The sixth Rugby League World Cup 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 in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

. 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 both Hull F.C. and Hull Kingston Rovers in his career, and also for Oldham ( Herit ...

'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, MBE, (2 September 1941 – 20 January 2018), also known by the nickname of "Changa", was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. and coached in the 1970s. He retire ...

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 (born 5 December 1947) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, a star and of the 1970s for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, as well as the New South Wales state and Australian nat ...

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 * Bob Fulton ;4 *

;3 * John Atkinson * Phil Lowe *

Mike Stephenson Michael Stephenson (born 27 January 1947) is an English rugby league commentator and former 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 Paul Joseph Sait (born 4 September 1947) is a former Australian rugby league footballer and coach. A versatile or running forward who played in the 1960s and 1970s for South Sydney. He made 7 Test appearances for the Australian national rep ...

* 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 brother ...

* John Whittaker ;1 * Arthur Beetson *

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 * George Nicholls * Dennis O'Neill * Mocky Brereton * Bill Burgoyne * Tony Coll * Murray Eade * 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