Kangaroo Group Name: Mob or Australia’s Kangaroos?
A group of kangaroos is a mob. In rugby league, the Kangaroos are Australia’s men’s national team. Here’s how to distinguish the two meanings.
A group of kangaroos is called a mob. In rugby league, the Kangaroos is the name used for Australia’s men’s national team. The first is an animal collective noun; the second is a sporting nickname.
What is a group of kangaroos called?
For the animals, a mob of kangaroos is the straightforward answer. Bush Heritage Australia describes kangaroos as living in social groups called mobs. The Australian Museum also uses the term for eastern grey kangaroos.
Who are the Kangaroos in rugby league?
In international thirteen-a-side rugby league, Australia’s men’s team is known as the Kangaroos. The official World Cup website uses “Australia” and “Kangaroos” for the same side in its Australian team-selection coverage.
The name has a long connection with touring. The NRL’s history of rugby league records the first Kangaroo tour in 1908, when Australia’s rugby league tourists travelled to Great Britain. That history distinguishes them from the Wallabies, the rugby union side that also toured that year.
Australia’s women’s rugby league team has a separate name: the Jillaroos, as reflected in the NRL’s women’s national-team profiles. “Kangaroos” should therefore not be used as a blanket label for every Australian national rugby league side.
For results research, look for Australia as the country and Kangaroos as the men’s team nickname—not “mob” as a formal team name. For the wider international record, see our Australia rugby league team history and World Cup record.