Zealand has opened their tour a few days earlier with a tight 19-16 win over Western Division at Lithgow. Mulcare and fellow forward Cliff Johnson were the tourists’ best. The mobility of the Kiwi pack was one of the tourists’ big strengths.
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