| Tour: | 1956-57 |
| Team: | Australia |
| Yearstart: | 1956 |
| Yearfinish: | 1957 |
| Destination: | England France |
| Manager: | Clarrie Fahy Cyril Connell Sr. |
| Captain: | Ken Kearney |
| Top Point Scorer: | Gordon Clifford 94 |
| Top Try Scorer: | Ian Moir 13 |
| Top Test Point Scorer: | Gordon Clifford 22 |
| Top Test Try Scorer: | Keith Holman 4 |
| Matchplayed: | 28 |
| Matchwon: | 18 |
| Matchdraw: | 1 |
| Matchlost: | 9 |
| Testplayed: | 6 |
| Testwon: | 4 |
| Testdraw: | 0 |
| Testlost: | 2 |
| Played1: | 3 |
| Won1: | 1 |
| Draw1: | 0 |
| Lost1: | 2 |
| Played2: | 3 |
| Won2: | 3 |
| Draw2: | 0 |
| Lost2: | 0 |
| Previous: | 1952-53 |
| Next: | 1959-60 |
The 1956–57 Kangaroo tour was the ninth Kangaroo tour, in which the Australian national rugby league team travelled to Great Britain and France and played twenty-eight matches, including the Ashes series of three Test matches against Great Britain and three Test matches against the French. It followed the tour of 1952-53 and the next was staged in 1959-60.
The team was captained by Ken Kearney with Clive Churchill as vice-captain. Tour co-managers were Clarrie Fahy and Cyril Connell Sr. The latter's son, Cyril Connell Jr. was a playing member of the touring party.[1]
In the three matches in which neither Kearney nor Churchill played, the Kangaroos were captained by Cyril Connell Jr.
The Rugby League News published a photo and details of the touring team including the players' ages and weights.[2] Various newspapers published the names of the touring squad when it was selected in September 1956.[1]
Match details - listing surnames of both teams and the point scorers - were included in E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook, as was a summary of the players' point-scoring.[3]
Banks, Connell, Davies, Doyle, Flannery, Furner, McGovern, Payne, Tyquin and Watson were selected from Queensland clubs. Adams and Marsh were selected from clubs in New South Wales Country areas. The balance of the squad had played for Sydney-based clubs during the 1956 season.
| Player | Age | Weight | Club | Tests on Tour | Games | Tries | Goals | FG | Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | 29 | 11.0 (70) | align=left | 2 | 15 | 0 | 10 | 3 | align=right | 26 | ||||
| align=left | 26 | 12.0 (76) | align=left | 4 | 12 | 2 | 43 | 1 | align=right | 94 | ||||
| align=left | 27 | 12.10 (81) | align=left | 5 | 16 | 12 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 36 | ||||
| align=left | 22 | 12.6 (79) | align=left | 2 | 15 | 11 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 33 | ||||
| align=left | 28 | 13.3 (84) | align=left | Toowoomba All Whites | 3 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 18 | |||
| align=left | 24 | 11.4 (72) | align=left | 2 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 39 | ||||
| align=left | 23 | 13.10 (87) | align=left | 5 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 3 | ||||
| align=left | 25 | 13.2 (83) | align=left | 6 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 21 | ||||
| align=left | 24 | 12.12 (82) | align=left | 0 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 18 | ||||
| align=left | Tom Payne | 21 | 12.6 (79) | align=left | Toowoomba All Whites | 1 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 9 | ||
| align=left | 26 | 12.6 (79) | align=left | North Rockhampton | 6 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 1 | align=right | 17 | |||
| align=left | 29 | 12.8 (80) | align=left | 0 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 21 | ||||
| align=left | 28 | 11.9 (74) | align=left | 6 | 17 | 10 | 5 | 0 | align=right | 40 | ||||
| align=left | 26 | 10.10 (68) | align=left | North Rockhampton | 0 | 14 | 10 | 17 | 0 | align=right | 64 | |||
| align=left | 24 | 13.1 (83) | align=left | Toowoomba All Whites | 4 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 6 | |||
| align=left | 23 | 14.4 (91) | align=left | 3 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 6 | ||||
| align=left | 24 | 15.6 (98) | align=left | 3 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 9 | ||||
| align=left | 23 | 15.4 (97) | align=left | 6 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 6 | ||||
| align=left | 28 | 13.10 (87) | align=left | 0 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 0 | align=right | 24 | ||||
| align=left | 23 | 14.7 (92) | align=left | Toowoomba Souths | 1 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | align=right | 6 | |||
| align=left | 26 | 14.10 (93) | align=left | 3 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 0 | align=right | 17 | ||||
| align=left | 26 | 15.5 (98) | align=left | 6 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 6 | ||||
| align=left | 25 | 15.7 (98) | align=left | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 0 | ||||
| align=left | 27 | 14.12 (94) | align=left | Cootamundra | 2 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 15 | |||
| align=left | 32 | 13.7 (86) | align=left | 6 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | align=right | 8 | ||||
| align=left | 29 | 11.11 (75) | align=left | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | align=right | 0 |
The tour began in Great Britain with a series a matches, but the first Test Match of the tour was played against France in Paris. The tourists returned to Great Britain for more matches against English clubs and a three Test Match series against Great Britain. The team then returned to France to play a Second and Third Test against France (the fifth and sixth Tests of the tour), plus matches against club and other representative teams.
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| France | Position | Australia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Audy | Clive Churchill | ||
| Maurice Voron | Denis Flannery | ||
| Roger Rey | Dick Poole | ||
| Jacky Merquey (c) | Alex Watson | ||
| Andre Savonne | Des McGovern | ||
| Auguste Ambert | Bob Banks | ||
| Guy Lucia | Keith Holman | ||
| François Rinaldi | Roy Bull | ||
| Antranik Apelian | Ken Kearney (c) | ||
| François Montrucolis | Brian Davies | ||
| Robert Medus | Bill Tyquin | ||
| Augustin Parent | Norm Provan | ||
| Jean Rouqueirol | Kel O'Shea |
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| France | Position | Australia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Audy | Gordon Clifford | ||
| Maurice Voron | Denis Flannery | ||
| Roger Rey | Alex Watson | ||
| Antoine Jiminez | Dick Poole | ||
| Andre Ducasse | Don Adams | ||
| Bob Banks | |||
| Jean Dop | Keith Holman | ||
| Angélo Boldini | Bryan Orrock | ||
| Antranik Apelian | Ken Kearney (c) | ||
| Guy Berthomieu (c) | Roy Bull | ||
| Gilbert Verdié | Kel O'Shea | ||
| Armand Save | Norm Provan | ||
| Christian Duple | Ian Doyle |
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| France | Position | Australia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon Clifford | |||
| Andre Savonne | Denis Flannery | ||
| Antoine Jiminez | Tom Payne | ||
| Roger Rey | Dick Poole | ||
| Jean Nedorezoff | Ian Moir | ||
| Jacky Merquey (c) | Bob Banks | ||
| Claude Teisseire | Keith Holman | ||
| Henri Delhoste | Bill Marsh | ||
| Louis Michel | Ken Kearney (c) | ||
| Jacques Fabre | Roy Bull | ||
| Guy Berthomieu | Norm Provan | ||
| Augustin Parent | Kel O'Shea | ||
| Christian Duple | Ian Doyle |
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