1985 England rugby union tour of New Zealand
Encyclopedia
The 1985 England rugby union tour of New Zealand was a series of seven matches played by the England national rugby union team
in New Zealand
in May and June 1985. England played seven games, including two test matches against the New Zealand national rugby union team. They won four of the seven matches but lost both of the test matches as well as the fixture against the Auckland provincial team.
The preliminaries to this tour were shrouded in uncertainty and selection
announcements containing players whose availability had not been confirmed. Dick Greenwood
, England's current coach, announced he was not available having just take a new job, and evenyually 2 coaches were appointed under Derek Morgan, Martin Green and Brian Ashton
. The party as a whole was very short of experience, and only three players had previous experience of New Zealand rugby at test level; Jamie Salmon, who had won 3 caps for the All Blacks, and Paul Dodge and Steve Bainbridge who had played in the 1983 match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham
.
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in May and June 1985. England played seven games, including two test matches against the New Zealand national rugby union team. They won four of the seven matches but lost both of the test matches as well as the fixture against the Auckland provincial team.
The preliminaries to this tour were shrouded in uncertainty and selection
announcements containing players whose availability had not been confirmed. Dick Greenwood
Dick Greenwood
John Richard Heaton Greenwood is a former rugby union international flanker, captain of Waterloo, Cambridge University, Lancashire and England as well as national coach...
, England's current coach, announced he was not available having just take a new job, and evenyually 2 coaches were appointed under Derek Morgan, Martin Green and Brian Ashton
Brian Ashton (rugby player)
William Brian Ashton MBE is a former rugby union player and the former Head Coach of the England and Ireland national rugby union teams.-Biography:...
. The party as a whole was very short of experience, and only three players had previous experience of New Zealand rugby at test level; Jamie Salmon, who had won 3 caps for the All Blacks, and Paul Dodge and Steve Bainbridge who had played in the 1983 match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
.
Matches
- Scores and results list England's points tally first.
Opposing Team For Against Date Venue Status North Auckland Northland Rugby UnionThe Northland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Northland region of New Zealand.-History:Rugby was first played in Northland in the 1870s, and the first union was set up in the province in 1895, known as the Marsden Football Union. The Northland union was founded in...
27 14 18/05/1985 Okara Park Okara ParkOkara Park is a multi-purpose stadium in Whangarei, New Zealand. It is currently used mostly for rugby union matches and is the home stadium of Northland Rugby Union. The stadium is able to hold 30,000 people and was built in 1965....
, WhangareiWhangareiWhangarei, pronounced , is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. Although commonly classified as a city, it is officially part of the Whangarei District, administered by the Whangarei District Council a local body created in 1989 to administer both the...
Tour Match Poverty Bay Poverty Bay Rugby Football UnionThe Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union, which governs rugby union within the Gisborne region surrounding Poverty Bay in New Zealand, was formed in 1890....
45 0 22/05/1985 Rugby Park, Gisborne Gisborne, New Zealand-Economy:The harbour was host to many ships in the past and had developed as a river port to provide a more secure location for shipping compared with the open roadstead of Poverty Bay which can be exposed to southerly swells. A meat works was sited beside the harbour and meat and wool was shipped...
Tour Match Auckland Auckland Rugby Football UnionThe Auckland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Auckland Region, in the North Island of New Zealand. Its colours are navy blue and white in a hoop design. Auckland's top representative team have won New Zealand's top provincial rugby competition 16 times, more than...
6 24 25/05/1985 Eden Park Eden ParkEden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
, AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
Tour Match Otago Otago Rugby Football UnionThe Otago Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union for the Otago Region of New Zealand. The union is based in the city of Dunedin, and its home ground is Forsyth Barr Stadium. The top representative team competes in the ITM Cup, New Zealand's top provincial...
25 16 28/05/1985 Carisbrook CarisbrookCarisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it has also been used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. Carisbrook has also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game...
, DunedinDunedinDunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
Tour Match New Zealand All BlacksThe New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
13 18 01/06/1985 Lancaster Park, Christchurch ChristchurchChristchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
First Test Test match (rugby union)Test match in rugby union is a match recognised as being a full international match by at least one of the participating teams' governing bodies. It is an unofficial but widely used term in the sport....Southland Southland RugbyThe Southland Rugby Football Union is a provincial rugby union who govern the Southland Region founded in 1886. The headquarters of Southland Rugby are in Invercargill, New Zealand however the Southland Union also covers country teams such as Midlands of Winton and Excelsior Rugby Club of Gore.The...
15 9 04/06/1985 Homestead Stadium, Invercargill InvercargillInvercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
Tour Match New Zealand All BlacksThe New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
15 42 08/06/1985 Athletic Park Athletic Park (Wellington)Athletic Park was a well-known ground used mostly for rugby matches in Wellington, New Zealand. The ground was also the inaugural home of New Zealand's principal knockout football tournament, the Chatham Cup ....
, WellingtonWellingtonWellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
Second Test Test match (rugby union)Test match in rugby union is a match recognised as being a full international match by at least one of the participating teams' governing bodies. It is an unofficial but widely used term in the sport....
Touring party
- Manager: W.G.D. Morgan
- Assistant Manager: W.B. AshtonBrian Ashton (rugby player)William Brian Ashton MBE is a former rugby union player and the former Head Coach of the England and Ireland national rugby union teams.-Biography:...
- Coach: M.J. Green
- Captain: P.W. DodgePaul DodgePaul William Dodge is a former English rugby union international footballer who gained 32 caps for his country between 1978 and 1985. His Leicester Tigers career earned him 436 appearances....
(Leicester) 30 Caps
Full Backs
- C.R. Martin (Bath) 4 Caps
- I.J. Metcalfe (Moseley) No Caps
Three-Quarters
- B. BarleyBryan BarleyBryan Barley was a former England international rugby union centre.He was educated at Normanton Grammar School and Leeds University where he studied economics and mathematics....
(Wakefield)Wakefield RFCWakefield RFC was an English rugby union club, founded in 1901, and which dropped out of the English leagues in 2004 as a result of the effects of professionalism...
4 caps - P.W. DodgePaul DodgePaul William Dodge is a former English rugby union international footballer who gained 32 caps for his country between 1978 and 1985. His Leicester Tigers career earned him 436 appearances....
(Leicester) 30 Caps - J.M. Goodwin (Moseley) No Caps
- M.E. HarrisonMike Harrison (rugby player)Mike Harrison is a former first-class rugby union footballer, playing on the wing for Wakefield and England....
(Wakefield)Wakefield RFCWakefield RFC was an English rugby union club, founded in 1901, and which dropped out of the English leagues in 2004 as a result of the effects of professionalism...
No Caps - J.L.B. SalmonJamie SalmonJames Lionel Broome Salmon is a retired rugby union centre who uniquely appeared in international matches for both New Zealand and England.-Career:...
(Harlequins) No Caps - S.T. Smith (Wasps) 5 Caps
Half-Backs
- S. BarnesStuart BarnesStuart Barnes is a former English rugby union footballer, and now rugby commentator for Sky Sports. Barnes played fly-half for Newport RFC, Bristol, Bath; and represented England and the British Lions at international level.-Biography:Born in Essex, Barnes was educated at Rougemont and Bassaleg...
(Bath) 2 Caps - G.H. Davies (Wasps) 15 Caps
- R.J. HillRichard Hill (scrum-half)Richard Hill , is rugby union coach and former English international rugby footballer.-Biography:Born in Birmingham, Hill was educated at Bishop Wordsworth's Grammar School in Salisbury, and Exeter University...
(Bath) 2 Caps - N.D. MelvilleNigel MelvilleNigel David Melville is a former England national rugby union team scrum half and captain.He became the youngest player to captain England on his début when he led them against Australia in November 1984. He went onto make another twelve appearances over the next four years.He attended Aireborough...
(Wasps) 3 Caps
Forwards
- S. BainbridgeSteve BainbridgeStephen Bainbridge is a former international rugby union player. In 1983 he toured with the British and Irish Lions on their tour to New Zealand and in the 1987 Rugby World Cup. He played amongst other teams for club rugby for Fylde RC, Gosforth and Orrell R.U.F.C.-External links:* *...
(Flyde) 11 Caps - S.E. BrainSteve BrainSteve Brain is a retired rugby union player who played hooker for Coventry R.F.C. and represented England in over a dozen international matches, including three Five Nations, now the Six Nations Championship, between 1984 and 1986....
(Coventry) 7 Caps - D.H. Cooke (Harlequins) 10 Caps
- W.A. DooleyWade DooleyWade Dooley is a former England rugby union international who played lock forward. He played for his country 55 times and was known as the "Blackpool Tower", as a result of being 6 feet 8 inches tall and a police officer with Lancashire Constabulary in Blackpool.Dooley was born in Warrington,...
(Preston Grasshoppers) 5 Caps - J.P. Hall (Bath) 3 Caps
- R. Hesford (Bristol) 10 Caps
- R. Huntsman (Headingley) No Caps
- J. OrwinJohn OrwinJohn Orwin is a former Rugby union lock.He captained on the ill fated tour to Australia in 1988.-External links:* * *...
(Gloucester) 5 Caps - G.S. Pearce (Northampton) 21 Caps
- M. Preedy (Gloucester) 1 Cap
- G.W. Rees (Nottingham) 2 Caps
- A. Sheppard (Bristol) 2 Caps
- A. Simpson (Sale) No Caps
- M.C. TeagueMike TeagueMichael Clive Teague is a former England and British Lions rugby union footballer.-Early life:Teague was born and raised on a pig farm a few miles outside Gloucester...
(Gloucester) No Caps