1972 Rugby League World Cup
Sixth Rugby League World Cup
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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.
| 1972 World Cup | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Host country |  France |
| Winner |  Great Britain (3rd title) |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Attendance | 62,456 (8,922 per match) |
| Points scored | 240 (34.29 per match) |
| Top scorer | John Holmes (26) |
| Top try scorer |  Bob Fulton (5) |
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
Venues
| 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 |
 |
 |
 |
Final Venue
| Lyon |
|---|
| Stade de Gerland |
| Capacity: 45,000 |
 |
Results
Group stage
| 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 |
| 28 October 1972 | France | 20 – 9 | New Zealand | Stade Vélodrome, Marseille |
| 29 October 1972 | Great Britain | 27 – 21 | Australia | Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpingnan |
| 1 November 1972 | France | 4 – 13 | Great Britain | Stade Lesdiguières, Grenoble |
| 1 November 1972 | Australia | 9 – 5 | New Zealand | Parc des Princes, Paris |
| 4 November 1972 | Great Britain | 53 – 19 | New Zealand | Stade du Hameau, Pau |
| 5 November 1972 | France | 9 – 31 | Australia | Stadium Municipal, Toulouse |
Final
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) |
      Great Britain
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     Australia
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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
- 5
- 4
- 3
- 2
- 1
Tour games
After the World Championship, Australia and New Zealand arranged short three-game tours against English clubs.
Australia
New Zealand
| Date | Opponents | Score | Venue | Attendance[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 November | Leeds | Lost 6–11 | Leeds | |
| 17 November | Huddersfield | Won 32–2 | Huddersfield | |
| 19 November | Salford | Lost 4–50[9] | Salford |