1977 Rugby League World Cup Final
| 1977 Rugby League World Cup Final | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 25 June 1977 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Sydney Cricket Ground | ||||||||||||
| Location | Sydney, Australia | ||||||||||||
| Referee | Billy Thompson  | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 24,457 | ||||||||||||
| Broadcast partner | |||||||||||||
| Broadcaster | BBC | ||||||||||||
| Commentator | Eddie Waring | ||||||||||||
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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.
Background
The 1977 Rugby League World Cup was the eighth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since its inauguration in 1954, and the first since the 1972 tournament. The tournament was held in the Australia and New Zealand from 29 May, culminating in the final between Australia and Great Britain on 25 June.
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Australia
- Scores and results list Australia's points tally first.
| Opposing Team | For | Against | Date | Venue | Attendance | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 New Zealand | 22 | 2 | 29 May | Carlaw Park, Auckland | 18,000 | Group Stage |
 France | 21 | 9 | 11 June | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | 13,231 | Group Stage |
| Great Britain | 19 | 5 | 18 June | Lang Park, Brisbane | 27,000 | Group Stage |
Australia were undefeated going into the final.
Great Britain
- Scores and results list Great Britain's points tally first.
| Opposing Team | For | Against | Date | Venue | Attendance | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 23 | 4 | 5 June | Carlaw Park, Auckland | 10,000 | Group Stage |
| New Zealand | 30 | 12 | 12 June | Addington Showground, Christchurch | 9,000 | Group Stage |
 Australia | 5 | 19 | 18 June | Lang Park, Brisbane | 27,000 | Group Stage |
Match details
25 June 1977 |
| Australia |
13 – 12 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Allan McMahon Russel Gartner John Kolc Goals: Michael Cronin (2/4) |
[1] | Tries: Steve Pitchford Ken Gill Goals: George Fairbairn (3/4) |
| Australia | Position | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Graham Eadie | FB | George Fairbairn |
| Allan McMahon | WG | Stuart Wright |
| Michael Cronin | CE | John Holmes |
| Russel Gartner | CE | Les Dyl |
| Mark Harris | WG | Bill Francis |
| John Peard | FE | Roger Millward (c) |
| John Kolc | HB | Steve Nash |
| Greg Veivers | PR | Jimmy Thompson |
| Nick Geiger | HK | Keith Elwell |
| Terry Randall | PR | Steve Pitchford |
| Arthur Beetson (c) | SR | Len Casey |
| Ray Higgs | SR | Eddie Bowman |
| Greg Pierce | LF | Phil Hogan |
| Denis Fitzgerald | Reserve | Ken Gill |
| Reserve | Peter Smith | |
| Terry Fearnley | Coach | David Watkins |
After their 19–5 win over Great Britain a week earlier at Lang Park in Brisbane (which actually drew 2,543 more fans than the Final), the Australians went into the Final as warm favourites. However, led by experienced captain Roger Millward, the Lions managed to dominate possession throughout the game, and it took a last minute try from Australian halfback John Kolc to secure the Cup in front of 24,457 spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The match was highlighted by a 60-metre try to Australian centre Russel Gartner who pounced on a dropped ball from Lions fullback George Fairbairn after a Great Britain scrum win to race away and score. Only converging defence from Gartner's opposite number Les Dyl kept him from scoring closer to the posts, giving Michael Cronin a difficult conversion which he missed and the Australian's led 8-5 going into half time.
The gritty and determined Lions were considered unlucky not to win when they were denied a near certain try late in the game by English referee Billy Thompson, who called play back for a penalty rather than play advantage. Fairbairn had the chance to give Great Britain the lead with a penalty goal, though his kick fell short and Graham Eadie took full advantage to run the ball back outside the Australian quarter line.[2]