1972 Rugby League World Cup final
| 1972 (1972) Rugby League World Cup final () | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 11 November 1972 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Stade de Gerland | ||||||||||||
| Location | Lyon, France | ||||||||||||
| Referee | Georges Jameau (France) | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 4,231 | ||||||||||||
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The 1972 Rugby League World Cup final was the conclusive game of the 1972 Rugby League World Cup tournament and was played between Great Britain and Australia on 11 November 1972 at the Stade de Gerland ground in Lyon, France. The final was played before 4,231 fans who witnessed what is (as of 2020) the last British team to win the Rugby League World Cup.[1]
Background
The 1972 Rugby League World Cup was the sixth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since its inauguration in 1954, and the first since the 1970 tournament. The tournament was held in the France from 28 October, culminating in the final between Great Britain and Australia on 11 November.
Great Britain
- Scores and results list Australia's points tally first.
| Opposing Team | For | Against | Date | Venue | Attendance | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia | 27 | 21 | 29 October | Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan | 6,300 | Group Stage |
 France | 13 | 4 | 1 November | Stade Lesdiguières, Grenoble | 13,231 | Group Stage |
 New Zealand | 53 | 19 | 4 November | Stade du Hameau, Pau | 7,500 | Group Stage |
Great Britain were undefeated going into the final.
Australia
- Scores and results list Great Britain's points tally first.
| Opposing Team | For | Against | Date | Venue | Attendance | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Great Britain | 21 | 27 | 29 October | Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan | 6,300 | Group Stage |
| New Zealand | 9 | 5 | 1 November | Parc des Princes, Paris | 8,000 | Group Stage |
| France | 5 | 19 | 5 November | Stadium Municipal, Toulouse | 10,332 | Group Stage |
Match details
11 November 1972 |
| Great Britain | 10–10 (ET) | Australia |
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| Tries: Clive Sullivan Mike Stephenson Goals: Terry Clawson (2) | [2] | Tries: John O'Neill Arthur Beetson Goals: Ray Branighan (2) |
      Great Britain |      Australia |
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The French public seemed uninterested in a final that did not involve the home team, as less than 4,500 spectators turned up. Indeed, out of the seven games in the World Cup tournament, including the final, the only games that drew over 10,000 fans were two of the three games in which the French team played. The Final actually drew the lowest attendance of the tournament.[3]
The game will always be remembered by the British for their captain Clive Sullivan's wonderful long distance try[4][5] and by the Australians for perhaps "the greatest try never scored",[6] later shown on TV to be legitimately scored by Australian fullback Graeme Langlands who chased and dived to catch Dennis Ward's bomb in mid-air, but it disallowed by French referee Georges Jameau who believed the Australian captain to be offside.[7] Mike Stephenson scored the 73rd-minute try that helped Great Britain level the scores and secure the World Cup.[8]
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.[9]
References
- ^ "When Great Britain won the World Cup". BBC. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ Report
- ^ 1972 RLWC at Rugby League Project
- ^ 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.
- ^ Paddy McAteer (22 December 2010) "Whole World in their Hands" Archived October 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine North West Evening Mail
- ^ 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.
- ^ Chesterton, Ray (24 October 2008). "Langlands denied greatest try ever". The Daily Telegraph. Australia: News Limited. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 1972 World Cup final highlights
