1969 Kangaroo tour of New Zealand

The 1969 Kangaroo Tour of New Zealand was a mid-season tour of New Zealand by the Australia national rugby league team. The Australians played six matches on tour, including two tests against the New Zealand national rugby league team. The tour began on 28 May and finished on 10 June.[1]

1969 Kangaroo tour of New Zealand
ManagerEddie Burns
Jack Lynch
Coach(es)Harry Bath
Tour captain(s)John Sattler
Top point scorer(s)Les Johns 42
Top try scorer(s)Dennis Manteit 5
Top test point scorer(s)Les Johns 14
Don Ladner 22
Top test try scorer(s)Ron Coote 3
Summary
P W D L
Total
06 04 00 02
Test match
02 01 00 01
Opponent
P W D L
 New Zealand
2 1 0 1
Tour chronology
Previous tour1965 by to
1967 by to
1967-68 to
1968 by to
Next tour1970 by to
1971 by to

Leadership

Harry Bath coached the Kangaroos side throughout the tour. South Sydney's John Sattler captained the side. In the two matches in which Sattler did not play, the team was captained by Les Johns (against Wellington) and John McDonald against Auckland.
The touring team was co-managed by Eddie Burns (Canterbury, NSW) and Jack Lynch (Ipswich, Qld).[2]


Touring squad

The Rugby League News published details of the touring team including the players' ages and weights.[3] A team photo was published during the tour.
Match details - listing surnames of both teams and the point scorers - were included in E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook, as was a summary of the players' point-scoring.[4]
Denman, Fitzsimmons, Manteit, Robson and Weiss were selected from Queensland clubs. Cootes, Costello and Lye were selected from clubs in New South Wales Country areas. The balance of the squad were playing for Sydney based clubs during the 1969 season.[5]

Player Position Age Weight
st.lb (kg)		 Club Tests
on
Tour		 Games Tries Goals FG Points
Michael ClearyWing2914.0 (89) South Sydney0240012
Ron CooteLock2414.3 (90) South Sydney2540012
John CootesWing2713.10 (87) Newcastle Western Suburbs2432013
Ron CostelloSecond-row2614.1 (89) C.B.C. Wollongong142006
Jeff DenmanWing2612.0 (76) Brisbane Eastern Suburbs030000
Brian FitzsimmonsHooker2612.8 (80) Glastone Brothers030000
Bob HonanWing2512.7 (79) South Sydney261003
Les JohnsFullback2712.0 (76) Canterbury24019242
Graeme LanglandsCentre2713.0 (83) St George250306
Graham LyeFive-eighth2111.12 (75) Illawarra Western Suburbs030000
Dennis ManteitProp2615.4 (97) Brisbane Brothers0350015
Bob McCarthySecond-row2415.3 (97) South Sydney241003
John McDonaldCentre2413.0 (83) Manly-Warringah252006
Denis PittardFive-eighth2211.6 (73) South Sydney241003
Ian RobsonSecond-row2115.0 (95) Brisbane Western Suburbs020000
John Sattler (c)Prop2614.8 (93) South Sydney241003
Elwyn WaltersHooker2413.11 (88) South Sydney240000
Dennis WardHalfback2410.10 (68) Manly-Warringah251027
Col WeissSecond-row2512.7 (79) Bundaberg151003
John WittenbergProp3015.3 (97) St George251003

Tour

The Australians played six matches on the tour, winning the first four before losing the final two.[6]

Wednesday 28 May
North Island Colts 13 – 17 Australia
Report [7]
Database[8]

First test
Sunday 1 June
New Zealand  10 – 20  Australia
Tries:

Goals:
Don Ladner (5/5)		 Team[7]
Report[9]
Database[10]		 Tries:
Ron Coote (2)
John Cootes
Denis Pittard
Goals:
Les Johns (4/4)
Carlaw Park, Auckland
Attendance: 13,459
Referee: John Percival
New Zealand
Australia
FB 1 Don Ladner
RW 2 Dennis Key
RC 3 John Wilson
LC 4 Sam Rolleston
LW 5 Mocky Brereton
FE 6 Trevor Patrick
HB 7 Graeme Cooksley
PR 8 Oscar Danielson
HK 9 Colin O'Neil (c)
PR 10 Bill Noonan
SR 11 John Hibbs
SR 12 Tony Kriletich
LF 13 Rodney Walker
Coach:
Lory Blanchard
FB 1 Les Johns
RW 2 John Cootes
RC 3 Graeme Langlands
LC 4 John McDonald
LW 5 Bob Honan
FE 6 Denis Pittard
HB 7 Dennis Ward
PR 8 John Wittenberg
HK 9 Elwyn Walters
PR 10 John Sattler (c)
SR 11 Ron Costello
SR 12 Bob McCarthy
LF 13 Ron Coote
Coach:
Harry Bath
Monday 2 June
South Island 15 – 24 Australia
Report[11]
Database[12]
Wednesday 4 June
Wellington 7 – 48 Australia
Team[13]
Report[14]
Database[15]
Basin Reserve, Wellington
Attendance: 1,415

Second test
Saturday 7 June
New Zealand  18 – 14  Australia
Tries:
Bill Noonan
Phil Orchard
Goals:
Don Ladner (5/5)
Field goals:
Don Ladner		 Team[16]
Report[17]
Database[18]		 Tries:
Ron Coote
Robert McCarthy
Goals:
Les Johns (4/4)
Carlaw Park, Auckland
Attendance: 9,848
Referee: John Percival
New Zealand
Australia
FB 1 Don Ladner
RW 2 Phillip Orchard
RC 3 Mocky Brereton
LC 4 Brian Clark
LW 5 Roy Christian
FE 6 Gary Woollard
HB 7 Graeme Cooksley
PR 8 Oscar Danielson
HK 9 Colin O'Neil (c)
PR 10 Doug Gailey
SR 11 Bill Deacon
SR 12 Bill Noonan
LF 13 Tony Kriletich
Coach:
Lory Blanchard
FB 1 Les Johns
RW 2 Bob Honan
RC 3 Graeme Langlands
LC 4 John McDonald
LW 5 John Cootes
FE 6 Denis Pittard
HB 7 Dennis Ward
PR 8 John Sattler (c)
HK 9 Elwyn Walters
PR 10 John Wittenberg
SR 11 Bob McCarthy
SR 12 Col Weiss
LF 13 Ron Coote
Coach:
Harry Bath
Tuesday 10 June
Auckland 15 – 14 Australia
Teams[19]
Report[20]
Database[21]
Carlaw Park, Auckland
Attendance: 6,520

References
  1. "Kangaroos Tour 1969 - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  2. New South Wales Rugby Football League. (1920). "Team Manager for N.Z." The Rugby League news. Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League (Vol. 50 No. 14 (3 May 1969)). nla.obj-767453332. Retrieved 28 Jan 2021 – via Trove.
  3. New South Wales Rugby Football League. (1920). "Players for N.Z. Tour". The Rugby League news. Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League (Vol. 50 No. 18 (24 May 1969)). nla.obj-759105460. Retrieved 28 Jan 2021 – via Trove.
  4. E.E.Christensen (1970). "Australian Tour of N.Z.". E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook. Sydney: E.E.Christensen (Vol. 24).
  5. "N.S.W. 12, Queensland 5, Country 3 No Surprises In Rl Tour Team". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 19 May 1969. p. 14. Retrieved 29 Jan 2021.
  6. SteveRicketts (2019-06-19). "FLASHBACK: June 1969". Steve Ricketts. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  7. "Weiss may play". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 29 May 1969. p. 30. Retrieved 29 Jan 2021.
  8. 1969 North Island Colts vs Australia – Rugby League Project
  9. "One-Sided R.L. Test New Zealand No Match For Australia". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 2 Jun 1969. p. 12. Retrieved 29 Jan 2021.
  10. 1969 New Zealand vs Australia – Rugby League Project
  11. "Kangaroos strike referee trouble again". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 3 Jun 1969. p. 20. Retrieved 29 Jan 2021.
  12. 1969 South Island vs Australia – Rugby League Project
  13. "Injuries plague league tourists". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 4 Jun 1969. p. 32. Retrieved 29 Jan 2021.
  14. "League tourists win at a canter". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 5 Jun 1969. p. 40. Retrieved 29 Jan 2021.
  15. 1969 Wellington vs Australia – Rugby League Project
  16. "Curfew set by coach". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 7 Jun 1969. p. 30. Retrieved 29 Jan 2021.
  17. "N.Z. On Top In Test". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 9 Jun 1969. p. 12. Retrieved 29 Jan 2021.
  18. 1969 New Zealand vs Australia – Rugby League Project
  19. "Battered league tourists face hard game". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 10 Jun 1969. p. 22. Retrieved 29 Jan 2021.
  20. "Sensational End To Tough League Tour - Referee knocked out; Wittenberg in hospital". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 11 Jun 1969. p. 32. Retrieved 29 Jan 2021.
  21. 1969 Auckland vs Australia – Rugby League Project
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