1977 Rugby League World Cup

The 1977 Rugby League World Cup was the eighth World Cup held for men’s national rugby league teams and hosted in Australia and New Zealand and ran between 29 May and 25 June. Australia were Champions after beating Great Britain in the Final at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

1977 (1977) World Cup  ()
Number of teams4
Host countries Australia
 New Zealand
Winner Australia (5th title)

Matches played7
Attendance109,688 (15,670 per match)
Points scored235 (33.57 per match)
Top scorerUnited Kingdom George Fairbairn (34)
Top try scorersAustralia Allan McMahon (4)
Australia Graham Eadie (4)
 < 1975

Teams

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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 (7th appearance) The Lions Reg Parker Roger Millward
  France (8th appearance) Les Chanticleers José Calle Yves Bégou

Venues

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  Sydney   Brisbane
Sydney Cricket Ground Lang Park
Capacity: 70,000 Capacity: 35,000
   
  Auckland   Christchurch
Carlaw Park Addington Showground
Capacity: 20,000 Capacity: 15,000
   

Matches

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Group stage

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Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
  Australia 3 3 0 0 67 26 +41 6 Advances to the Final
  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
Source: [citation needed]
29 May
New Zealand  12 – 27  Australia
Carlaw Park, Auckland
Attendance: 18,000
5 June
France  4 – 23  Great Britain
Carlaw Park, Auckland
Attendance: 10,000
11 June
Australia  21 – 9  France
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Attendance: 13,231
12 June
New Zealand  12 – 30  Great Britain
Addington Showground, Christchurch
Attendance: 9,000
18 June
Australia  19 – 5  Great Britain
Lang Park, Brisbane
Attendance: 27,000
19 June
New Zealand  28 – 20  France
Carlaw Park, Auckland
Attendance: 8,000

Final

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25 June
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)
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Attendance: 24,457
Referee: Billy Thompson  
Player of the Match: John Kolc
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Australia
 
 
 
 
 
 
Great Britain
FB 1 Graham Eadie
RW 2 Allan McMahon
RC 3 Michael Cronin
LC 4 Russel Gartner
LW 5 Mark Harris
FE 6 John Peard
HB 7 John Kolc
LK 8 Greg Pierce
SR 9 Ray Higgs
SR 10 Arthur Beetson (c)
PR 11 Terry Randall
HK 12 Nick Geiger
PR 13 Greg Veivers
Substitutions:
IC 14 Denis Fitzgerald
IC 15 Mark Thomas
Coach:
  Terry Fearnley
FB 1 George Fairbairn
RW 2 Stuart Wright
RC 3 John Holmes
LC 4 Les Dyl
LW 5 Bill Francis
SO 6 Roger Millward (c)
SH 7 Steve Nash
LF 8 Phil Hogan
SR 9 Eddie Bowman
SR 10 Len Casey
PR 11 Jimmy Thompson
HK 12 Keith Elwell
PR 13 Steve Pitchford
Substitutions:
IC 14 Ken Gill
IC 15 Peter Smith
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 (playing his only international game for Australia) to secure the Cup in front of 24,457 spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

1st Half

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The Australian's opened the scoring through Allan McMahon who scored in the Paddington corner. Michael Cronin kicked the sideline conversion and Australia led 5–0. Great Britain soon his back with a try to Steve Pitchford. George Fairbairn converted the try to lock the scores at 5–5. The match was then highlighted by a 60-metre try to Australian centre Russel Gartner who pounced on a dropped ball from Lions fullback 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 Cronin a difficult conversion from midway between the posts and the touch line. Cronin missed the attempt and the Australian's led 8–5. Fairbairn then kicked a penalty goal to make the scores 8–7 closing in on half time.

Late in the first half the gritty and determined Lions were considered unlucky not to score when they were denied what would have been a certain try to winger Stuart Wright by English referee Billy Thompson. Wright had intercepted a pass from Cronin to Mark Harris 15 metres from the Australian line and was racing downfield with no one near him when Thompson called play back for an obstruction penalty to Great Britain rather than play advantage. Had Wright scored, and likely under the posts, it could have given the visitors a 12–8 lead going into the break. Instead, soon after Cronoin kicked a penalty goal from in front of the posts to make the score 10–7 going into half time.

2nd Half

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Australia took the lead out to 13–7 after a try to John Kolc in the Randwick corner in front of the Bradman Stand. Fairbairn had dropped a downfield kick by Cronin and the ball was pounced upon by Allan McMahon. From acting half, Kolc then dummied which fooled Fairbairn and Bill Francis and he raced away to score in the corner. Cronin missed the difficult kick from the sideline and the score remained at 13–7.

The Lions then hit back with a try under the posts to replacement back Ken Gill which was converted by Fairbairn to bring the scores to 13–12. After Kolc was penalised for using an elbow on Roger Millward who was chasing his own chip-kick, Fairbairn then had a late chance to give Great Britain the lead with a penalty goal from 45 metres out, though his went just to the right of the posts into the waiting arms of Australian fullback Graham Eadie who took full advantage of the Lions defence line still being near halfway to run the ball back outside the Australian quarter line.[2]

Try scorers

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4
3
2
1

References

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