1972 Rugby League World Cup Final - Great Britain v Australia

This was the last time Great Britian beat Australia for something major and they didn't even beat them! The match was drawn after Extra Time but GB won the cup for having finished above Australia in the Group Stage Table. Game was played at Stade Gerland, Lyon. Commentary by Eddie Waring

[@jackbrumby1892]

Langlands try - one of the best tries never awarded.

[@johnjullien]

He told me he scored

[@johnjullien]

Cared for Changa in the Nursing Home. Showed him this video. He smiled and said I scored. Loved Eddy Wearing on commentary

[@MultiRedskins12]

Freeze the video at 4:20 and you will see Langlands is ONSIDE. The near side touch judge is clearly incompetent and the referee a farcical disgrace. Rest In Peace Changa, you were far too quick for all of them.

[@vantheman1238]

MultiRedskins12 he was onside and it was a magnificent try. The leap for the ball, catch and ability to hold the ball was incredible.

[@MultiRedskins12]

Vantheman12 3 Agreeing with you 100% 😊✅

[@stewartdavies929]

Not even close to offside

[@dasrhinegold]

@J G obsessed 😂😂😂

[@lapalad]

Thank you so much for downloading these highlights,it is my earliest recollection of international RL,i remember watching the game the following day in Oz,i must have been 7 ys old.

[@Holden308]

This game attracted a Rugby League World Cup Final record low attendance of just 4,231. Of the 7 games played in the tournament, including the Final, only two games attracted over 10,000 fans, both not surprisingly when the host nation, France, played (20,748 against NZ at the Stade Vélodrome and 10,332 against Australia at the Stadium de Toulouse). France has not been the sole host of a RLWC since. But the tournament will return to its original home in 2025.

[@Holden308]

In fact, the 1972 WCF was not only the lowest attended WCF to date, but it was the lowest attended game of the entire 1972 RLWC. The previous low in the tournament ironically also involved the host nation. Only 5,321 showed up to the Stade Lesdiguières in Grenoble to watch France lose 4-13 to Great Britain 10 days before the Final.

[@fatstorvolay2243]

Even though Langlands was clearly onside, O'Neil's foot looked to scrape the sideline before grounding with his try.

[@g7npl]

Mike stevenson played for dewsbury and dewsbury won the champonship the following year the best player to play for dewsbury.

[@Holden308]

Apparently back in the referees dressing room after the game, French referee Georges Jameau saw a replay of the Langlands "no try" on a local television station and realised that the Australian captain was actually onside. Of course, unlike today Jameau didn't have the benefit of going to the video referee in 1972. Back then unless one of the touch judges said otherwise, it was the on the spot referee decision that counted and on the spot he believed Langlands to be offside. No video ref, no captains challenge. Australia just had to wear that a fair try had gone begging. To his credit, after seeing the replay Jameau later sought out Langlands and apologized.

[@evertonfrancis640]

Poor attendance though it was in France! If that was Wembley or somewhere in Australia it would have been 90,000 plus

[@peterbett7161]

Saw Changa play a few times. He did some amazing things. I'll never forget his sidestep.

[@dl26914]

You think these guys could compete in this era

[@gumdeo]

Proper Northern commentary.

[@robertandrewwaite3439]

Eddie Waring's " I think Sullivan is going off full length of the field, everybody is saying go,go,go ...and he go's" is just as iconic as Wolstenholme's 'they think its all over...' phrase !!

[@grahamlowe7388]

lucky there was no video ref. Im English but im not blind, it was try.

[@jonglewongle3438]

What caused the Clive Sullivan fiasco was Mark Harris being out of position, both to receive the ball [ 4:37-38 ] and immediately thereafter he is hands-on-hips walking back, leaving a huge gap in the defensive line, and you can see him at the back at 4:50-51, hands-on-hips.

[@elijahtchilembe-mpovie2715]

Clive Sullivan was such a clutch player...

[@dasrhinegold]

@M obsessed 😂😂😂

[@CosgroveNotts]

Eddy Waring best commentator and best Yorkshire school of elocution graduate

[@dleigh9997]

I'm British but Australia should of won! Langlands disallowed try was 100% a try

[@password2473]

Must have been covid then aswell with all those empty seats

[@pauld391]

@pageois looks like that game was played in France so the small crowd would be because they didnt make the final.

[@travels129]

Geoff starling playing with ledgends i went to Rozelle high with starling wat a great all round athlete he was

[@DHTCF]

Agree with comment below re GB team, much better than splitting us up. More nations competing, but less competition for kangaroos and kiwis

[@121zoso]

Genuine question. Where are all the supporters ? Its a World Cup final

[@jonglewongle3438]

Oh, okay. So they played Gary Sullivan in a full international, and the final what's more. I knew he was in the tour squad, but he got more consideration than putting out the cones at training and jogging around the park by himself and going " Jeez, eh ? " by himself in a packed tour bus. Same with the surprise selection from nowhere, John Grant. I did not realise that he was frontline selection until I checked back a few years ago. It must have been that they re-jigged the team lineup from match to match a bit more than I realised at the time.

[@IsCumaFut2]

that was some try for australia ... that was legit

[@music020218]

Thanks for uploading.

[@therestorationofdrwho1865]

Is there Aussie coverage of this same game?

[@stewartburns2473]

Langlands was a mile on side

[@lapalad]

Similar to the crowds at first RWC in Australia

[@jacqueopaolo5707]

Big turnout was this game in France?

[@steventotsrusselldj.]

Where’s the crowd ??

[@onthisrock1970]

Suggestion: don’t award the final to a country thats barely heard of rugby league or you’ll get 500 spectators

[@themetabaron9128]

we were unlucky, I dont rate this Britain team of '72 so highly.

[@pageois]

My God. How did they pack that crowd in without breaching safety laws?

[@AlonsoRules]

mungoball, that's why

[@jedfazakarley8178]

4,000 in a stadium seating 45,000

[@elijahtchilembe-mpovie2715]

The French team didn’t make the final so they public lost interest...

[@lapalad]

@@AlonsoRules Typical Rugby Yawnion snob. Did you notice two coloured players in the British team??? Would never have happen then in that racist Rugby Yawnion.

[@popeyedish]

Practising social distancing in anticipation of 2020

[@anthonykennedy5324]

Where's the crowd ?

[@evertonfrancis640]

France didn’t make the final so the home fans lost interest

[@anthonykennedy5324]

@@evertonfrancis640 Explained. Thanks.

[@peterjongsma2779]

Where are the crowds in the stadiums?

[@stewartdavies929]

Langlands wasn’t even close to being offside

[@jonglewongle3438]

Dead level with the kicker.

[@PrinceAndrew100]

Did nobody tell anyone but the teams that the game was on?

[@AlonsoRules]

its mungoball - one of the world's most pointless sports

[@brettwilkinson9529]

@MANCHESTER UNITED only 3 countries. Can't really count Papua New Guinea or France. As you can see by the attendance , france follow soccer and rugby Union instead.

[@lapalad]

@@AlonsoRules Lets watch Rugby Union where you're lucky if the ball is in play for 35 minutes.

[@clonecommanderbly7408]

@@brettwilkinson9529 Rugby League is the number one game in Papua New Guinea

[@dasrhinegold]

@@AlonsoRules give it a rest , you tiresome turd.

[@Runboyrun89]

World Cup final lol, there's about 100 people there

[@howardgilpin8818]

@MANCHESTER UNITED F.C Is it really a big sport in NZ? Surely Rugby Union is a big sport there?

[@MisterPolitical1]

@@howardgilpin8818 rugby league is more popular in southern Auckland.

[@athelstan927]

I cant believe it.. no wonder they got paid peanuts..

[@stevenguegens7047]

@@howardgilpin8818 It will NEVER be the BIGGEST SPORT in NEW ZEALAND RUGBY UNION will ALWAYS be then followed by RUGBY LEAGUE 💯💯 percent 👍🤔

[@dasrhinegold]

@M obsessed 😂😂😂

[@TheSamantha70]

Was Eddie Waring a dalek?

[@connorduke4619]

Then in 1973 Steve Rogers joined the Kangaroos team and GB victories against Oz were over and done with for the next 10 years.

[@lapalad]

Not the first test at Wembley

[@connorduke4619]

@@lapalad There was no one good enough to back up his breaks in that one game. When Brett Kenny joined him in 1982 and followed his every move on the field, GB victories were over and done with for 1982.

[@lapalad]

@@connorduke4619 Didn't stop France winning 2-0 in 1978

[@connorduke4619]

@@lapalad Yes that was quite weird - two narrow very narrow losses to France that year. Was a little before my time, I heard (not sure) possibly local refereeing had a role to play in it.

[@lapalad]

@@connorduke4619 No in fact Australian coach Frank Stanton said after the second test the referee was the fairest they had the entire tour, just a case of France being better team that series.

[@dleigh9997]

What a try Sullivan. Also langlands was a try

[@rhintintin]

Stevo with a full head of hair!!

[@Johnoco66]

I'll be honest, Eddie Waring was quite an annoying commentator now I think about it. He's eulogised by some (with some justification for off the field stuff) but were he around today would probably receive more stick than Stevo.

[@harrycallahan9764]

Travesty the langlands try was disallowed looked onside to my beer sodden eyes

[@poitty1978]

wheres the crowd?

[@josephjhugroo5096]

The French public lost interest after their team was knocked out.

[@MisterPolitical1]

the french like football & rugby union more than league

[@davidstorey2368]

@@MisterPolitical1 in most areas of France rugby league was made illegal to play so I’d say that’s more of a reason

[@lapalad]

Yes but O'Neils try looked like he touched the sideline

[@brettwilkinson9529]

Must have had covid issues during the World Cup. Completely empty stadium.

[@peterjongsma2779]

Yeah. I thought the same thought. I'm here searching for Bob Fulton highlights. Vale Fulton. May 2021. Passed on. Btw. When Great Britain played Rugby League In Australia, the football grounds were absolutely packed.

[@brettwilkinson9529]

World Cup Final and only the caretaker's dog showed up to watch .Fucks sake !!!

[@lapalad]

68,000 at previous final in Sydney

[@athelstan927]

Just realised it was in Lyon France.. in those days nobody travelled.. only the very wealthy!

[@patrickgames208]

1999

[@patrickgames208]

1972

[@liamoneill4706]

Thought id watch to see GB win the world cup...with a draw. Packed house sees damp squib end of tournament!...couldnt they have had a pen shootout ffs