The 1920 Great Britain Lions tour was the third British national rugby league team or 'Lions' tour of Australasia, where it was winter and matches were played against the Australian and New Zealand national sides, as well as several local teams. In Australia, the three-Test match series was won by the hosts. In New Zealand another three-Test series was played and won by the visitors. The tour was a success and brought in a handsome profit.
Touring squad
At the 1919–20 Northern Rugby Football Union season's conclusion, the following Great Britain squad was assembled by the Northern Rugby Football Union to represent it on the tour of Australasia. Mr S Foster and Mr J Wilson were the team managers. Although it was a Great Britain tour, the team played as 'England' during the games.
England
Joe Bowers, forward for Rochdale Hornets
Joe Cartwright, hooker for Leigh
Douglas Clark, forward for Huddersfield
Billy Cunliffe, forward for Warrington
Joe Doyle, three-quarter back for Barrow
Frank Gallagher, forward for Dewsbury
Herman Hilton, forward for Oldham
Arthur Johnson, forward for Widnes
Ernest Jones, half back for Rochdale Hornets
Alf Milnes, hooker for Halifax
Jonty Parkin, half back for Wakefield Trinity
William Reid, forward for Widnes
Arthur Skelhorne, forward for Warrington
Cyril Stacey, fullback for Halifax
Squire Stockwell, three-quarter back for Leeds
Billy Stone, three-quarter back for Hull
Harold Wagstaff (captain), three-quarter back for Huddersfield
Alf Wood, fullback for Oldham
Wales
Jim Bacon, three-quarter back for Leeds
Evan Davies, three-quarter back for Oldham
Ben Gronow, forward for Huddersfield
Danny Hurcombe, three-quarter back for Wigan
Bobby Lloyd, half back for Halifax
George Rees, player for Leeds
Johnny Rogers, half back for Huddersfield
Gwyn Thomas (vice-captain), fullback for Huddersfield
Australia
The first leg of the tour was Australia, where the game of rugby league football was in its twelfth year since splitting away from rugby union in 1908. The tour included places such as Orange, Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Toowoomba and Tamworth as well as the standard main venues of Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney and Ipswich.
Test venues
The three Ashes series tests took place at the following venues.
The opening match of the tour on 5 June took place between rounds 5 and 6 of the fifteen-round 1920 NSWRFL season, and saw a Metropolis (Sydney) team host the tourists at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
In front of an overflow crowd of 65,000 the visitors ran out 27-20 winners.
As the preliminary match to the New South Wales versus Britain game on 12 June, Sydney University's first intervarsity match against Queensland University under rugby league rules was played before a crowd of 60,000. Sydney won 26-14.
Albert Johnston captained New South Wales in two matches against the visiting Lions.
On Saturday, 19 June, the tourists played a match against Queensland before a crowd of around 20,000 at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground. The Queensland side featured Mick Bennett, Neville Broadfoot, Jeff Daly, Harry Fewin, Thomas Johnson, Jack Maguire, Patrick Moran, Claud O'Donnell, Walter Paten, Norm Potter, Bill Richards, Stan Ryan, E. Sabine, Colin Thompson, and J. Thompson. The British team was F G Thomas, J A Bacon, J Doyle, H Wagstaff, F Stockwell, R Lloyd, J Rogers, H Hilton, W Reid, G Rees, R Gronow, E Milnes and E Johnston. Refereed by L H Kearney, the visitors, after leading 13-10 at half-time, won the game 25-15.
First test
The first test of the 1920 Ashes series was played on the 26th of June at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground before a crowd of 32,000. It was refereed by local whistleblower Laurie Kearney. Albert Johnston was selected to captain Australia in the opening Test of the series in the absence of champion centre Herb Gilbert. Despite a last minute reshuffling of the team which saw Johnston move to halfback.
Australia won the match 8-4.
Second test
Albert Johnston lost the Australian captaincy on Herb Gilbert's return and played at five-eighth in the second Ashes Test. The match was played on the 3rd of July at the Sydney Cricket Ground and attracted 67,739 spectators, then a record attendance for any sport at the SCG.
Australian halfback Duncan Thompson starred in the match, which was won by the hosts 21-8. With this Australia secured the Ashes for the first time on home soil.