Просмотр кода страницы Английская Википедия:1946 Great Britain Lions tour

{{Английская Википедия/Панель перехода}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox Tour Rugby
| image = 
| caption = 
| manager = W. Poppleton and W. Gabbatt
| coach = 
| captain = [[Gus Risman]]
| top point scorer = [[Ernest Ward]] 101
| top try scorer = [[Jimmy Lewthwaite]] 25
| top test point scorer = [[Arthur Bassett (rugby)|Arthur Bassett]] 15
| top test try scorer = [[Arthur Bassett (rugby)|Arthur Bassett]] 5
| matchplayed = 27
| matchwon = 21
| matchdraw = 1
| matchlost = 5
| testplayed = 4
| testwon = 2
| testdraw = 1
| testlost = 1
| opponent1 = [[Australia national rugby league team|Australia]]
| played1 = 3
| won1 = 2
| draw1 = 1
| lost1 = 0
| opponent2 = [[New Zealand national rugby league team|New Zealand]]
| played2 = 1
| won2 = 0
| draw2 = 0
| lost2 = 1
| previous = [[1936 Great Britain Lions tour|1936]]
| next =  [[1950 Great Britain Lions tour|1950]] 
}}
The '''1946 Great Britain Lions tour''' was a tour by the [[Great Britain national rugby league team]] of Australia and New Zealand which took place between April and August 1946. The tour involved a schedule of 27 games: 20 in Australia including a three-test series against Australia for [[The Ashes (rugby league)|the Ashes]], and a further 7 in New Zealand including one test match against New Zealand.

Captained by [[Gus Risman]], the Lions returned home having won 21, drawn 1 and lost 5 of their games. The team lost the test match against New Zealand but in winning the Ashes against Australia 2–0 (with one match drawn) they became the only Great Britain team to date to be unbeaten in a Test series against Australia in Australia.<ref name="Guardian Joe Egan">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/nov/26/joe-egan |title=Joe Egan obituary |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=26 November 2012 |access-date=27 June 2017}}</ref>

Despite being a British team – 11 of the squad were Welsh – the team played, and were often referred to by both the press at home and away, as England.  The team became known by the nickname '''The Indomitables''' due to their travelling to Australia on-board the aircraft carrier {{HMS|Indomitable|92|06}}.

The tour was the first major sporting series played abroad by a British side in any sport after the [[Second World War]].<ref name="Guardian Joe Egan"/>

==Background==
In September 1945 the Australian [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Australia)|Minister for External Affairs]], [[H. V. Evatt]] issued an invitation to the [[Rugby Football League]] (RFL) to send a team to Australia during the summer of 1946.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000332/19450904/094/0004 |title=British Rugby invited to Australia |newspaper=[[Lincolnshire Echo]] |page=4 |date=4 September 1945 |issue=((15,313)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> The RFL were at first unsure about accepting due to the state of the game in Britain after the war but after consulting with the clubs,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000273/19451020/086/0006 |title=Yes or No to Australia |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Evening Post]] |date=20 October 1945 |page=6 |issue=((17,156)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> the offer was accepted on a 19–4 vote in October 1945 subject to suitable travelling arrangements being made.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19451025/063/0003 |title=Rugby League vote for tour |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Post]] |page=3 |date=25 October 1945 |issue=((30,635)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>

The issue of transport to Australia almost resulted in the tour being cancelled; the travel arrangements were the responsibility of the Australian authorities who were unable to find passage on a commercial ship. As late as the beginning of March 1946 there was a likelihood that the tour would not go ahead.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000711/19460304/133/0004 |title=Tour may be off |newspaper=[[Lancashire Evening Post]] |page=4 |date=4 March 1946 |issue=((18,421)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>  Eventually the [[High Commission of Australia, London|Australian High Commission]] in London arranged transport on the Royal Navy aircraft carrier {{HMS|Indomitable|92|06}}, the first time a rugby league team had travelled by warship.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206796230 |title=Navy sets a precedent |newspaper=[[The Age]] |issue=((28,364))  |date=21 March 1946  |page=1 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref>

Travel to and from New Zealand was also an issue. Again the shortage of commercial shipping was the problem and in June the New Zealand leg of the tour was in jeopardy because of the unavailability of a ship back to Britain until the end of August.<ref>
{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56448659 |title=English team's tour of N.Z. in the balance |newspaper=[[Morning Bulletin]] |issue=((26,528))  |date=22 June 1946 |page=4 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref>  Arrangements were made for some of the squad to fly to Auckland from Sydney before the third test against Australia with the rest flying after the third test, and berths were found on the [[RMS Rangitiki|RMS ''Rangitiki'']].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17983781 |title=New Zealand Tour For English Team |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=((33,862)) |date=4 July 1946  |page=9 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref>

==Squad==
On previous tours it had been the practice for every playing position to be duplicated in player selection to cover for injuries but this practice was not followed for this tour, with 15 backs and only 11 forwards selected, including five centres and only three prop-forwards.<ref name=YPost120346>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19460312/058/0003 |title=Rugby League rely on experience for the Australia tour: notable omissions |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Post]] |date=12 March 1946 |page=3 |issue=((30,751)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>  The 26 man squad was announced in March 1946.  Appointed captain was [[Salford Red Devils|Salford]] {{rlp|ce}} [[Gus Risman]] with  [[Widnes Vikings|Widnes]] {{rlp|sh}} [[Tommy McCue]] as vice-captain.  Risman and McCue were the only members of the squad who had been on the previous tour to Australia and New Zealand in 1936.  The tour was one of the first to use [[Number (sports)#Rugby league|squad numbering]] rather than [[Rugby league positions#Names and numbering|position numbering]].{{sfnp|Thomson|2009|p=7}}

{{Columns-start|num=2}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Backs
! <small>Squad number</small>
! Name
! Club
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| {{rlp|FB}}s
|-
| align="center"|1 || [[Martin Ryan (rugby league)|Martin Ryan]] || [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
|-
| align="center"|2 || [[Joe Jones (rugby)|Joe Jones]] || [[Barrow Raiders|Barrow]]
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| Threequarters
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| {{rlp|RW}}s
|-
| align="center"|3 || [[Eric Batten]] || [[Bradford Bulls|Bradford Northern]]
|-
| align="center"|4 || [[Jimmy Lewthwaite]] || [[Barrow Raiders|Barrow]]
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| {{rlp|LW}}s
|-
| align="center"|10 || [[Arthur Bassett (rugby)|Arthur Bassett]] || [[Halifax R.L.F.C.|Halifax]]
|-
| align="center"|11 || [[Albert Johnson (rugby league born 1918)|Albert Johnson]] || [[Warrington Wolves|Warrington]]
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| {{rlp|CE}}s
|-
| align="center"|5 || [[Gus Risman]] || [[Salford Red Devils|Salford]]  
|-
| align="center"|6 || [[Ernest Ward]] || [[Bradford Bulls|Bradford Northern]]
|-
| align="center"|7 || [[Ted Ward]] ||  [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
|-
| align="center"|8 || [[Bryn Knowelden]] || [[Barrow Raiders|Barrow]]
|-
| align="center"|9 || [[Jack Kitching]] || [[Bradford Bulls|Bradford Northern]]
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| Half-backs
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| {{rlp|SO}}s
|-
| align="center"|12 || [[Willie Horne]] || [[Barrow Raiders|Barrow]]
|-
| align="center"|13 || [[Willie Davies]] || [[Bradford Bulls|Bradford Northern]]
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| {{rlp|SH}}s
|-
| align="center"|14 || [[Tommy McCue]] || [[Widnes Vikings|Widnes]]
|-
| align="center"|15 || [[David Jenkins (rugby league)|Dai Jenkins]] || [[Leeds Rhinos|Leeds]]
|}

{{column}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Forwards
! <small>Squad number</small>
! Name
! Club
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| Front row
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| {{rlp|HK}}s
|-
| align="center"|19 || [[Joe Egan (rugby league)|Joe Egan]] || [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
|-
| align="center"|20 || [[George Curran]] || [[Salford Red Devils|Salford]]
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| {{rlp|PR}}s
|-
| align="center"|16 || [[Frank Whitcombe]] || [[Bradford Bulls|Bradford Northern]]
|-
| align="center"|17 || [[Fred Hughes (rugby league)|Fred Hughes]] || [[Workington Town|Workington]]
|-
| align="center"|18 || [[Ken Gee]]  || [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| Back row
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| {{rlp|SR}}s
|-
|align="center"|21 || [[Bob Nicholson (rugby league)|Bob Nicholson]] || [[Huddersfield Giants|Huddersfield]]
|-
| align="center"|22 || [[Doug Phillips (rugby)|Doug Phillips]] || [[Oldham R.L.F.C.|Oldham]]
|-
| align="center"|23 || [[Les White (rugby league, born 1920)|Les White]] || [[York F.C.|York]]
|-
| align="center"|24 || [[Trevor Foster]] || [[Bradford Bulls|Bradford Northern]]
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| {{rlp|LF}}s
|-
| align="center"|25 || [[Harry Murphy]] || [[Wakefield Trinity]]
|-
| align="center"|26 || [[Ike Owens]] || [[Leeds Rhinos|Leeds]]
|}
{{Columns-end}}
The team manager was W. Poppleton of [[Bramley RLFC|Bramley]] and W. Gabbatt of [[Barrow Raiders|Barrow]] was the business manager.  W. Crockford of [[Hull Kingston Rovers]] represented the [[Rugby Football League]] Council, although he was not officially a member of the squad management and was paying his own way.<ref name=YPost120346/>

Following the announcement of the squad the [[Rugby Football League]] (RFL) entered into discussions with the [[War Office]] over leave of absence for White, Phillips and Ernie Ward as all three were still serving soldiers.  Initially the War Office refused permission for White and Phillips,<ref name=WMN260346>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000329/19460326/044/0005 |title=Australian tour: R.L. side to sail from Devonport |newspaper=[[Western Morning News]] |date=26 March 1946 |page=5 |issue=((26,890)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> but following representations to the [[Secretary of State for War]], [[Jack Lawson]], the decision was overturned within 24 hours and permission given for the three to tour.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19460325/081/0003 |title=Ward and Phillips may be released |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Post]] |date=25 March 1946 |page=3 |issue=((30,762)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000273/19460326/005/0001 |title=Army frees R.L. men for Australia |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Evening Post]] |date=26 March 1946 |page=1 |issue=((17,288)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>  Had permission not been granted the RFL had already identified replacements; R. Robson of Huddersfield for Phillips, E. Watkins of Wigan for White and S. Rookes of Hunslet for Ward.<ref name=WMN260346/>

Each player was paid 30/- [[Shilling (British coin)|shillings]] per week at sea and 50/- per week on land with their wives receiving [[Pound sterling|£]]3 per week and 7/6 (seven shillings and six pence) per child.{{sfnp|Thomson|2009|pp=6–7}}

The tour was also the first with an official press presence.  Three British news reporters, Ernest Crawthorne of  the ''[[Manchester Evening News]]'', Alfred Drewery of ''[[The Yorkshire Post]]'' and [[Eddie Waring]] of the ''[[Sunday Pictorial]]'' all accompanied the team on the voyage and around Australia and New Zealand.  Once in Australia they were joined by Australian journalist, [[Harry Sunderland]].{{sfnp|Thomson|2009|p=14}}

==Schedule and results==
The squad sailed from [[Devonport, Plymouth|Devonport]] on 3 April 1946 and arrived in [[Fremantle]] on 30 April.  ''Indomitable'' was supposed to continue to Sydney but for operational reasons the voyage was curtailed at Fremantle.  The team as well as a large number of navy personnel and returning Australian and New Zealand soldiers were disembarked and travelled by train across Australia, leaving Fremantle on 8 May and arriving in Sydney on 12 May.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50339688 |title=Rugby visitors. Leave for Sydney today |newspaper=[[The West Australian]] |volume=62 |issue=((18,662)) |date=7 May 1946  |page=3 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17978627 |title=Englishmen too heavy – training to start at S.C.G. to-day |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=((33,817)) |date=13 May 1946 |page=8 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref>

Prior to leaving Fremantle the squad played an exhibition match, fulfilling a commitment made to the captain of the ''Indomitable'' during the voyage;  splitting into two teams, McCue's "Reds" beat Risman's "Blues" 24–5.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19460501/079/0003 |title=Rugby League tourists in Fremantle try-out |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Post]] |date=1 May 1946 |page=3 |issue=((30,793)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> A collection for naval charities raised £44 to which the RFL added £10/10.{{sfnp|Thomson|2009|pp=16–17}}

{|class="wikitable"
! style="width: 8%;" | Date
! style="width: 10%;" | Opponents
! style="width: 10%;" | Venue
! style="width: 10%;" | Score <small>(GB first)</small>
! style="width: 10%;" | Attendance
! style="width: 52%;" | Notes
|-
| 22 May || Southern Districts || [[Junee]] || align="center" {{won|Won 36–4}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article143708953|title=England's Brilliant Win|newspaper=[[Cootamundra Herald]] |location=Cootamundra |date=24 May 1946 |access-date=17 Nov 2020 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article29766867 |title=Englishman open tour promisingly; backing-up a feature |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]  |issue=((33,826))  |date=23 May 1946 |page=9 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> || align="center"| 6,135 || Southern Districts was the representative team for clubs in [[Group 9 Rugby League|Group 9]] of the New South Wales [[Country Rugby League]]
|-
| 29 May || [[Group 8 Rugby League]] || [[Manuka Oval]], [[Canberra]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 45–12}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2684259|title=Group 8 Plays Stiring Rugby Against English Team|newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |location=Canberra |date=30 May 1946 |access-date=17 Nov 2020 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article229464938 |title=England wins 45 to 12; Murphy off hurt |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]]  |issue=((11,340))  |date=29 May 1946  |page=14 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> || align="center"| 5,095 ||
|-
| 1 June || [[New South Wales rugby league team|New South Wales]] || [[Sydney Cricket Ground]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 14–10}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98374870 |title=Experience beats N.S.W. Englishmen win 14–10 |newspaper=[[The Sunday Mail (Brisbane)|Sunday Mail]] |issue=841  |date=2 June 1946 |page=13 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|51,364 || [http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-633328902 Program]
|-
| 2 June || South Coast Division || The Showground, [[Wollongong]] ||align="center" {{lost|Lost  12–15}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article142089734|title=South Coast Division's 15-12 Win|newspaper=[[South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus]] |location=Wollongong |date=7 Jun 1946 |access-date=17 Nov 2020 |page=17 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17980921 |title=Englishmen beaten at Wollongong; finish with 11 players |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=((33,835)) |date=3 June 1946  |page=8 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|12,000 ||  South Coast Division was a representative team for clubs in the [[Illawarra Rugby League]]
|-
| 8 June || [[New South Wales rugby league team|New South Wales]] || [[Sydney Cricket Ground]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 21–7}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article229470179 |title=Cautions, vicious tackles; game nearly out of hand |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=2252  |date=9 June 1946 |page=6 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|47,431 || [http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-633395037 Program]
|-
| 12 June || Western Districts || [[Orange, Australia|Orange]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 33–2}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article161335319|title=Win for England|newspaper=[[The National Advocate|Western Advocate]] |location=Bathurst |date=13 Jun 1946 |access-date=17 Nov 2020 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article145013071 |title=Rugby League |newspaper=[[The Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga)|Daily Advertiser]]  |date=13 June 1946 |page=5 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|8,318 || Western Districts was the representative team for clubs in [[Group 10 Rugby League|Group 10]] of the New South Wales country rugby league
|-
| 15  June || [[Newcastle rugby league team|Newcastle]] || The Sports Ground, [[Newcastle, New South Wales|Newcastle]] ||align="center" {{lost|Lost 13–18}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140609518|title=Coach Taught Backs to Stop England|newspaper=[[Newcastle Herald|Newcastle Morning Herald]] |location=Newcastle |date=17 Jun 1946 |access-date=17 Nov 2020 |page=8 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article229460674 |title=Second upset for England by Newcastle |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=2253 |date=16 June 1946 |page=4 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|17,134 ||
|-
| 17 June || [[Australia national rugby league team|Australia]] || [[Sydney Cricket Ground]] ||align="center" {{draw|Drawn <br/>8–8}}<ref name="Armidale_Express_170646">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article194305600 |title=Eight-all draw |newspaper=[[Armidale Express|The Armidale Express And New England General Advertiser]] |issue=3394  |date=17 June 1946  |page=11 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19460617/045/0004 |title=England draw in first R.L. test in Australia |newspaper=[[Hull Daily Mail]] |page=4 |date=17 June 1946 |issue=((18,903)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|64,527 || [http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-633325015 Program]
|-
| 19 June || Northern Districts || Tamworth Oval, [[Tamworth, New South Wales|Tamworth]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 61–5}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article229458734 |title=England 61 to 5 in orgy of scoring |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=((11,358)) |date=19 June 1946  |page=16 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|7,270 || Northern District was the representative tea for clubs in [[Group 4 Rugby League|Group 4]] of the New South Wales country rugby league
|-
| 22 June || [[Queensland rugby league team|Queensland]] || [[The Gabba|Brisbane Cricket Ground]] ||align="center" {{lost|Lost 24–25}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article229466302 |title=Q'land beats England by a point |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=((11,361)) |date=22 June 1946 |page=6 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|21,500 ||
|-
| 25 June || [[Queensland Rugby League Central Division#Wide Bay Region|Wide Bay]] || [[Bundaberg]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 16–12}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article151456682|title=Englishmen Held to 16-12 by Wide Bay|newspaper=[[Fraser Coast Chronicle|Maryborough Chronicle]] |location=Maryborough |date=26 Jun 1946 |access-date=17 Nov 2020 |page=5 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140619066 |title=England Lucky to Win, 16–12, At Bundaberg |newspaper=[[Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate]] |issue=((21,755))  |date=26 June 1946  |page=8 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|6,356 ||
|-
| 27 June || [[Queensland Rugby League Central Division#Capricorn Region|Central Queensland]] || [[Rockhampton]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 35–12}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56449282|title=English Side Shows Speed And Cleverness In Rockhampton Game|newspaper=[[The Morning Bulletin]] |location=Rockhampton |date=28 Jun 1946 |access-date=18 Nov 2020 |page=8 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article171156320 |title=Rugby League: England beats C.Q. |newspaper=[[Daily Mercury]] |volume=80 |issue=153 |date=28 June 1946 |page=3 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref>  ||align="center"|7,070 ||
|-
| 30 June || [[Queensland Rugby League Northern Division|North Queensland]] || [[Townsville]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 55–16}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article212279616 |title=Match Against North Q'land Side Just Test Gallop For Englishmen |newspaper=[[The Evening Advocate]] |date=1 July 1946 |page=4 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|7,567 ||
|-
| 2 July || Mackay || [[Mackay, Queensland|Mackay]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 94–0}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49350150 |title=England's record 94–0 win at Mackay: Ward in form |newspaper=[[The Courier-Mail]] |issue=2998 |date=3 July 1946  |page=6 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|5,044 ||Mackay was the representative team for clubs in the [[Queensland Rugby League Northern Division#Mackay & District Rugby League|Mackay & District Rugby League]]. The score set a new record for a touring side against a representative team.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article171145051 |title=English League players in game of records |newspaper=[[Daily Mercury]] |volume=80 |issue=157 |date=3 July 1946  |page=3 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref>
|-
| 6 July || [[Australia national rugby league team|Australia]] || [[Brisbane Exhibition Ground]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 14–5}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article188732739 |title=League 'Ashes' retained by England 14 to 5 Second Test Win Over Australia |newspaper=[[Telegraph (Brisbane)|The Telegraph]]  |date=6 July 1946  |page=7 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000273/19460706/109/0008 |title=England beat Australia: retain R.L. Ashes |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Evening Post]] |page=8 |date=6 July 1946 |issue= ((17,374)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|40,500 ||
|-
| 9 July || [[Brisbane rugby league team|Brisbane Firsts]] || [[The Gabba|Brisbane Cricket Ground]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 21–15}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article42501867 |title=Englishmen win |newspaper=[[Cairns Post]] |issue=((13,838))  |date=10 July 1946 |page=2 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|15,722 ||
|-
| 11 July || Ipswich || [[Ipswich, Queensland|Ipswich]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 29–12}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118368449 |title=Rugby League — Ipswich down 29–12 to clever English side |newspaper=[[Queensland Times]] |issue=((18,598))  |date=12 July 1946 |page=3 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|5,200 ||
|-
| 13 July || Toowoomba || [[Toowoomba]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 34–5}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118369900 |title=Englishmen beat Toowoomba 34—5 |newspaper=[[Queensland Times]] |issue=((18,600)) |date=15 July 1946 |page=3 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|9,863 ||Before the game started the roof of a building at the ground collapsed due to over 200 people standing on it in an attempt to see the game.  One person was injured in the collapse and was taken to hospital.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203128250 |title=Roof Crashes: Sensation At Toowoomba Football Ground |newspaper=[[Truth (Brisbane newspaper)|Truth]] |issue=2416 |date=14 July 1946  |page=14 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> 
|-
| 16 July || North Coast || The Showground, [[Grafton, New South Wales|Grafton]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 53–8}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article194942598|title=English Forwards Dominate Play In Easy Grafton Win|newspaper=[[The Daily Examiner]] |location=Grafton |date=17 Jul 1946 |access-date=19 Nov 2020 |page=5 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article193124092 |title=England defeats North Coast 53–8 |newspaper=[[Tweed Daily]] |volume=XXXIII |issue=170 |date=17 July 1946  |page=4 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|6,955 ||North Coast was the representative team for clubs in [[Group 2 Rugby League|Group 2]] and [[Group 3 Rugby League|Group 3]] of the NSW Country Rugby League
|-
| 20 July || [[Australia national rugby league team|Australia]] || [[Sydney Cricket Ground]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 20–7}}<ref name="Canberra Times 220746">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2690993 |title=England wins Rugby Ashes in rough test |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=20 |issue=((6,017)) |date=22 July 1946 |page=3 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19460720/054/0004 |title=England unbeaten in R.L. Tests |newspaper=[[Hull Daily Mail]] |page=4 |issue=((18,932)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|35,294 || [http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-633353098 Program]
|}

The third test was the final match of the Australian leg of the tour. To transfer to New Zealand it had been arranged for the team to fly, the size of the aircraft involved made it necessary for the party to travel by three separate flights from [[Rose Bay Water Airport]] on 22, 23 and 24 July.<ref name="Canberra Times 220746"/>

{|class="wikitable"
! style="width: 8%;" | Date
! style="width: 10%;" | Opponents
! style="width: 10%;" | Venue
! style="width: 10%;" | Score <small>(GB first)</small>
! style="width: 10%;" | Attendance
! style="width: 52%;" | Notes
|-
| 24 July || [[South Island rugby league team|South Island]] || [[Christchurch]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 24–12}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article188720375 |title=England Has 24—12 Win |newspaper=[[Telegraph (Brisbane)|The Telegraph]] |date=27 July 1946 |page=6  |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|8,000 ||
|-
| 27 July || [[West Coast rugby league team|West Coast]] || Victoria Park, [[Greymouth]] ||align="center" {{lost|Lost 8–17}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article193124841 |title=Englishmen lose on waterlogged N.Z. field |newspaper=[[Tweed Daily]] |volume=XXXIII |issue=175 |date=30 July 1946 |page=4 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|4,000 ||
|-
| 31 July || [[New Zealand Māori rugby league team|Māori]] || [[Wellington]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 32–8}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article29767759 |title=England beats Maoris |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=((33,886)) |date=1 August 1946 |page=8 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|10,000 ||
|-
| 3 August || [[Auckland rugby league team|Auckland]] || [[Carlaw Park]], [[Auckland]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 9–7}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article188721091 |title=England Has Narrow Win In Auckland |newspaper=[[Telegraph (Brisbane)|The Telegraph]] |date=3 August 1946 |page=7 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref>  ||align="center"|18,000 ||
|-
| 6 August || [[Waikato rugby league team|South Auckland]] || [[Huntly, New Zealand|Huntly]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 42–12}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19460807/055/0004 |title=R.L. tourists' fourth successive win |newspaper=[[Hull Daily Mail]] |date=7 August 1946 |page=4 |issue=((18,947)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|3,000 ||
|-
| 10 August || [[New Zealand national rugby league team|New Zealand]] || [[Carlaw Park]], [[Auckland]] ||align="center" {{lost|Lost 8–13}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000273/19460810/092/0008 |title=Test defeat in slush for R.L. team |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Evening Post]] |page=8 |issue=((17,404)) |date=10 August 1946 |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article188724317 |title=Kiwis Boot England |newspaper=[[Telegraph (Brisbane)|The Telegraph]] |date=10 August 1946 |page=8 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref>  ||align="center"|11,000 ||
|-
| 12 August || [[Auckland rugby league team|Auckland]] || [[Carlaw Park]], [[Auckland]] ||align="center" {{won|Won 22–9}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19460812/052/0004 |title=R.L. tourists win last match |newspaper=[[Hull Daily Mail]] |date=12 August 1946 |page=4 |issue=((18,951)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> ||align="center"|12,400 ||
|}

The team sailed for home on 14 August on-board [[RMS Rangitiki|RMS ''Rangitiki'']] arriving at [[Tilbury]] on 24 September.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000273/19460813/093/0008 |title='Great Success' is verdict: R.L. Tour Stars |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Evening Post]] |page=8 |date=13 August 1946 |issue=((17,406)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19460924/064/0003 |title=North ready to welcome the R.L. tourists |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Post]] |date=24 September 1946 |page=3 |issue=((30,917)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>

==Ashes series==
===First test===
{{rugbyleaguebox
| bg         = #eeeeee
| date       = 17 June 1946
| time       = 3:00&nbsp;pm [[Australian Eastern Daylight Time|AEDT]]
| team1      = [[Australia national rugby league team|Australia]] {{flagicon|Australia}}
| score      = 8–8
| report     = 
| team2      = {{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Great Britain national rugby league team|England]]
| try1       =  [[Ron Bailey (rugby league)|Ron Bailey]] <br> [[Lionel Cooper (rugby league)|Lionel Cooper]]
| goal1      =  [[Joe Jorgenson]]
| try2       =  [[Willie Horne]]<br> [[Frank Whitcombe]]
| goal2      = [[Gus Risman]] 
| stadium    = [[Sydney Cricket Ground]], [[Sydney]]
| attendance = 64,527
| referee    = Tom McMahon Jr.
}}
{| style="float:right; font-size:90%; margin-left:1em; text-align:center"
|- style="background:#f03;"
! align="centre" style="width:126px; border:2px solid gold; background:green; color:gold;"  |Australia
! style="background:#eee; color:black;"|Position
! align="centre"  style="width:126px; border:2px solid blue; background:white; color:red;"|England
|-
| 13. [[Dave Parkinson]]  || style="background:#eee" | [[Fullback (rugby league)|FB]]|| 5. [[Gus Risman]] (c)
|-
| 9. [[Lionel Cooper (rugby league)|Lionel Cooper]] || style="background:#eee;&quot;" |[[Wing (rugby league)|WG]]|| 3. [[Eric Batten]]
|-
| 10. [[Joe Jorgenson]] (c) || style="background:#eee;&quot;" |[[Center (rugby)|CE]]|| 6. [[Ernest Ward]]
|-
| 11. [[Ron Bailey (rugby league)|Ron Bailey]] || style="background:#eee;&quot;" |[[Center (rugby)|CE]]|| 9. [[Jack Kitching]]
|-
| 12. [[Edgar Newham]]   || style="background:#eee;&quot;" |[[Wing (rugby league)|WG]]|| 11. [[Albert Johnson (rugby league born 1918)|Albert Johnson]] 
|-
| 8. [[Pat Devery]] || style="background:#eee;&quot;" |[[Five-eighth|FE/SO]]|| 12. [[Willie Horne]]
|-
| 7. [[John Grice (rugby league)|John Grice]] || style="background:#eee;&quot;" |[[Rugby league positions#Scrum half|HB/SH]]|| 14. [[Tommy McCue]]
|-
| 3. [[Roy Westaway]] || style="background:#eee;&quot;" |[[Prop forward|PR]]|| 16. [[Frank Whitcombe]]
|-
| 2. [[George Watt (rugby league)|George Watt]] || style="background:#eee;&quot;" |[[Hooker (rugby league)|HK]]|| 19. [[Joe Egan (rugby league)|Joe Egan]]
|-
|
# [[Frank Farrell (rugby league)|Frank Farrell]]
| style="background:#eee;&quot;" |[[Prop forward|PR]]|| 18. [[Ken Gee]]
|-
| 5. [[Reg Kay]] || style="background:#eee;&quot;" |[[Rugby league positions#Second-row forward|SR]]|| 23. [[Les White (rugby league, born 1920)|Les White]]
|-
| 4. [[Arthur Clues]] || style="background:#eee;&quot;" |[[Rugby league positions#Second-row forward|SR]]|| 22. [[Doug Phillips (rugby)|Doug Phillips]]
|-
| 6. [[Noel Mulligan]] || style="background:#eee;&quot;" |[[Rugby league positions#Loose forward|LK/LF]]|| 26. [[Ike Owens]]
|}

The first test was played at Sydney Cricket Ground on 17 June 1946.  Queues to get into the ground started the previous evening and by 7:30{{nbsp}}am on the morning of the test the Australian authorities felt it necessary to open the gates to the ground several hours early and by 11:30{{nbsp}}am the ground was full.<ref name="Armidale_Express_170646"/>

The game kicked off as scheduled and England took an early lead as {{rlp|so}} [[Willie Horne]] scored a try in only the third minute after picking up a wayward Australian pass close to the Australian line. Risman missed the conversion, the first of several misses in his kicking game during the match.  Australian captain [[Joe Jorgenson]] kicked a [[Penalty (rugby league)|penalty]] soon after to make the score 3–2 to England.  The talking point of the match came after half an hour of the first half when England {{rlp|ce}} [[Jack Kitching]] was sent off for punching Jorgenson.  Despite the dismissal England took a 6–2 lead when [[Frank Whitcombe]] scored a try just before half-time.

In the second half, with England disorganised after Kitching's dismissal, Australia fought back and brought the score to 6–5 with a try by centre [[Ron Bailey (rugby league)|Ron Bailey]].  England extended struck back as Risman kicked a penalty but with ten minutes left Australia equalised as {{rlp|wg}}er [[Lionel Cooper (rugby league)|Lionel Cooper]] scored a try.  In the closing minutes both Risman and Jorgenson missed penalty chances which could have won the game for their countries.  Most observers agreed that England would probably have won if the sending-off of Kitching hadn't happened.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article191454441 |title=Rugby League: Australia Draws With England in First League Test |newspaper=[[Warwick Daily News]] |issue=8386 |date=18 June 1946 |page=4 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref><ref name="YEP_170646">{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000273/19460617/116/0008 |title=Draw in First R.L. Test Match |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Evening Post]] |date=17 June 1946 |page=8 |issue=((17,357)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>

After the game Kitching said he had pushed Jorgenson away and claimed he had been bitten.<ref name="YEP_170646"/>  Jorgenson denied he had bitten Kitching and the judicial committee of the [[New South Wales Rugby League]] agreed dismissing Kitching's claim without hearing from Jorgenson and cautioning Kitching for punching.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17987858 |title=Allegation By Kitching Of Biting Denied |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=((33,848)) |date=18 June 1946 |page=7 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> With this Kitching and the English management wanted to forget the whole incident but Jorgenson wanted a hearing to clear his name,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50267576 |title=Jorgenson's bit to clear name: 'Biting' claim sequel |newspaper=[[The Courier-Mail]] |issue=2986 |date=19 June 1946  |page=6 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref> but the committee declined the request and reiterated that they had no evidence Jorgenson had bitten Kitching, Jorgenson was not guilty of any improper conduct and "his good name and the team record had not been impaired" and that there was no need for Jorgenson to appear before the committee.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50264955 |title=Jorgenson cleared of biting charge |newspaper=[[The Courier-Mail]] |issue=2987 |date=20 June 1946  |page=7 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref>

===Second test===
{{rugbyleaguebox
| bg         = #eeeeee
| date       = 6 July 1946
| time       = 2:30&nbsp;pm [[Australian Eastern Daylight Time|AEDT]]
| team1      = [[Australia national rugby league team|Australia]] {{flagicon|Australia}}
| score      = 5–14
| report     = 
| team2      = {{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Great Britain national rugby league team|England]]
| try1       = [[Lionel Cooper (rugby league)|Lionel Cooper]]
| goal1      = [[Joe Jorgenson]]
| try2       =  [[Arthur Bassett (rugby)|Arthur Bassett]] (3)<br> [[Albert Johnson (rugby league born 1918)|Albert Johnson]]
| goal2      = [[Ernest Ward]]
| stadium    = [[Brisbane Exhibition Ground]], [[Brisbane]]
| attendance = 40,500
| referee    = Stan Chambers
}}
{| style="float:right; font-size:90%; margin-left:1em; text-align:center"
|- style="background:#f03;"
! align="centre" style="width:126px; border:2px solid gold; background:green; color:gold;"  |Australia
! style="background:#eee; color:black;"|Position
! align="centre"  style="width:126px; border:2px solid blue; background:white; color:red;"|England
|-
| [[Dave Parkinson]]  || style="background:#eee" | [[Fullback (rugby league)|FB]]|| [[Ernest Ward]]
|-
| [[Lionel Cooper (rugby league)|Lionel Cooper]] || style=background:#eee;"|[[Wing (rugby league)|WG]]|| [[Arthur Bassett (rugby)|Arthur Bassett]]
|-
| [[Joe Jorgenson]] || style=background:#eee;"|[[Center (rugby)|CE]]|| [[Gus Risman]] (c) 
|-
| [[Ron Bailey (rugby league)|Ron Bailey]] (c) || style=background:#eee;"|[[Center (rugby)|CE]]|| [[Ted Ward]]
|-
| [[Edgar Newham]]   ||  style=background:#eee;"|[[Wing (rugby league)|WG]]|| [[Albert Johnson (rugby league born 1918)|Albert Johnson]] 
|-
| [[Pat Devery]] ||  style=background:#eee;"|[[Five-eighth|FE/SO]]|| [[Willie Horne]]
|-
| [[John Grice (rugby league)|John Grice]] || style=background:#eee;"|[[Rugby league positions#Scrum half|HB/SH]]|| [[Tommy McCue]]
|-
| [[Roy Westaway]] ||  style=background:#eee;"|[[Prop forward|PR]]|| [[Frank Whitcombe]]
|-
| [[George Watt (rugby league)|George Watt]] || style=background:#eee;"|[[Hooker (rugby league)|HK]]|| [[Joe Egan (rugby league)|Joe Egan]]
|-
| [[Frank Farrell (rugby league)|Frank Farrell]]  || style=background:#eee;"|[[Prop forward|PR]]|| [[Ken Gee]]
|-
| [[Reg Kay]] || style=background:#eee;"|[[Rugby league positions#Second-row forward|SR]]|| [[Les White (rugby league, born 1920)|Les White]]
|-
| [[Arthur Clues]] || style=background:#eee;"|[[Rugby league positions#Second-row forward|SR]]|| [[Doug Phillips (rugby)|Doug Phillips]]
|-
| [[Jack Hutchinson (rugby league)|Jack Hutchinson]] || style=background:#eee;"|[[Rugby league positions#Loose forward|LK/LF]]|| [[Ike Owens]]
|}

After the drawn test in Sydney, England only needed to win the second test to retain the Ashes as a tied series would result in the holders keeping the trophy.  Australia made just one change to their side with {{rlp|lf}} [[Jack Hutchinson (rugby league)|Jack Hutchinson]] replacing the injured [[Noel Mulligan]]; the captaincy also changed as [[Ron Bailey (rugby league)|Ron Bailey]] succeeded fellow centre [[Joe Jorgenson]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article42500662 |title=Australia's team |newspaper=[[Cairns Post]] |issue=((13,830))  |date=1 July 1946  |page=1 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref>  England made two changes with [[Arthur Bassett (rugby)|Arthur Bassett]] replacing an injured [[Eric Batten]] on the wing and [[Ted Ward]] replacing the suspended [[Jack Kitching]]. Also in the backs [[Gus Risman]] and [[Ernest Ward]] swapped positions to Ward at fullback and Risman at centre.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article231571426 |title=Batten Out of Test; Both Sides Confident |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=((11,372)) |date=5 July 1946 |page=14 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref>

The game was played at the [[Brisbane Exhibition Ground]] on 6 July 1946.  Despite a public transport strike and continuing restrictions on non-essential travel, huge queues had formed outside the ground by early morning and the gates were opened at 7&nbsp;am, several hours before kick off.  By 10&nbsp;am the ground was full and the gates locked; this was unpopular with the thousands still outside the ground and the gates were crashed and an estimated additional 10,000 people broke into the ground.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168776294 |title=Test match crowd's wild stampede |newspaper=[[Truth (Brisbane newspaper)|Truth]] |issue=2946  |date=7 July 1946  |page=1 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref>  This still left many more outside the ground and the Australian team who had set off early for the ground had considerable trouble gaining entrance; the England side only got to the ground due to the police arranging an escort for the team cars and forcing their way through the crowds.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article77819581 |title=Crowds storm rugby gates |newspaper=[[Daily News (Perth, Western Australia)|The Daily News]] |volume=LXIV |issue=((22,228))  |date=6 July 1946  |page=1 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref>{{sfnp|Thomson|2009|pp=71–72}}

When the match started it was a closely contested game for the first quarter before England opened scoring as debutant Arthur Bassett gained possession from a McCue kick to score a try on the wing.  The only other points of the first half were from Ernest Ward's boot as he scored a penalty from outside the Australian 25-yard (20-metre) line.

With England starting the second half with a 5–0 lead, Australia had to score first to get back into the game and minutes into the second half they did so as Jorgenson put a penalty over to make the score 5–2.  Shortly afterwards though Bassett scored his second try to increase England's lead to six points.  Australia came back with a try through captain [[Ron Bailey (rugby league)|Ron Bailey]] before England scored two further tries to put the game beyond Australia's reach; the first was scored by [[Albert Johnson (rugby league born 1918)|Albert Johnson]] and then Bassett completed his [[hat trick]] to make the score 14–5.  Just before the end England hooker [[Joe Egan (rugby league)|Joe Egan]] was sent off for hitting Australian second-rower [[Arthur Clues]] after Clues made a heavy tackle on Ernest Ward which Egan thought should have been penalised by the referee.  As he was leaving the pitch Egan was heard to say "If the referee won't do his job, then someone has to".{{sfnp|Thomson|2009|p=78}}  Soon after the game ended and England had retained the Ashes.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article231575246 |title=England wins torrid test by 14 to 5 |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=((11,373)) |date=6 July 1946 |page=6  |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19460706/042/0004 |title=England retains R.L. Ashes: Bassett's big part in 14–5 test victory |newspaper=[[Hull Daily Mail]] |page=4 |date=6 July 1946 |issue=((18,920)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>

The attendance was officially recorded as 40,500 but estimates are that the number watching was closed to 60,000 when the gatecrashers and members of the [[Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland]] (owners of the ground) are included.{{sfnp|Thomson|2009|p=72}}

===Third test===
{{rugbyleaguebox
| bg         = #eeeeee
| date       = 20 July 1946
| time       = 3:00&nbsp;pm [[Australian Eastern Daylight Time|AEDT]]
| team1      = [[Australia national rugby league team|Australia]] {{flagicon|Australia}}
| score      = 7–20
| report     = 
| team2      = {{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Great Britain national rugby league team|England]]
| try1       = [[Clem Kennedy]]
| goal1      = [[Joe Jorgenson]] (2)
| try2       =  [[Arthur Bassett (rugby)|Arthur Bassett]] (2) <br/> [[George Curran]] <br/> [[Ike Owens]]
| goal2      = [[Gus Risman]] (3) <br/> [[Ted Ward]]
| stadium    = [[Sydney Cricket Ground]], [[Sydney]]
| attendance = 35,294
| referee    = Tom McMahon Jr.
}}
{| style="float:right; font-size:90%; margin-left:1em; text-align:center"
|- style="background:#f03;"
! align="centre" style="width:126px; border:2px solid gold; background:green; color:gold;"  |Australia
! style="background:#eee; color:black;"|Position
! align="centre"  style="width:126px; border:2px solid blue; background:white; color:red;"|England
|-
| 13. [[Dave Parkinson]]  || style="background:#eee;" | [[Fullback (rugby league)|FB]]|| 6. [[Ernest Ward]]
|-
| 9. [[Lionel Cooper (rugby league)|Lionel Cooper]] || style="background:#eee;" |[[Wing (rugby league)|WG]]|| 10. [[Arthur Bassett (rugby)|Arthur Bassett]]
|-
| 10. [[Joe Jorgenson]] (c) || style="background:#eee;" |[[Center (rugby)|CE]]|| 5. [[Gus Risman]] (c) 
|-
| 11. [[Trevor Eather]] || style="background:#eee;" |[[Center (rugby)|CE]]|| 6. [[Ted Ward]]
|-
| 16. [[Noel White (rugby league)|Noel White]]   || style="background:#eee;" |[[Wing (rugby league)|WG]]|| 3. [[Eric Batten]] 
|-
| 8. [[Pat Devery]] || style="background:#eee;" |[[Five-eighth|FE/SO]]|| 12. [[Willie Horne]]
|-
| 7. [[Clem Kennedy]] || style="background:#eee;" |[[Rugby league positions#Scrum half|HB/SH]]|| 14. [[Tommy McCue]]
|-
| 3. [[Jim Armstrong (rugby league)|Jim Armstrong]] || style="background:#eee;" |[[Prop forward|PR]]|| 20. [[George Curran]]
|-
| 2. [[George Watt (rugby league)|George Watt]] || style="background:#eee;" |[[Hooker (rugby league)|HK]]|| 19. [[Joe Egan (rugby league)|Joe Egan]]
|-
| 1. [[Frank Farrell (rugby league)|Frank Farrell]]
| style="background:#eee;" |[[Prop forward|PR]]|| 18. [[Ken Gee]]
|-
| 5. [[Reg Kay]] || style="background:#eee;" |[[Rugby league positions#Second-row forward|SR]]|| 23. [[Les White (rugby league, born 1920)|Les White]]
|-
| 4. [[Arthur Clues]] || style="background:#eee;" |[[Rugby league positions#Second-row forward|SR]]|| 22. [[Doug Phillips (rugby)|Doug Phillips]]
|-
| 6. [[Noel Mulligan]] || style="background:#eee;" |[[Rugby league positions#Loose forward|LK/LF]]|| 26. [[Ike Owens]]
|}

England came into the game making two changes from the previous test.  Prop [[Frank Whitcombe]] was replaced by [[George Curran]] and [[Eric Batten]] was recalled to the wing. Australia made five changes with [[Trevor Eather]], [[Noel White (rugby league)|Noel White]] and [[Clem Kennedy]] being called up into the backs while [[Jim Armstrong (rugby league)|Jim Armstrong]] and [[Noel Mulligan]] came into the forwards.

With the Ashes already decided the game at Sydney Cricket Ground on 20 July was about pride for both teams and the match was hotly contested from the start.  Almost a quarter of the game had gone before either side scored and it was Australia who took the lead as [[Joe Jorgenson]] kicked a penalty.  England equalised with a [[Gus Risman]] field goal before another Jorgenson penalty restores Australia's lead.  Australia then scored the game's first try; [[George Watt (rugby league)|George Watt]] collecting a wayward England kick and passing to [[Clem Kennedy]] who scored the try.  At half-time Australia led 7–2 but that was to be short-lived as the second half started with England scoring eight points in the first four minutes of the half.  First was a Risman penalty, then tries from [[Arthur Bassett (rugby)|Arthur Bassett]] and Curran to put England 12–8 ahead. Australis mounted pressure on the English line but lost momentum when [[Arthur Clues]] was sent-off for attempting a dangerous swinging arm tackle on Risman.  Clues actually missed Risman but the attempt was so blatant that the referee had to send Clues off.  England made use of the one-man advantage and scored two further converted tries, the first by [[Ike Owens]] and the second, right at the end of the game, by Bassett to win 20–7.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article157711221 |title=England Wins Third League Test By 20–7 |newspaper=[[The Newcastle Sun]] |issue=8910  |date=20 July 1946  |page=12 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000273/19460720/034/0003 |title=20–7 Test win for England |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Evening Post]] |date=20 August 1946 |issue=((17,386)) |page=3 |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> 
{{clear}}

==New Zealand test==
{{rugbyleaguebox
| bg         = #eeeeee
| date       = 10 August 1946
| time       = 3:00PM [[New Zealand Daylight Time|NZDT]]
| team1      = {{rl-rt|NZL}}
| score      = 13–8
| report     = 
| team2      = {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Great Britain Lions|England]]
| try1       =  [[Bruce Graham (rugby league)|Bruce Graham]]
| goal1      = [[Warwick Clarke]] (5)
| try2       =  [[Eric Batten]] <br> [[Ernest Ward]]
| goal2      = [[Ernest Ward]]
| stadium    = [[Carlaw Park]], [[Auckland]]
| attendance = 11,000
| referee    = J. Donovan
}}
{| style="float:right; font-size:90%; margin-left:1em; text-align:center"
|- style="background:#f03;"
! align="centre"  style="width:126px; border:2px solid silver; background:black; color:white;"|New Zealand
!  style="text-align:center; background:#eee; color:black;"|Position
! align="centre"  style="width:126px; border:2px solid blue; background:white; color:red;"|England
|-
| [[Warwick Clarke]]  || style="background:#eee" | [[Fullback (rugby league)|FB]]|| [[Joe Jones (rugby)|Joe Jones]]
|-
| [[Roy Nurse]] || style=background:#eee;"|[[Wing (rugby league)|WG]]|| [[Albert Johnson (rugby league born 1918)|Albert Johnson]]
|-
| [[Len Jordan (rugby league)|Len Jordan]]  || style=background:#eee;"|[[Center (rugby)|CE]]|| [[Bryn Knowelden]]
|-
| [[Maurie Robertson]] || style=background:#eee;"|[[Center (rugby)|CE]]|| [[Ernest Ward]]
|-
| [[Bill Mountford]]   ||  style=background:#eee;"|[[Wing (rugby league)|WG]]|| [[Eric Batten]] 
|-
| [[Roy Clark (rugby league)|Roy Clark]] (c) ||  style=background:#eee;"|[[Five-eighth|FE/SO]]|| [[Willie Davies]]
|-
| [[Rex Cunningham]] || style=background:#eee;"|[[Rugby league positions#Scrum half|HB/SH]]|| [[Tommy McCue]] (c)
|-
| [[John Newton (rugby league)|John Newton]] ||  style=background:#eee;"|[[Prop forward|PR]]|| [[Bob Nicholson (rugby league)|Bob Nicholson]]
|-
| [[Bob Aynsley]] || style=background:#eee;"|[[Hooker (rugby league)|HK]]|| [[George Curran]]
|-
| [[Bruce Graham (rugby league)|Bruce Graham]]  || style=background:#eee;"|[[Prop forward|PR]]|| [[Ken Gee]]
|-
| [[Arthur Gillman]] || style=background:#eee;"|[[Rugby league positions#Second-row forward|SR]]|| [[Les White (rugby league, born 1920)|Les White]]
|-
| [[Charlie McBride]] || style=background:#eee;"|[[Rugby league positions#Second-row forward|SR]]|| [[Trevor Foster]]
|-
| [[Travers Hardwick]] || style=background:#eee;"|[[Rugby league positions#Loose forward|LK/LF]]|| [[Ike Owens]]
|}

The sole test match in New Zealand was played at a rain-soaked Carlaw Park in Auckland on 10 August 1946.  England gave test debuts to three players; [[Joe Jones (rugby)|Joe Jones]], [[Trevor Foster]] and [[Bryn Knowelden]] while the entire New Zealand team were previously uncapped.{{sfnp|Thomson|2009|pp=102, 149–150}}

On a very heavy pitch the first half was played with many stoppages by the referee and no tries were scored.  Instead New Zealand led 6–0 at half-time through three penalties kicked by fullback [[Warwick Clarke]].

The second half coincided with more rain that hampered ball-handling for the rest of the game.  England came back with tries by [[Eric Batten]] and [[Ernest Ward]] to equalise.  Ward then kicked a penalty to put England ahead before New Zealand took a winning lead as Bruce Graham scored a try after catching a Clarke penalty attempt that rebounded from the goalpost.  Clarke's conversion and his kicking a further penalty made the final score 13–8.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article188714881 |title=Sensational try gave NZ victory |newspaper=[[Telegraph (Brisbane)|The Telegraph]]  |date=12 August 1946 |page=14 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000711/19460810/164/0004 |title=untitled |newspaper=[[Lancashire Evening Post]] |date=12 August 1946 |page=4 |issue=((18,556)) |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> 
{{clear}}

==Finances==
Net receipts for the tour were £46,312 (£38,226 from the Australian matches and £8,085 from the New Zealand leg) of which England's share was £27,782 (60%). Expenses and allowances to the players and their families amounted to £18,145 leaving a profit of £9,647.  Of this a third was split between the squad who therefore received £123/13/7 each and the remainder of £6,431 went to the RFL.{{sfnp|Thomson|2009|p=156}}

==Statistics==
Overall England outscored their opponents almost 3:1 scoring 783 points while conceding 276.{{sfnp|Thomson|2009|p=155}}

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; margin-left:1em; text-align:center"
!
!Played
!Won
!Drawn
!Lost
!Points for
!Tries scored
!Goals scored
!Points against
!Tries conceded
!Goals conceded
|-
|'''Overall''' || 27 || 21 || 1 || 5 || '''783''' || 181 || 120 || '''276''' || 48 || 66
|-
|'''In Australia''' || 20 || 16 || 1 || 3 || '''638''' || 146 || 100 || '''198''' || 36 || 45
|-
|'''In New Zealand''' || 7 || 5 || 0 || 2 || '''145''' || 35 || 20 || '''78''' || 12 || 21
|}

All 26 players appeared at some point on the tour.  Harry Murphy was unlucky and broke a [[collarbone]] during the match against Group 8 which ruled him out of the rest of the tour having played just the single match.{{sfnp|Thomson|2009|p=34}}  Martin Ryan also missed most of the tour after being diagnosed with a [[hernia]] which required an operation and lengthy convalescence.{{sfnp|Thomson|2009|pp=43–44}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; margin-left:1em; text-align:center"
|+Appearances{{sfnp|Thomson|2009|p=155}}
!Name
!Matches played
!Tries scored
!Goals scored
!Points scored
|-
| [[Martin Ryan (rugby league)|Martin Ryan]] || 4 || 1 || 0 || 3
|-
| [[Joe Jones (rugby)|Joe Jones]] || 11 || 1 || 1 || 5
|-
| [[Eric Batten]] || 13 || 18 || 0 || 54
|-
| [[Jimmy Lewthwaite]] || 15 || 25 || 0 || 75
|-
| [[Arthur Bassett (rugby)|Arthur Bassett]] || 11 || 18 || 0 || 54
|-
| [[Albert Johnson (rugby league born 1918)|Albert Johnson]] || 17 || 15 || 3 || 51
|-
| [[Gus Risman]] || 14 || 3 || 31 || 71
|-
| [[Ernest Ward]] || 16 || 5 || 43 || 101
|-
| [[Ted Ward]] || 12 || 5 || 32 || 79
|-
| [[Bryn Knowelden]] || 13 || 15 || 0 || 45
|-
| [[Jack Kitching]] || 12 || 17 || 0 || 51
|-
| [[Willie Horne]] || 14 || 9 || 6 || 39
|-
| [[Willie Davies]] || 14 || 5 || 0 || 15
|-
| [[Tommy McCue]] || 15 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
| [[David Jenkins (rugby league)|Dai Jenkins]] || 11 || 1 || 0 || 3
|-
| [[Joe Egan (rugby league)|Joe Egan]] || 17 || 6 || 0 || 18
|-
| [[George Curran]] || 16 || 2 || 0 || 6
|-
| [[Frank Whitcombe]] || 19 || 3 || 0 || 9
|-
| [[Fred Hughes (rugby league)|Fred Hughes]] || 13 || 4 || 0 || 12
|-
| [[Ken Gee]] || 18 || 1 || 0 || 3
|-
| [[Bob Nicholson (rugby league)|Bob Nicholson]] || 11 || 5 || 0 || 15
|-
| [[Doug Phillips (rugby)|Doug Phillips]] || 18 || 3 || 0 || 9
|-
| [[Les White (rugby league, born 1920)|Les White]] || 18 || 6 || 0 || 18
|-
| [[Trevor Foster]] || 10 || 1 || 0 || 3
|-
| [[Harry Murphy]] || 1 || 1 || 0 || 3
|-
| [[Ike Owens]] || 18 || 11 || 4 || 41
|}

==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book |last=Thomson |first=Colin |title=The Indomitables: The 1946 Rugby League Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand |year=2009 |publisher=London League Publications |isbn=978-1903659-44-1 }}

==External links==
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/extra/zzFnRM7GYs/Indomitables The Indomitables: Great Britain's 1946 tour down under]

{{Great Britain Lions tours}}
{{Rugby League Ashes series}}

[[Category:Great Britain national rugby league team tours]]
[[Category:Rugby league tours of Australia]]
[[Category:Rugby league tours of New Zealand]]
[[Category:1946 in Australian rugby league|Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand]]
[[Category:1946 in New Zealand rugby league|Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand]]
[[Category:1946 in English rugby league|Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand]]
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