Back in 1992, the Australian dominance of rugby league was extreme. Three-time back-to-back world champions, they had won six of the nine tournaments held to that point. They were also the team Great Britain just couldn’t beat.
The Lions had gone nine three-game series without success over the Kangaroos, beating them in only five of the 27 meetings since GB’s memorable 1970 Ashes victory in which they’d come from behind to win the series with back-to-back triumphs at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
And it looked like the same old story on the summer tour of Australasia in ’92 when the home side dominated the First Test in Sydney, winning 22-6 on the back of two tries from Mal Meninga and a fantastic defensive performance from full-back Andrew Ettingshausen as ‘ET’ twice foiled Martin Offiah in full flight.
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But when the two sides descended on Princes Park in Melbourne two weeks later, Mal Reilly’s tourists turned in one of the most memorable performances in British rugby league history.
They were on the front foot from the start, and after Paul Eastwood had coolly slotted over a couple of penalties it was Phil Clarke who crossed first, sailing through a gap after Paul Sironen bought a huge dummy. With Australia’s famed pack struggling, Britain were gaining a great amount of ground through the middle off the back of an all-Wigan forward department. It was the first time in international rugby league history that a single club had contributed every forward in a national side.
At 10-0, Australia will have still fancied their chances. “If Great Britain have got a weakness it’s their lack of fitness,” warned Australian commentator David Morrow, but it was the home side who looked sloppy in possession and sluggish in defence and the tourists extended their lead on the half-hour mark after a superb chip over the top by Shaun Edwards escaped the Kangaroos cover and Paul Newlove touched down.
By half-time, Great Britain were 22-0 up. Garry Schofield pounced to score the third try after a slip by Ettingshausen from the Leeds half-back’s grubber kick. The home fans were stunned, and the thousands of travelling Brits were lapping up the trouncing, with chants of ‘Easy, easy’ ringing out long before the break. This was Great Britain battering the best team in the world, and it was brilliant.
The favourites had to be better after the interval, simply because they couldn’t be any worse. Coach Bob Fulton mixed things up tactically and his team enjoyed far more of the ball in the second half but still they caused Britain too little trouble to make a huge difference on the scoreboard.
Schofield’s drop-goal extended the visitors’ lead by one before Bob Lindner finally got Australia on the board from close range and then sub Chris Johns broke through a gap to make it 23-10.
But this was as close as they’d get, Graham Steadman took the ball from a standing start to somehow escape Ettingshausen for another Britain try and Offiah crowned the occasion with a scintillating show of speed to beat Ettingshausen to the corner to end it at 33-10. It was Great Britain’s biggest ever victory over Australia.
The monumental success gave British fans hope of a first series win in 22 years, but a week later in Brisbane their side was edged out 16-10 in a pulsating deciding Test match. The Lions had played their part but had fallen short again, and, in the three Ashes series which followed before the tradition of regular Great Britain tours was brought to an end, Australia again dominated.
But Melbourne 1992 remains one of the great nights of the modern era of British rugby league. The Super League era came along and made players fitter and more professional. The new competition even gave older rugby league the appearance of a rather different sport, yet nothing about that wonderful 33-10 would look out of place in today’s game. It’s a game you could watch over and over and over again.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change
