1968 Rugby League World Cup Final
| 1968 Rugby League World Cup Final | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 10 June 1968 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Sydney Cricket Ground | ||||||||||||
| Location | Sydney, Australia | ||||||||||||
| Referee | John Percival  | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 54,290 | ||||||||||||
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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.
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 none 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.[2]
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.
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Australia
- Scores and results list Australia's points tally first.
| Opposing Team | For | Against | Date | Venue | Attendance | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Great Britain | 25 | 10 | 25 May | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | 62,256 | Group Stage |
| New Zealand | 31 | 12 | 1 June | Lang Park, Brisbane | 23,608 | Group Stage |
 France | 37 | 4 | 8 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 Team | For | Against | Date | Venue | Attendance | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 15 | 10 | 25 May | Carlaw Park, Auckland | 18,000 | Group Stage |
| Great Britain | 7 | 2 | 2 June | Carlaw Park, Auckland | 15,760 | Group Stage |
 Australia | 4 | 37 | 8 June | Lang Park, Brisbane | 32,664 | Group Stage |
France had a 2-1 record going into the Final
Match details
10 June 1968 |
| Australia |
20 – 2 | France |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Lionel Williamson (2) Ron Coote Johnny Greaves Goals: Eric Simms (4) |
[3] | Try: Goals: Jean Capdouze (1) |
| Australia | Position | France |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Simms | FB | Jean Claude Cros |
| Johnny Rhodes | WG | Daniel Pélerin |
| Graeme Langlands | CE | Jacques Gruppi |
| Johnny Greaves | CE | Jean Pierre Lecompte |
| Lionel Williamson | WG | Jean Ledru |
| Bob Fulton | FE | Jean Capdouze |
| Billy Smith | HB | Roger Garrigues |
| John Wittenberg | PR | Christian Sabatie |
| Fred Jones | HK | Yves Begou |
| Arthur Beetson | PR | George Ailleres (c) |
| Dick Thornett | SR | Francis de Nadai |
| Ron Coote | SR | Henri Marracq |
| Johnny Raper (c) | LF | Jean Pierre Clar |
| Harry Bath | Coach |
The undefeated Australians went into the tournament decider as favourites.[4] However France offered stern resistance and held the Australians to 0–7 at half-time and with quarter of an hour were only 0–12 down before losing 2–20. It was Australia's second World Cup title.
References
- ↑ "Rugby league debacle". The Age. 10 June 1968. p. 21. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
- ↑ 1968 Rugby League World Cup at Rugby League Project
- ↑ Report
- ↑ 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.