| 1954 Rugby League World Cup final | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 13 November 1954 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Parc des Princes | ||||||||||||
| Location | Paris, France | ||||||||||||
| Man of the Match | Don Robinson (Great Britain) | ||||||||||||
| Referee | Charles Appleton (Great Britain) | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 30,368 | ||||||||||||
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The 1954 Rugby League World Cup final was the conclusive game of the 1954 Rugby League World Cup tournament and was played between France and Great Britain on 13 November 1954 at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France.
The 1954 Rugby League World Cup was the inaugural staging of the Rugby League World Cup. The tournament was held in France from 30 October, culminating in the final between France and Great Britain on 13 November.
| Opposing Team | For | Against | Date | Venue | Attendance | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 New Zealand | 22 | 13 | 30 October | Parc des Princes, Paris | 13,240 | Group Stage |
 Great Britain | 13 | 13 | 7 November | Stadium Municipal, Toulouse | 37,471 | Group Stage |
 Australia | 15 | 5 | 11 November | Stade Marcel Saupin, Nantes | 13,000 | Group Stage |
| Opposing Team | For | Against | Date | Venue | Attendance | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 28 | 13 | 31 October | Stade de Gerland, Lyon | 10,250 | Group Stage |
 France | 13 | 13 | 7 November | Stadium Municipal, Toulouse | 37,471 | Group Stage |
| New Zealand | 26 | 6 | 11 November | Stade Chaban Delmas, Bordeaux | 14,000 | Group Stage |
13 November 1954 |
| France | 12–16 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Raymond Contrastin Vincent Cantoni Goals: Puig Aubert (3) | [1] | Try: Gordon Brown (2) Gerry Helme David Rose Goals: Jimmy Ledgard (2) |
Parc des Princes, Paris Attendance: 30,368 Referee: Charles Appleton (Great Britain) Player of the Match: Don Robinson (Great Britain) |
         France |  Great Britain |
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The BBC broadcast the whole match live in the UK via the Television Continental Exchange – a rare novelty for the time. France opened the scoring with a penalty Puig-Aubert kick from 45 yards out and played well early in the match, leading early in the second half thanks to a brilliant try from Cantoni. However Great Britain did not waver, with credit for the win given to a starring role by centre Phil Jackson [2] and the play of their forward pack, as well as the tough match France had played against Australia in Nantes two days earlier. [3] Great Britain defeated France 16–12 and became the first team to lift the World Cup. [4]
The 1954 Rugby League World Cup was rugby league football's first World Cup and was held in France in October–November 1954. Officially known as the "Rugby World Cup", four nations competed in the tournament: Australia, France, Great Britain and New Zealand. A group stage was held first, with Great Britain topping the table as a result of points difference. They went on to defeat France in the final, which was held at Paris' Parc des Princes before 30,368 spectators.
The 1968 Rugby League World Cup tournament was the fourth staging of the Rugby League World Cup, and was held in Australia and New Zealand during May and June in 1968. Contested by the men's national rugby league football teams of the two host countries plus Great Britain and France, for the first time a final to determine the World Cup was specifically pre-arranged. Financially it was a profitable venture for the competing nations.
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The Great Britain national rugby league team represents Great Britain in rugby league. Administered by the Rugby Football League (RFL), the team is nicknamed The Lions.
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The England national rugby league team represents England in international rugby league.
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James "Jim"/"Jimmy" Ledgard was an English rugby union and World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coached rugby league in the 1960s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Sandal RUFC, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain, England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Dewsbury, and Leigh, as a goal-kicking fullback, i.e. number 1, and coached at club level for Bradford Northern.
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league tournament contested by the top national men's representative teams. The tournament is administered by the International Rugby League and was first held in France in 1954, which was the first World Cup held for any form of rugby football.
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1954 Rugby League World Cup group stage was the main component of the 1954 Rugby League World Cup, with the top two nations qualifying for the final. The group comprised Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and France.
The 1968 Rugby League World Cup final was the conclusive game of the 1968 Rugby League World Cup tournament and was played between Australia and France on 10 June 1968 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia.
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The 1970 Rugby League World Cup final was the conclusive game of the 1970 Rugby League World Cup tournament and was played between Great Britain and Australia on 8 November 1970 at the Headingley ground in Leeds, England.
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 the last British team to win the Rugby League World Cup.
