The Great Britain national rugby league team represents Great Britain in rugby league. Administered by the Rugby Football League (RFL), the team is nicknamed the Lions.
The team, referred to as "England" (despite being distinct from the England national rugby league team) before 1950, toured overseas for most of the 20th century, played against foreign touring teams, and competed in the Rugby League World Cup, which they won three times, in 1954, 1960 and 1972.
Since 1995, the RFL has sent separate home nations teams to the World Cup. Great Britain continued to compete as a Test playing nation both home and away. They competed against Australia for the Ashes, and New Zealand for the Baskerville Shield, as well the Tri-Nations series with both Australia and New Zealand. Great Britain also played in series and tours against France, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
In 2006, the RFL announced that after the 2007 All Golds Tour the Great Britain team would no longer compete on a regular basis. Instead players would represent England, Wales and Scotland at Test level, and it was planned that the Great Britain team would come together in future only for occasional tours.
The Lions most recently played in 2019, in a tour of Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.
History Early years Initially Great Britain were represented by a team made up of players from the Northern Rugby Football Union, known simply as the "Northern Union" side. On 25 January 1908, the first ever Great Britain test match took place at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds, versus New Zealand. At the time, Great Britain were referred to as the "Northern Union" – they won the game 14–6 before a crowd of 8,000. The second test went to New Zealand by 18–6, before 14,000 at Stamford Bridge, London. The third test was played at Cheltenham, and 4,000 watched New Zealand win 8–5.
The first Kangaroos arrived in England on 27 September 1908, they toured Britain, losing more games than they won. They played their first ever test against the Northern Union in December at Loftus Road, London; a last minute penalty against the Kangaroos for an obstruction play handed England a goal and a 22-all draw in front of a crowd of 2,000. The second test in Newcastle in January 1909 attracted a crowd of 22,000, and the Northern Union won 15–5. The third test was played at Villa Park, Birmingham, the Northern Union winning again 6–5 before a crowd of 9,000. The Australians suggested that the series should be named "the Ashes" after the cricket series of the same name.
The first British tour of the Southern Hemisphere began on 4 June 1910 captained by James Lomas. The Northern Union played New South Wales in front of 33,000 spectators in Sydney, losing 28–14. But they won the first test in Sydney against Australia 27–20 in front of 42,000 at the old Sydney Showground. They then won the second test in Brisbane 22–17. The tourists also recorded a 13-all draw against a combined Australasian side in front of over 42,000 at the Agricultural Ground. These tests have been credited as making rugby league the predominant code of rugby football in Australia, a situation which continues to this day. Upon arriving in Auckland on 17 July, the team was accorded a mayoral reception. On 30 July, they defeated New Zealand 52–20.
The second Lions tour down under in 1914, led by Harold Wagstaff, became the stuff of legend. They played three Tests in eight days with the first two in three days. After sharing the first two tests, Great Britain finished with only 10 men due to injuries, but still managed to hang on for a 14–6 victory in Sydney in July 1914. It was dubbed "Rorke's Drift test", after a battle in the Anglo-Zulu War.Rorkes Drift, Virtual Rugby League Hall of Fame
The inter-war period Great Britain defeated a touring Australian side 2–1 in the 1921–22 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain to win back the Ashes that had been lost in 1920. They were not lost again until 1950.
The 1924 Lions added the red and blue chevron to the all-white jersey.
On the 1928 tour of Australasia, Great Britain lost only five of 24 tour matches. The Lions won the first Test 15–12. On Saturday 14 July 1928, when Great Britain met Australia in the second Test on a sea of mud at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Lions won 8–0, containing the Kangaroos who, for the only time in Test match history, failed to score on home soil. After clinching the Test series, the Lions lost the final Test. They were presented with the Ashes Trophy by the Australians, which the two countries have competed for ever since.
Great Britain then set off for New Zealand, where they lost the first Test. On Saturday 18 August 1928 the Lions travelled to Tahuna Park, Dunedin, for the second Test. The Lions led 7–5 at the interval and went on to win 13–5. Seven days later the Lions won the third Test 6–5 to clinch the series two Tests to one. Before coming home they played some missionary games in Canada, which led to the formation of a rugby league competition in that country.
On 5 October 1929, Australia won the first Test at the Boulevard, Hull 31–8. Great Britain won the second 9–3 at Headingley, Leeds on 9 November 1929. The third test, held at Station Road, Swinton, resulted in a 0–0 draw with Australia having a try disallowed in the last minute. With the series tied 1–1, an unprecedented fourth test was played at the Athletic Grounds, Rochdale. Britain won the test 3–0 to take the Ashes.
Britain again won the Ashes in 1932. In 1932 the police locked the SCG gates after 70,204 crammed into the SCG. This remained the world record test match attendance until eclipsed by the 73,631 who attended the 1992 World Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
On New Year's Eve 1933 in Paris, England and Australia play the first game of rugby league in France. The match was one sided, with Australia winning 63–13 in front of a crowd of 5,000, but the seed was sown.
Jim Sullivan was asked to go again as captain of the 1936 tourists, but declined on the grounds of his wife's ill health. Britain again won the Ashes in 1936.
Post-war The 1946 Great Britain Lions tour saw the team sail to Australia on HMS Indomitable. After a five-day train journey across Australia, Gus Risman's team retained the Ashes, drawing the first Test and winning the other two Tests to become the only touring side to remain unbeaten on a tour of Australia.
In 1947, Roy Francis was the first of a long line of black players to be capped by Great Britain.
Australia made their 7th tour to the UK in 1948, and this time played the Ashes series against a side officially called Great Britain. Great Britain won both games 16–7 and 23–21.
In 1950, the British Lions returned to Perth soundly beating a full Western Australia team at Claremont Showground. In the Ashes series against Clive Churchill's Australians, the 1950 touring side led by Bradford Northern's Ernest Ward had the unfortunate distinction of being the first England/Great Britain team to lose the Ashes since 1920. Great Britain won the opening game 6–4 on an SCG mudheap, but lost the second test played on a dry track at the Brisbane Cricket Ground 15–3. Returning to Sydney the third test was played again on a mudheap, as Sydney was lashed by wet weather. The game was in the balance at 2–2 until Australian winger Ron Roberts crossed in front of the Paddington Stand to seal the 5–2 win.
On Saturday 10 November 1951 the first televised rugby league match was broadcast from Station Road, Swinton, where Great Britain met New Zealand in the second Test of the 1951 series. A last-minute penalty saw the home side triumph by 20–19. The first Test was played at Odsal, Bradford, and the third Test at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds.
Dickie Williams was captain of Great Britain for the 1954 tour of Australia, a gruelling schedule which lasted just over 3 months, and included 22 matches in Australia with a further 10 in New Zealand. In one match against New South Wales the referee left the field in disgust at the players' persistent fighting after 56 minutes, so the match was abandoned. The first Test was held at the SCG, Sydney, and was won by Australia. 47,096 people attended the Great Britain versus Australia Test on 3 July 1954 at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, which is still the ground's attendance record for any sport. The most famous incident of the tour took place on Saturday 10 July, the weekend before the third Test. With the series level at one win each, the Great Britain management decided to rest most of their Test players and field a side which was predominantly made up of forwards for the game against New South Wales. The match was an exceptionally brutal affair and was abandoned in the second half after a brawl between all 26 players. Great Britain lost the deciding third Test 20–16 in Sydney in front of 67,577 fans.
1954–1960: World Cup debut
Prior to the 1957 World Cup held in Australia, Great Britain played three matches against France, alternating between venues in Great Britain and France. Great Britain won two and drew one of the fixtures: 45–12 Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds; 19–19 Stade Municipal, Toulouse; 29–14 Knowsley Road, St. Helens.
The first Rugby League World Cup took place in France in October and November 1954. Dave Valentine's side, without most of the first choice internationals was not expected to do well, but beat Australia and New Zealand to finish top of the table level on points with France. The final, played at the Parc des Princes packed with 30,000 fans, took place on 13 November, where Great Britain beat France 16–12. Second-row forward Don Robinson was named man of the match.
On 11 December 1955 the first official Test match took place between Great Britain and France, at Parc des Princes, the French winning 17–5.
The Kangaroos toured in 1956, Great Britain won the first Test 21–10 at Central Park, Wigan and Australia won the second 9–22 at Odsal, Bradford. Great Britain defeated Australia 19–0 in the third Test held at Station Road, Swinton, to take the Ashes series 2–1.
Britain were the favourites to win the second World Cup. A group stage was held first. Great Britain beat France 23–5 at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, lost 6–31 to Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, and 21–29 to New Zealand at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney. Australia won all three of their games and were declared the champions as the organisers decided no official final was necessary. Great Britain finished second.
After the 1957 World Cup series in Australia, Alan Prescott's team went to New Zealand and then stopped off in South Africa to play some missionary games. Mixed-race Billy Boston flew home directly and alone, as apartheid was still in force. Both teams regarded the matches as mere exhibitions and engaged in a "touch" type of football at Benoni, Gauteng. The British team played with more gusto in the second match at Durban but the French team refused to take the game seriously. Feelings ran high between the two visiting teams after this match with the French players expressing resentment at Britain's sudden volte-face. It was anticipated that the third match at East London, in view of the strained relations now existing between both teams, would prove a thriller. This supposed grudge match did not eventuate, and the series faded out with Britain again winning with ease.
Great Britain played two matches against France after the 1957 World Cup, alternating between venues in Great Britain and France. Great Britain won both tests; 14–25 at Stade Municipal, Toulouse; 44–15 at Central Park, Wigan.