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1972 (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)
Tournaments  < 1970 1975 >

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. 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

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

Great Britain	10–10 (AET)	Australia
Tries: Clive Sullivan Mike Stephenson Goals: Terry Clawson (2)		Tries: John O'Neill Arthur Beetson Goals: Ray Branighan (2)

Stade de Gerland, Lyon Attendance: 4,231 Referee: Georges Jameau

Great Britain

Australia

FB 1 Paul Charlton RW 2 Clive Sullivan (c) RC 3 Chris Hesketh LC 4 John Walsh LW 5 John Atkinson SO 6 John Holmes SH 7 Steve Nash PR 8 Terry Clawson HK 9 Mike Stephenson PR 10 David Jeanes SR 11 Phil Lowe SR 12 Brian Lockwood LF 13 George Nicholls Substitutions: IC 14 Bob Irving IC 15 Coach: Jim Challinor

FB 1 Graeme Langlands (c) RW 2 John Grant RC 3 Mark Harris LC 4 Geoff Starling LW 5 Ray Branighan FE 6 Bob Fulton HB 7 Dennis Ward PR 8 John O'Neill HK 9 Elwyn Walters PR 10 Bob O'Reilly SR 11 Arthur Beetson SR 12 Gary Stevens LK 13 Gary Sullivan Substitutions: IC 14 Fred Jones IC 15 Coach: Harry Bath

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 and by the Australians for perhaps "the greatest try never scored", later shown on TV to be legitimately scored by Australian fullback Graeme Langlands 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 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

• Clive Sullivan

3

• John Atkinson
• Phil Lowe
• Mike Stephenson

2

• Mark Harris
• John O'Neill
• Paul Sait
• Jean-Marie Bonal
• Andre Ruiz
• John Holmes
• Phillip Orchard
• John Whittaker

1

• Arthur Beetson
• Tommy Raudonikis
• Elwyn Walters
• Dennis Ward
• Paul Charlton
• Chris Hesketh
• David Jeanes
• Steve Nash
• George Nicholls
• Dennis O'Neill
• Mocky Brereton
• Bill Burgoyne
• Tony Coll
• Murray Eade
• Dennis Williams

References

1. Report
2. 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.
3. Paddy McAteer (22 December 2010) "Whole World in their Hands" Archived 5 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine North West Evening Mail
4. 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.
5. Chesterton, Ray (24 October 2008). "Langlands denied greatest try ever". The Daily Telegraph. Australia: News Limited. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
6. 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.

External links

• 1972 World Cup at rlhalloffame.org.uk
• 1972 World Cup at rugbyleagueproject.com
• 1972 World Cup final at eraofthebiff.com
• When Great Britain won the World Cup at bbc.co.uk
• 1972 World Cup final at timesonline.co.uk
• 1972 World Cup data at hunterlink.net.au
• 1972 World Cup at 188-rugby-league.co.uk

• 1972 Rugby League World Cup