Summary
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.
| 1985 England rugby union tour of New Zealand | |||||
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| Summary |
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| Total |
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| Test match |
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| Opponent |
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 New Zealand |
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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 taken a new job, and eventually 2 coaches were appointed under Derek Morgan, Martin Green and Brian Ashton. The party as a whole was very short of experience,
Matches edit
- Scores and results list England's points tally first.
| Opposing Team | For | Against | Date | Venue | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Auckland | 27 | 14 | 18 May 1985 | Okara Park, Whangarei | Tour match |
| Poverty Bay | 45 | 0 | 22 May 1985 | Rugby Park, Gisborne | Tour match |
| Auckland | 6 | 24 | 25 May 1985 | Eden Park, Auckland | Tour match |
| Otago | 25 | 16 | 28 May 1985 | Carisbrook, Dunedin | Tour match |
| New Zealand | 13 | 18 | 1 June 1985 | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | First Test |
| Southland | 15 | 9 | 4 June 1985 | Homestead Stadium, Invercargill | Tour match |
| New Zealand | 15 | 42 | 8 June 1985 | Athletic Park, Wellington | Second Test |
Touring party edit
- Manager: Derek Morgan
- Assistant manager: Brian Ashton
- Coach: Martin Green
- Captain: Paul Dodge (Leicester) 30 caps
Backs edit
- Chris Martin (Bath) 4 caps
- Ian Metcalfe (Moseley) No caps
- Bryan Barley (Wakefield) 4 caps
- Paul Dodge (Leicester) 30 caps
- J.M. Goodwin (Moseley) No caps
- Mike Harrison (Wakefield) No caps
- Jamie Salmon (Harlequins) No caps
- Simon Smith (Wasps) 5 caps
- Stuart Barnes (Bath) 2 caps
- Huw Davies (Wasps) 15 caps
- Richard Hill (Bath) 2 caps
- Nigel Melville (Wasps) 3 caps
Forwards edit
- Steve Bainbridge (Fylde) 11 caps
- Steve Brain (Coventry) 7 caps
- David Cooke (Harlequins) 10 caps
- Wade Dooley (Preston Grasshoppers) 5 caps
- Jon Hall (Bath) 3 caps
- Bob Hesford (Bristol) 10 caps
- Paul Huntsman (Headingley) No caps
- John Orwin (Gloucester) 5 caps
- Gary Pearce (Northampton) 21 caps
- Malcolm Preedy (Gloucester) 1 cap
- Gary Rees (Nottingham) 2 caps
- Austin Sheppard (Bristol) 2 caps
- Andy Simpson (Sale) No caps
- Mike Teague (Gloucester) No caps