1968 Rugby League World Cup final

Last updated

1968 (1968) Rugby League World Cup final  ()
12Total
AUS Australian colours.svg 71220
FRA France colours.svg 022
Date10 June 1968
Stadium Sydney Cricket Ground
Location Sydney, Australia
Man of the Match John Wittenberg (Australia)
Referee John Percival (New Zealand)
Attendance54,290
Broadcast partners
  1954
1970  

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.

Contents

The final had been billed a 'debacle' following Great Britain's inexplicable loss to France in Auckland, leaving them to contest the final despite being beaten by Australia seven tries to nil two days prior. [1] Nonetheless, it attracted a then record crowd of 54,290 for a World Cup final, though it wasn't the record World Cup attendance as the second match of the tournament between Australia and Great Britain (won 25-10 by Australia) had drawn 62,256 to the SCG, a record that would not fall until 73,631 attended the 1992 World Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

Background

The 1968 Rugby League World Cup was the fourth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since its inauguration in 1954, and the first since the 1960 tournament. The tournament was held in the Australia and New Zealand from 25 May, culminating in the final between Australia and France on 10 June.

Australia

Scores and results list Australia's points tally first.
Opposing TeamForAgainstDateVenueAttendanceStage
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 251025 May Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 62,256 Group Stage
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 31121 June Lang Park, Brisbane 23,608 Group Stage
Flag of France.svg  France 3748 June Lang Park, Brisbane 32,664 Group Stage

Australia were undefeated going into the final.

France

Scores and results list France's points tally first.
Opposing TeamForAgainstDateVenueAttendanceStage
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 151025 May Carlaw Park, Auckland 18,000 Group Stage
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 722 June Carlaw Park, Auckland 15,760 Group Stage
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 4378 June Lang Park, Brisbane 32,664 Group Stage

France had a 2–1 record going into the Final

Match details

Although it had been anticipated before the tournament that it would be an Australia vs Great Britain WCF, the French surprised by making the Final after defeating both New Zealand and Great Britain in the preliminary games. The match attracted a World Cup final record crowd of 54,290.

10 June 1968
Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg20–2Flag of France.svg  France
Try:
Lionel Williamson (2)
Ron Coote
Johnny Greaves
Goals:
Eric Simms (4)
[2]
Try:



Goals:

Field Goals:
Jean Capdouze (1)
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Attendance: 54,290
Referee: John Percival (New Zealand)
Player of the Match: John Wittenberg (Australia)
Kit left arm kangaroos.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body kangaroos54.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm kangaroos.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts thingoldsides.png
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks hoops gold.png
Kit socks long.svg
Australia
Kit left arm francerl54.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body francerl54.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm francerl54.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks 2whitestripes.png
Kit socks long.svg
France
FB1 Eric Simms
LW2 Johnny Rhodes
RC3 Graeme Langlands
LC4 Johnny Greaves
RW5 Lionel Williamson
FE6 Bob Fulton
HB7 Billy Smith
LK8 Johnny Raper (c)
SR9 Ron Coote
SR10 Dick Thornett
PR11 Arthur Beetson
HK12 Fred Jones
PR13 John Wittenberg
Substitutions:
IC15 Elton Rasmussen
Coach:
Harry Bath
FB1 Jean-Claude Cros
RW2 Daniel Pellerin
RC3 Jacques Gruppi
LC4 Jean-Pierre Lecompte
LW19 Jean-René Ledru
FE6 Jean Capdouze
HB7 Roger Garrigue
PR8 Christian Sabatié
HK9 Yves Bégou
PR10 George Ailleres (c)
SR11 Francis de Nadai
SR12 Henri Marracq
LF13 Jean-Pierre Clar
Substitutions:
IC16 Jacques Gruppi
Coach:
Jep Lacoste

The undefeated Australians went into the tournament decider as favourites. [3] However, France offered stern resistance and held the Australians to only a 7–0 lead at half-time, and with quarter of an hour left were only 12–0 down before losing 20–2. It was Australia's second World Cup title. [4]

Related Research Articles

The 1968 Rugby League World Cup was the fourth World Cup for men’s national teams and was held between 25 May and 10 June and for the first time co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Australia were the Champions after they defeated France in the final.

The 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup was the tenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup, and continued to use the three-year format, stretching across the years 1989 to 1992. As with the 1985–1988 World Cup, teams played each other on a home-and-away basis. These matches were fitted into the normal international programme of three-match test series between the nations, with a pre-designated match from each series counting as the World Cup fixture. The tournament culminated in the 1992 Rugby League World Cup final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canberra Stadium</span> Stadium in Canberra, Australia

Canberra Stadium, commercially known as GIO Stadium Canberra, is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports venue by capacity in Canberra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Football Stadium (1988)</span> Former sports venue in Sydney, Australia

The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in the Moore Park suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier rectangular field venue for rugby league, rugby union and football.

The Ashes series, similar to the cricket series of the same name, was a best-of-three series of test matches between Australia and Great Britain national rugby league football teams. It had been contested 39 times from 1908 until 2003 largely with hosting rights alternating between the two countries. Since 1973, Australia has won a record thirteen consecutive Ashes series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Britain national rugby league team</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia national rugby league team</span> Senior mens sports team

The Australian national rugby league team, the Kangaroos, have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competitions since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League Commission, the Kangaroos are ranked first in the IRL Men's World Rankings. The team is the most successful in Rugby League World Cup history, having won the competition 12 times, and contested 15 of the 16 finals, only failing to reach the final in the 1954 inaugural tournament. Only five nations have beaten Australia in test matches, and Australia has an overall win percentage of 69%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">France national rugby league team</span> Represents France in international rugby league

The France national rugby league team represents France in international rugby league matches. They are referred to as les Chanticleers or less commonly as les Tricolores. The team is run under the auspices of the Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">England national rugby league team</span> Team representing England in international rugby league

The England national rugby league team represents England in international rugby league since the first international match in 1904. It is controlled by the Rugby Football League (RFL), the governing body for rugby league in England, and participated in the Rugby League World Cup and other test matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eden Park</span> Sports stadium in Auckland, New Zealand

Eden Park is a sports venue in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located three kilometres southwest of the Auckland CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. The main stadium has a nominal capacity of 50,000, and is sometimes referred to as New Zealand's national stadium. The stadium is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer, and has also hosted rugby league and association football matches, as well as concerts and cultural events. It is owned and operated by the Eden Park Trust Board, whose headquarters are located in the stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Carlson</span> Australia international rugby league footballer & coach

Brian Patrick Carlson was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a centre & utility back for the Australia national team. He played in 17 Tests and 6 World Cup games between 1952 and 1961, as captain on 2 occasions. He is considered one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby League World Cup</span> International rugby league football tournament

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Turner</span> English rugby player and coach (1932–2015)

Derek Turner, also known by the nickname of "Rocky", was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England, Yorkshire and Great Britain & France, and at club level for Hull Kingston Rovers, Oldham and Wakefield Trinity (captain), with whom he won three Challenge Cup Finals, as a second-row, or more usually loose forward, and coached at club level for Castleford, Leeds and Wakefield Trinity.

The 1992 Rugby League World Cup final was the conclusive game of the 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup tournament and was played between Great Britain and Australia on 24 October 1992 at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Australia won the final by 10 points to 6 in front of an international record crowd of 73,631. Australia, the defending champions, won the Rugby League World Cup for the 7th time.

The 1988 Rugby League World Cup final was the conclusive game of the 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup tournament and was played between New Zealand and Australia on 9 October 1988 at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. Australia won the final by 25 points to 12 in front of a New Zealand rugby league record attendance of 47,363. Australia, the defending champions, won the Rugby League World Cup for the 6th time.

The 1977 Rugby League World Cup final was the conclusive game of the 1977 Rugby League World Cup tournament and was played between Australia and Great Britain on 25 June 1977 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia.

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.

The 1994 French rugby league Oceania tour was a three test tour by the France national rugby league team. The French team played single tests against Papua New Guinea, Australia and Fiji, losing all three games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Rugby League World Cup</span>

The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league tournament currently played every four years. The first tournament was held in 1954, hosted by France who had pushed for such a tournament to be approved. Since the first edition, 14 others have been held at sporadic intervals.

References

  1. "Rugby league debacle". The Age . 10 June 1968. p. 21. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
  2. Report
  3. 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.
  4. 1968 Rugby League World Cup final highlights

See also