1972 Rugby League World Cup
Encyclopedia
The sixth Rugby League World Cup
was held in France
in October and November of 1972. Australia started as the favourites to retain the trophy they had won just two years previously. New Zealand had beaten all three of the other nations in 1971 and France were expected to be tough opponents on their home soil. In the event Great Britain confounded most expectations by running out worthy winners and levelling their tally of World Cup wins at 3-3 with the Australians.
The final was held at Stade Gerland
in Lyon
. Great Britain played Australia and in the end, 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.
----
At Perpignan a monumental struggle finally went Britain's way 27-21 against the Kangaroos, for whom Bobby Fulton grabbed three tries in a lost cause.
----
Britain overcame France 13-4 to qualify for the final with outstanding second-rower Phil Lowe
scoring two tries.
----
New Zealand gave Australia a hard time, the first half being scoreless, before going down 5-9.
----
Britain hammered New Zealand 53-19, a World Cup record score, with young stand-off half John Holmes
collecting 26 points (10 goals, 2 tries) - another World Cup record.
----
Australia had to beat France at Toulouse to reach the final in the last game of the preliminaries, a task which proved well within their capabilities.
Great Britain: Paul Charlton
; Clive Sullivan
(c) [1 try], Chris Hesketh
, John Walsh
, John Atkinson; John Holmes
, Steve Nash
; Terry Clawson
[2 goals], Mike Stephenson
[1 try], David Jeanes
, Phil Lowe
, Brian Lockwood
, George Nicholls
; Robert "Bob" Irving
; Coach: Jim Challinor
Australia: Graeme Langlands
(c); John Grant
, Mark Harris, Geoff Starling, Ray Branighan
[2 goals]; Bob Fulton
, Dennis Ward; John O'Neill [1 try], Elwyn Walters
, Bob O'Reilly
, Arthur Beetson
[1 try], Gary Stevens
, Gary Sullivan
.
The French public seemed uninterested in a final that did not involve the home team, as less than 4,500 spectators turned up. The game will always be remembered by the British for their captain Clive Sullivan
's wonderful long distance try and by the Australians for perhaps "the greatest try never scored", later shown on TV to be legitimately scored by Australian fullback Graeme Langlands
but disallowed by French referee Georges Jameau. Mike Stephenson scored the 73rd-minute try that helped Great Britain level the scores and secure the World Cup. 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.
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
was held in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in October and November of 1972. Australia started as the favourites to retain the trophy they had won just two years previously. New Zealand had beaten all three of the other nations in 1971 and France were expected to be tough opponents on their home soil. In the event Great Britain confounded most expectations by running out worthy winners and levelling their tally of World Cup wins at 3-3 with the Australians.
The final was held at Stade Gerland
Stade Gerland
The Stade de Gerland is a stadium, in the city of Lyon, France and home to Ligue 1 football club Olympique Lyonnais...
in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. Great Britain played Australia and in the end, 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.
Results
France kicked off the tournament by sharing six tries with the Kiwis but a massive penalty count in their favour allowed the French to dictate play, their five goals and a drop goal to none by the Kiwis proving decisive.----
At Perpignan a monumental struggle finally went Britain's way 27-21 against the Kangaroos, for whom Bobby Fulton grabbed three tries in a lost cause.
----
Britain overcame France 13-4 to qualify for the final with outstanding second-rower Phil Lowe
Phil Lowe
Phil Lowe is an English former Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1960s, '70s and '80s. A Great Britain and England international representative second-row forward, he played club football in England for Hull Kingston Rovers and in Australia with Manly-Warringah, whom he helped to...
scoring two tries.
----
New Zealand gave Australia a hard time, the first half being scoreless, before going down 5-9.
----
Britain hammered New Zealand 53-19, a World Cup record score, with young stand-off half John Holmes
John Holmes (rugby league)
John S. Holmes was an English Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1960s, '70s and '80s, who at representative level played for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for Leeds, and Barrow.-International honours:...
collecting 26 points (10 goals, 2 tries) - another World Cup record.
----
Australia had to beat France at Toulouse to reach the final in the last game of the preliminaries, a task which proved well within their capabilities.
Final standings
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 44 | +49 | 6 | |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 41 | +20 | 4 | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 53 | −20 | 2 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 82 | −49 | 0 |
Final
TeamsGreat Britain: Paul Charlton
Paul Charlton (rugby league)
Harry Paul Charlton is an English former professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1960s, '70s and '80s who at representative level has played for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for Workington Town , and Salford, playing at , i.e...
; Clive Sullivan
Clive Sullivan
Clive A. Sullivan MBE was a Welsh rugby union and professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. A Great Britain and Wales international winger, he played with both Hull and Hull Kingston Rovers in his career, and also played for Oldham, and Doncaster...
(c) [1 try], Chris Hesketh
Chris Hesketh
Chris Hesketh MBE is an English former professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1960s and '70s...
, John Walsh
John Walsh (rugby league)
John Walsh is an English former professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1970s who at representative level has played for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for St. Helens, playing at , i.e. number 3 or 4....
, John Atkinson; John Holmes
John Holmes (rugby league)
John S. Holmes was an English Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1960s, '70s and '80s, who at representative level played for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for Leeds, and Barrow.-International honours:...
, Steve Nash
Steve Nash (rugby league)
Steve Nash , is an English former Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1970s and '80s. A /, he played for the Featherstone Rovers and Salford clubs and also represented England and Great Britain....
; Terry Clawson
Terry Clawson
Terry A. Clawson is an English former professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1960s, '70s and '80s who at representative level has played for Great Britain, and at club level for Featherstone Rovers, Bradford Northern, Leeds, Oldham, York, Wakefield Trinity, and Hull, playing...
[2 goals], Mike Stephenson
Mike Stephenson
Michael "Mike" Stephenson, also commonly known as Stevo, is an English Rugby League World Cup winning Rugby League, and presenter/commentator on British satellite television channel Sky Sports who also represented Great Britain in the sport.Stevo, the nickname that he is commonly known as on TV...
[1 try], David Jeanes
David Jeanes
Horace David Jeanes is an English former rugby union and professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer who at club level has played rugby union for Wakefield RFC, and at representative level has played rugby league for Great Britain, and Yorkshire, and at club level for Wakefield...
, Phil Lowe
Phil Lowe
Phil Lowe is an English former Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1960s, '70s and '80s. A Great Britain and England international representative second-row forward, he played club football in England for Hull Kingston Rovers and in Australia with Manly-Warringah, whom he helped to...
, Brian Lockwood
Brian Lockwood
Brian Lockwood was a Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1970s and 80s. He played for Canterbury-Bankstown, Balmain, Widnes, Hull KR, Castleford, Wakefield Trinity and for the Great Britain national side...
, George Nicholls
George Nicholls (rugby league)
George Nicholls is an English former Rugby League World Cup and multiple award winning footballer of the 1970s....
; Robert "Bob" Irving
Robert Irving (rugby league)
Robert "Bob" A. Irving was an English professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1960s and '70s...
; Coach: Jim Challinor
Jim Challinor
James "Jim" P. Challinor was an English professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1950s and '60s, and coach of the 1960s and '70s, who at representative level played for Great Britain, and at club level for Warrington, and Barrow, playing at , or , i.e...
Australia: Graeme Langlands
Graeme Langlands
Graeme 'Changa' Langlands, MBE, is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach of the 1960s and 70s. He retired as the most-capped player for the Australian national team with 45 from 1963 to 1975, and captained his country in 15 Test matches and World Cup games. Langlands was the...
(c); John Grant
John Grant (rugby league)
John Grant is an Australian businessman, rugby league football administrator and former player of the 1970s. A Queensland interstate representative three-quarter back, he was a member of the Australia national rugby league team which lost the 1972 World Cup to Great Britain in France...
, Mark Harris, Geoff Starling, Ray Branighan
Ray Branighan
Ray Branighan is an Australian former rugby league player, a star winger and Centre of the 1970s for the South Sydney Rabbitohs , the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and Australian national representative side.-Souths club career:...
[2 goals]; Bob Fulton
Bob Fulton
Robert "Bob" Fulton AM is an Australian rugby league football identity. Fulton played, coached, selected for and has commentated on the game with great success at the highest levels and has been named amongst Australia's greatest rugby league players of the 20th century.As a player Fulton won...
, Dennis Ward; John O'Neill [1 try], Elwyn Walters
Elwyn Walters
Elwyn Walters was an Australian rugby league player for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Eastern Suburbs clubs and for the Australian national side.Walters came to South Sydney in the mid-1960s from the Brisbane Norths club...
, Bob O'Reilly
Bob O'Reilly
Bob O'Reilly is an Australian former rugby league footballer. A prop forward, he played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from the 1960s to the 1980s, mainly for the Parramatta Eels, but also for the Eastern Suburbs Roosters and Penrith Panthers...
, Arthur Beetson
Arthur Beetson
Arthur Henry "Artie" Beetson, OAM , was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He represented Australia and Queensland from 1964 to 1981. His position was at prop. Beetson became the first Indigenous Australian to captain his country in any sport. and is frequently cited as the best...
[1 try], Gary Stevens
Gary Stevens (rugby league)
Gary Stevens is an Australian former rugby league player, a hard tackling second-row forward of the 1960s and 1970s for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs and Australian national representative side. He is the grandson of Souths club great Arthur Oxford.-Club...
, Gary Sullivan
Gary Sullivan (rugby league)
Gary Sullivan is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1960s and '70s. He played club football for Kurri and Newtown, and was selected for the 1970 and 1972 World Cups....
.
The French public seemed uninterested in a final that did not involve the home team, as less than 4,500 spectators turned up. The game will always be remembered by the British for their captain Clive Sullivan
Clive Sullivan
Clive A. Sullivan MBE was a Welsh rugby union and professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. A Great Britain and Wales international winger, he played with both Hull and Hull Kingston Rovers in his career, and also played for Oldham, and Doncaster...
's wonderful long distance try and by the Australians for perhaps "the greatest try never scored", later shown on TV to be legitimately scored by Australian fullback Graeme Langlands
Graeme Langlands
Graeme 'Changa' Langlands, MBE, is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach of the 1960s and 70s. He retired as the most-capped player for the Australian national team with 45 from 1963 to 1975, and captained his country in 15 Test matches and World Cup games. Langlands was the...
but disallowed by French referee Georges Jameau. Mike Stephenson scored the 73rd-minute try that helped Great Britain level the scores and secure the World Cup. Had Aussie winger Ray Branighan
Ray Branighan
Ray Branighan is an Australian former rugby league player, a star winger and Centre of the 1970s for the South Sydney Rabbitohs , the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and Australian national representative side.-Souths club career:...
succeeded with a 79th minute penalty or Bob Fulton
Bob Fulton
Robert "Bob" Fulton AM is an Australian rugby league football identity. Fulton played, coached, selected for and has commentated on the game with great success at the highest levels and has been named amongst Australia's greatest rugby league players of the 20th century.As a player Fulton won...
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.