The 1984 Great Britain Lions tour was the Great Britain national rugby league team's 17th tour of Australasia and took place from May to August 1984. A total of 24 matches were played against local club and representative sides during the tour, including a three match Test match series against Australia and New Zealand respectively, and one Test match against Papua New Guinea.
| 1984 Great Britain Lions tour | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 18 May 1984 – 5 August 1984 | ||||
| Manager | Dick Gemmell | ||||
| Coach(es) | Frank Myler | ||||
| Tour captain(s) | Brian Noble | ||||
| Top point scorer(s) | Mick Burke (80) | ||||
| Top try scorer(s) | Ellery Hanley (12) | ||||
| Summary |
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| Total |
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| Test match |
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| Opponent |
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 Australia |
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 New Zealand |
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 Papua New Guinea |
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| Tour chronology | |||||
| Previous tour | 1979 | ||||
| Next tour | 1988 | ||||
It was the first tour since 1950 in which Great Britain lost both series against Australia and New Zealand, and the first tour ever where they failed to win a Test against either team.
Touring squad
In preparation for the tour, Great Britain coach Frank Myler and tour manager Dick Gemmell invited a squad of 44 players to attend a series of training camps during the summer of 1983.[1] In February 1984, a squad of 41 players was named, which would participate in weekly training sessions at Fartown, Huddersfield.[1] Some clubs were unhappy with being asked to release players during the middle of the season, most notably Widnes, who had 10 players selected for the training squad. Prior to the second Test match against France on 17 February 1984, Widnes refused to make their players available for the training sessions – John Basnett was the only Widnes player who attended. Myler responded by excluding the absent players from Test selection, with Basnett being the only Widnes player named thus far.[2]
Prior to the final squad for the tour being named, a number of players became unavailable for selection for various reasons. Steve Evans was unavailable due to his wedding plans in the summer,[1] while John Woods withdrew due to "family and business commitments".[3] Peter Smith announced he would not be available due to a shoulder injury.[4] David Watkinson was also ruled out due to injury, suffering a broken leg in the first Test match against France.[5] David Hall had recently taken over a public house and asked not to be considered, while John Wood withdrew for family reasons.[1]
A 30-man squad for the tour was selected in April 1984.[6] The squad included 18-year-old Garry Schofield, who became Great Britain's youngest ever tourist. After the squad was named, Len Casey was dropped after receiving a six-month suspension,[7] while Great Britain captain Trevor Skerrett was ruled out due to injury. Wayne Proctor and Chris Arkwright were called up as replacements, and Brian Noble was named as team captain in place of the injured Skerrett.[8] Shortly before the tour departed, Arkwright was withdrawn from the squad on medical advice because of a damaged knee, and was replaced by Terry Flanagan.[9]
Results
Australia
25 May 1984 |
| North Coast | 6 – 56 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
Wauchope |
First Test
9 June 1984 |
| Australia | 25 – 8 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Boustead, Lewis, Murray, Price Goals: Conlon (4) Drop goals: Lewis | [11] | Tries: Schofield Goals: Burke (2) |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Attendance: 30,190 Referee: Ray Shrimpton Player of the Match: Wally Lewis |
Second Test
Third Test
7 July 1984 |
| Australia | 20 – 7 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Conescu, Grothe, Jack Goals: Meninga (4) | [12] | Tries: Hanley Goals: Burke Drop goals: Holding |
New Zealand
10 July 1984 |
| Northern District | 8 – 42 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Smeath, Campbell | [13] | Tries: Basnett, Proctor, Adams, Beardmore, Clark, Gregory, Joyner, Smith Goals: Hobbs (4), Proctor |
First Test
18 July 1984 |
| Central Districts | 6 – 38 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Rasmussen Goals: Miritana | [15] | Tries: Gregory (2), Noble (2), Donlan, Smith, Clark Goals: Burke (4), Lydon |
Second Test
22 July 1984 |
| New Zealand | 28 – 12 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: O'Hara (2), Ah Kuoi, Bell, Leuluai Goals: Filipaina (4) | [16] | Tries: Hanley, Myler Goals: Burke (2) |
Addington Showgrounds, Christchurch Attendance: 9,824 Referee: Barry Barnes Player of the Match: Dane Sorensen |
Third Test
28 July 1984 |
| New Zealand | 32 – 16 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Friend (2), Leuluai (2), O'Hara Goals: Filipaina (6) | [17] | Tries: Hanley, Mumby Goals: Burke (4) |
Carlaw Park, Auckland Attendance: 7,967 Referee: Kevin Roberts Player of the Match: Olsen Filipaina[18] |
31 July 1984 |
| Auckland | 18 – 16 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Cooper (2), Lovett Goals: Lovett (3) | [19] | Tries: Goodway (2), Mumby Goals: Hobbs (2) |
Papua New Guinea
5 August 1984 |
| Papua New Guinea | 20 – 38 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Jakis, Noifa, Taumaku, Tolik Goals: Numapo (2) | [20] | Tries: Drummond (2), Burke, Hanley, Hobbs, Mumby, Rayne Goals: Burke (5) |