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1972 Rugby League World Cup

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1972 World Cup
Number of teams4
Host country France
Winner Great Britain (3rd title)
Matches played7
Attendance62,456 (8,922 per match)
Points scored240 (34.29 per match)
Top scorerUnited Kingdom John Holmes (26)
Top try scorerAustralia Bob Fulton (5)
Tournaments
 < 1970
1975 > 

The sixth Rugby League World Cup was held in France in October and November 1972. Australia were the holders, while New Zealand had beaten all three of the other nations in 1971 and France were on their home soil. Great Britain won the title and levelled the score of World titles with the Australians at 3-3.

The final was held at Stade Gerland in Lyon. Great Britain played Australia and, with scores level and unchanged after extra time, claimed the cup on league placing.

This was the last World Cup to be played under the four-tackle rule.

Squads

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Venues

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Marseille Paris Toulouse
Stade Vélodrome Parc des Princes Stadium Municipal
Capacity: 55,000 Capacity: 48,712 Capacity: 37,000
Perpignan Pau Grenoble
Stade Gilbert Brutus Stade du Hameau Stade Lesdiguières
Capacity: 13,000 Capacity: 12,000 Capacity: 12,000
Stade du Hameau - Pau
Stade du Hameau - Pau

Final Venue

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Lyon
Stade de Gerland
Capacity: 45,000

Results

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Group stage

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Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
 Great Britain 3 3 0 0 93 44 +49 6 Advances to the Final
 Australia 3 2 0 1 61 41 +20 4
 France 3 1 0 2 33 53 −20 2
 New Zealand 3 0 0 3 33 82 −49 0
Source: [citation needed]
28 October 1972France 20 – 9 New ZealandStade Vélodrome, Marseille
29 October 1972Great Britain 27 – 21 AustraliaStade Gilbert Brutus, Perpingnan
1 November 1972France 4 – 13 Great BritainStade Lesdiguières, Grenoble
1 November 1972Australia 9 – 5 New ZealandParc des Princes, Paris
4 November 1972Great Britain 53 – 19 New ZealandStade du Hameau, Pau
5 November 1972France 9 – 31 AustraliaStadium Municipal, Toulouse

Final

[edit]
11 November 1972
Great Britain  10–10
(AET)		  Australia
Tries:
Clive Sullivan
Mike Stephenson
Goals:
Terry Clawson (2)		 [1]
 Tries:
John O'Neill
Arthur Beetson
Goals:
Ray Branighan (2)
Stade de Gerland, Lyon
Attendance: 4,231
Referee: Georges Jameau France
Great Britain
Australia
FB1Paul Charlton
RW2Clive Sullivan (c)
RC3Chris Hesketh
LC4John Walsh
LW5John Atkinson
SO6John Holmes
SH7Steve Nash
PR8Terry Clawson
HK9Mike Stephenson
PR10David Jeanes
SR11Phil Lowe
SR12Brian Lockwood
LF13George Nicholls
Substitutions:
IC14Bob Irving
IC15
Coach:
England Jim Challinor
FB1Graeme Langlands (c)
RW2John Grant
RC3Mark Harris
LC4Geoff Starling
LW5Ray Branighan
FE6Bob Fulton
HB7Dennis Ward
PR8John O'Neill
HK9Elwyn Walters
PR10Bob O'Reilly
SR11Arthur Beetson
SR12Gary Stevens
LK13Gary Sullivan
Substitutions:
IC14Fred Jones
IC15
Coach:
Australia Harry Bath

The French public seemed uninterested in a final that did not involve the home team, as just over 4,200 spectators turned up. The game will always be remembered by the British for their captain Clive Sullivan's wonderful long distance try[2][3] and by the Australians for perhaps "the greatest try never scored",[4] later shown on TV to be legitimately scored by Australian fullback Graeme Langlands but disallowed by French referee Georges Jameau.[5] Mike Stephenson scored the 73rd-minute try that helped Great Britain level the scores and secure the World Cup.[6] Had Aussie winger Ray Branighan succeeded with a 79th-minute penalty or Bob Fulton landed one of three drop goal attempts in the last five minutes, the cup could easily have gone to Australia. But for the first time in the competition's history the scores were level at full-time. An additional twenty minutes extra time was played, but no further score resulted, and Great Britain were awarded the cup by virtue of a better position in the table.

Try scorers

[edit]
5
4
3
2
1

Tour games

[edit]

After the World Championship, Australia and New Zealand arranged short three-game tours against English clubs.

Australia

Date Opponents Score Venue Attendance[7]
15 NovemberSt HelensWon 24–9St Helens9,311
17 NovemberWiganDrew 18–18Wigan6,300
19 NovemberBradford NorthernWon 29–16Bradford2,820

New Zealand

Date Opponents Score Venue Attendance[8]
15 NovemberLeedsLost 6–11Leeds
17 NovemberHuddersfieldWon 32–2Huddersfield
19 NovemberSalfordLost 4–50[9]Salford

References

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  1. ↑ Report
  2. ↑ Wright, J (23 August 2007). "Rugby League's Greatest Ever Full-back". Times & Star. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  3. ↑ Paddy McAteer (22 December 2010) "Whole World in their Hands" Archived 5 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine North West Evening Mail
  4. ↑ Kdouh, Fatima (28 November 2013). "We take a look back at the greatest Rugby League World Cup finals of all time". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  5. ↑ Chesterton, Ray (24 October 2008). "Langlands denied greatest try ever". The Daily Telegraph. Australia: News Limited. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  6. ↑ Hughes, Ed (31 October 2004). "Caught in Time: Great Britain prepare for 1972 rugby league World Cup final". The Sunday Times. UK: Times Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 18 October 2010.[dead link]
  7. ↑ "Kangaroos World Cup Tour 1972". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  8. ↑ "Kiwis World Cup Tour 1972". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  9. ↑ "Kiwis were too bad to be true". The Press. Christchurch. 21 November 1972. p. 30.
[edit]
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