The sixth

Rugby League World Cup The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by senior men's national teams who each represent member nations of the International Rugby League who run and administer the tournament. The tournament has be ...

was held in France in October and November 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 The Stade de Gerland (known for sponsorship reasons as Matmut Stadium de Gerland and otherwise known as Municipal de Gerland or Stade Gerland ) is a stadium in the city of Lyon, France, which serves as home to Top 14 rugby club Lyon OU. It has a ...

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. 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.

Squads

Venues

Final Venue

Results

Group stage

Final

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 Clive Anthony Sullivan MBE (9 April 1943 – 8 October 1985) was a Welsh rugby league footballer. A Great Britain and Wales international winger, he played for Hull F.C. and Hull Kingston Rovers in his career, winning Challenge Cup medals wi ...

'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 Frank Langlands, Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE, (2 September 1941 – 20 January 2018), also known by the nickname of "Changa", was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played from the 19 ...

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 Robert Fulton (1 December 1947 – 23 May 2021), also nicknamed "Bozo", was an Australian rugby league footballer, coach and later commentator. Fulton played, coached, selected for and commentated on the game with great success at the highest ...

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 Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...

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

;5 *

;4 *

;3 * John Atkinson *

Phil Lowe Philip Thomas Lowe (19 January 1950 – 20 March 2024) was an English professional rugby league footballer and coach who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a forward. He was a member of Great Britain's 1972 World Cup winning team, and a ...

Mike Stephenson Michael Stephenson (born 27 January 1947) is an English former rugby league commentator and player. Stephenson was born in Dewsbury, West Riding of Yorkshire. He is commonly known as "Stevo", the nickname that he is known by in rugby league ...

;2 * Mark Harris * John O'Neill * Paul Sait * Jean-Marie Bonal * Andre Ruiz * John Holmes *

Phillip Orchard Phillip Charles Orchard (28 July 1948 – 29 July 2018) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand in the 1972 and 1975 World Cups. He was later named in the New Zealand Rugby League's Team of the Century. His brothe ...

* John Whittaker ;1 *

Arthur Beetson Arthur Henry "Artie" Beetson Medal of the Order of Australia, OAM (21 January 1945 – 1 December 2011

Tommy Raudonikis Thomas Walter Raudonikis (13 April 1950 – 7 April 2021) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He played 40 International games and World Cup games as Australia representative and captained his country in two matches of the 1 ...

* Elwyn Walters * Dennis Ward * Paul Charlton *

Chris Hesketh Christopher Hesketh (28 November 1944 – 10 August 2017) was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Lancashire as ...

David Jeanes Horace David Jeanes () is an English former rugby union and World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Keighley RUFC and Wakefield RFC, and representative ...

Steve Nash Stephen John Nash (born 7 February 1974) is a Canadian professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 18 seasons in the NBA, ...

George Nicholls George Nicholls may refer to: * George Nicholls (commissioner) (1781–1865), British Poor Law Commissioner * George Nicholls (British politician) (1864–1943), British member of parliament for North Northamptonshire, 1906–1910 * George Heaton N ...

* Dennis O'Neill * Mocky Brereton * Bill Burgoyne *

Tony Coll Anthony Peter Coll (7 February 1952 – 14 May 2020) was a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer and coach who represented New Zealand national rugby league team, New Zealand in three Rugby League World Cup, World Cups. Early life a ...

Murray Eade Murray Eade is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand in the 1972 and 1975 World Cups. Playing career Eade played for Ellerslie in the Auckland Rugby League competition and also represented Auckland. In 1971 ...

* Dennis Williams

References

External links

1972 World Cup at rlhalloffame.org.uk

''When Great Britain won the World Cup'' at bbc.co.uk

1972 World Cup final at timesonline.co.uk

1972 World Cup at 188-rugby-league.co.uk
{{Great Britain squad – 1972 Rugby League World Cup Champions