1990 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France - Great Britain - The Ashes Series

The Ashes Series

In the first rugby league international played at Wembley for 17 years Ellery Hanley inspired a stirring first Test win in front of 54,569.

27 October 1990 Australia 12 - 19 Great Britain Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 54,569
Referee/s: A Sablayrolles (France)
Tries:
Mark McGaw, Mal Meninga
Goals:
Mal Meninga (2/4)
Tries:
Paul Eastwood (2), Martin Offiah
Goals:
Paul Eastwood (3/6)
Field Goals:
Gary Schofield

Despite a brilliant individual try in the second half to Mark McGaw and a try to Mal Meninga, the Aussies were in trouble all day with the Lions, led by inspirational captain Ellery Hanley and 5/8 Gary Schofield, led from the start with tries to Martin Offiah and a double to Paul Eastwood, who scored the winning try and also kicked 3 goals, giving Great Britain its second straight win over Australia and ending any hopes that the 1990 Tour would emulate the unbeaten 1982 and 1986 tours.

10 November 1990 Australia 14 - 10 Great Britain Old Trafford, Manchester
Attendance: 46,615
Referee/s: A Sablayrolles (France)
Tries:
Dale Shearer, Cliff Lyons
Mal Meninga
Goals:
Mal Meninga (1/4)
Tries:
Paul Dixon, Paul Loughlin
Paul Eastwood (1/3)

Great Britain were poised to reclaim The Ashes after twenty years with an intercept try by Paul Loughlin late in the match. Winger Paul Eastwood missed a simple conversion attempt that would have given his team the lead with time running out. However the match remained tied at 10 all until in the final minutes when Ricky Stuart charged through a gap in the Lions defense and ran 70m before passing to Mal Meninga in support who completed the length-of-the-field try to seal the match for Australia and force the series into a decider.

24 November 1990 Australia 14 - 0 Great Britain Elland Road, Leeds
Attendance: 32,500
Referee/s: A Sablayrolles (France)
Tries:
Andrew Ettingshausen, Mal Meninga
Ben Elias
Goals:
Mal Meninga (1/3)

In the third and final test of The Ashes series, Australia kept alive their series streak (not having lost The Ashes since Great Britain won in 1970 and not having lost them in England since 1959), with a 14-0 win in front of a packed Elland Road in Leeds. Australia ran in three tries to nil with Mal Meninga, Andrew Ettingshausen and Benny Elias all crossing the line while the lions rarely threatened the Kangaroos line in the wet and slippery conditions.

Kangaroos captain Mal Meninga became just the third Australian to score a try in each test of an Ashes series following on from legendary try-scoring winger Ken Irvine (1963), and the most unlikely of the trio, front-row forward Sam Backo (1988).

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Famous quotes containing the words ashes and/or series:

    We therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection.
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