1977 Rugby League World Cup
| 1977 World Cup | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Host countries |
 Australia New Zealand |
| Winner |
Australia (5th title) |
|
| |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Attendance | 109,688 (15,670 per match) |
| Points scored | 235 (33.57 per match) |
| Top scorer |
 George Fairbairn (34) |
| Top try scorers |
Allan McMahon (4) Graham Eadie (4) |
The 1977 Rugby League World Cup was the eighth Rugby League World Cup tournament and was held in Australasia, with games played during May and June in both Australia and New Zealand. It featured four teams: Great Britain and France in addition to the two host nations. All teams played each other once, resulting in a top two of Great Britain and Australia who played in the tournament final at the Sydney Cricket Ground with the home team winning by one point.
The tournament as held during the 1977 NSWRFL season and 1977 New Zealand rugby league season. That the final would be between Great Britain and Australia soon became obvious, with France and New Zealand both performing poorly.
Teams
| Team | Nickname | Coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (8th appearance) |
The Kangaroos | Terry Fearnley | Arthur Beetson |
| New Zealand (8th appearance) |
The Kiwis | Ron Ackland | Tony Coll |
| Great Britain (8th appearance) |
The Lions | Reg Parker | Roger Millward |
 France (8th appearance) |
Les Chanticleers | José Calle | Yves Bergou |
Matches
Group stage
| Key to colours in group tables |
|---|
| Advances to the Final |
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 26 | +41 | 6 |
| Great Britain | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 58 | 35 | +23 | 4 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 52 | 77 | −25 | 2 |
| France | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 72 | −39 | 0 |
Final
25 June 1977 |
| Australia |
13–12 | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Allan McMahon Russel Gartner John Kolc Goals: Mick Cronin (2) |
Tries: Steve Pitchford Ken Gill Goals: George Fairbairn (3) |
| Australia | Posit. | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Graham Eadie | 1. FB | George Fairbairn |
| Allan McMahon | 2. WG | Stuart Wright |
| Mick Cronin | 3. CE | John Holmes |
| Russel Gartner | 4. CE | Les Dyl |
| Mark Harris | 5. WG | Bill Francis |
| John Peard | 6. FE | Roger Millward (c) |
| John Kolc | 7. HB | Steve Nash |
| Greg Veivers | 8. PR | Jimmy Thompson |
| Nick Geiger | 9. HK | Keith Elwell |
| Terry Randall | 10. PR | Steve Pitchford |
| Arthur Beetson (c) | 11. SR | Len Casey |
| Ray Higgs | 12. SR | Eddie Bowman |
| Greg Pierce | 13. LF | Phil Hogan |
| Denis Fitzgerald | Res. | |
| Terry Fearnley | Coach | David Watkins |
After their 19–5 win over Great Britain a week earlier at Lang Park in Brisbane, the Australian 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 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.
References
External links
- 1977 World Cup at rlhalloffame.org.uk
- 1977 World Cup at rugbyleagueproject.com
- 1977 World Cup data at hunterlink.net.au
- 1977 World Cup at 188-rugby-league.co.uk