Australia vs France 1955 Series

Game 2

Australia 28 lost to France 29

Australia vs France 1955

Australia
28
29
France
Match Info
Match URL www.rugbyleagueproject.org/matches/6842
Status Completed
Date Saturday, 2nd July, 1955
Kick Off 2:45 PM (local time)
Referee Darcy Lawler
Venue The Gabba (Brisbane)
Crowd 45,745
Match Stats
Halftime Score 15 11
Penalties 9 17
Australia Scoresheet France
Harold CROCKER 2 T 2 Jacques MERQUEY
Graham LAIRD 2   2 Roger REY
Henry HOLLOWAY   Andre DUCASSE
Ross KITE      
 
Brian DAVIES 3/7 G 6/7 Gilbert BENAUSSE
Clive CHURCHILL 1/3   1/1 Christian DUPLE
Keith HOLMAN 1/1      
Australia Teams France
Clive CHURCHILL (c)
[South Sydney]
1 FB 1 Jean DOP
Alex WATSON 2 W 2 Andre DUCASSE
Ken McCAFFERY 3 C 3 Roger REY
Harry WELLS 4 C 4 Jacques MERQUEY (c)
Ross KITE
[St George]
5 W 5 Maurice VORON
 
Graham LAIRD 6 FE 6 Gilbert BENAUSSE
Keith HOLMAN
[Western Suburbs]
7 HB 7 Claude TEISSEIRE
 
Roy BULL
[Manly]
8 FR 8 Joseph VANEL
Ken KEARNEY
[St George]
9 HK 9 Jean AUDOUBERT
Duncan HALL 10 FR 10 François MONTRUCOLIS
Brian DAVIES 11 2R 11 Armand SAVE
Henry HOLLOWAY
[Newtown]
12 2R 12 Gabriel BERTHOMIEU
Harold CROCKER
[Parramatta]
13 L 13 Christian DUPLE
 
Vic HEY   HC   Jean DUHAU
   
 

Team Info

Australia

Previous Game:
Australia vs France 1955 - Game 1 vs. France
Next Game:
Australia vs France 1955 - Game 3 vs. France
Out:
Denis Flannery (wing), Darcy Henry (five-eighth), Peter Diversi (lock)
In:
Ken McCaffery (centre), Graham Laird (five-eighth), Harold Crocker (lock)
Changes:
Alex Watson (centre to wing)

France

Previous Game:
Les Chanticleers Tour 1955 - Game 17 vs. Northern NSW
Next Game:
Les Chanticleers Tour 1955 - Game 19 vs. Wide Bay
Out:
Antoine Jiminez (fullback), Raymond Contrastin (wing), Victor Larroude (centre), Fernand Cantoni (centre), Andre Savonne (wing), Andre Delpoux (five-eighth), Sylvain Menichelli (halfback), Jacques Fabre (front row), Rene Moulis (hooker), Andre Carrere (front row), Jean Jammes (second row), Jean Pambrun (second row), Francis Levy (lock)
In:
Jean Dop (fullback), Andre Ducasse (wing), Roger Rey (centre), Jacques Merquey (centre), Maurice Voron (wing), Gilbert Benausse (five-eighth), Claude Teisseire (halfback), Joseph Vanel (front row), Jean Audoubert (hooker), François Montrucolis (front row), Armand Save (second row), Gabriel Berthomieu (second row), Christian Duple (lock)

Match Notes

Some of the notes on earlier Australia vs. France matches in the "ABC of Rugby League" are fairly suspect. This match lists Duple as a goalkicker for France but doesn't list him in the squad. Team has subsequently been adjusted according to SMH report (SMH 29/06/1955, page 14).
Newspaper reports (SMH, 03/07/1955) suggest that France put on a 13 point blitz in six minutes late in the game to steal the win. Brian Davies of Australia also had a chance to win it for Australia at the death with a penalty from 50 yards out at an angle but he missed it to the left. Clive Churchill missed two fairly simple conversions in the first half.
It also mentions two separate incidents between Jean Dop and Henry Halloway. The "excitable" Dop was reportedly the aggressor both times with alleged kicks to Halloway, who then retaliated. On the second occasion Halloway required medical attention and Darcy Lawler had French coach Duhau come onto the field to explain his warning to Dop. It also suggest that an offer of peace in the form of handshake by Halloway was "angrily waved aside" by Dop.

This match is a part of the following:

Contributions: Gary Neale, Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson