| Summary
2000
1995
1989/92
1985/88
1977
1975
1972
1970
1968
1960
1957
1954
Golden Lions
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The Rugby League World Cup sprang from French initiatives. They had proposed
that a World Cup competition should be staged in France as early as 1935. After
the war they pressed for a tournament in 1951, the leading figure in the cause
being Paul Barriere, President of the French Rugby League and a former
Resistance hero, who had been awarded the Croix de Guerre. However, it was not until January 1952 that real progress was made when the
English RL Secretary Bill Fallowfield persuaded the Rugby League Council to back
the principle. Shortly afterwards the International Board approved the principle
of holding a World Cup. Ironically, in view of their subsequent domination of
the competition, the Australians were the nation most resistant to its
inauguration.
In November 1953 at an International Board meeting held in Blackpool Paul
Barriere’s proposal that France should stage the first World Cup in the autumn
of 1954 was accepted.
The French guaranteed £25,000 to cover the costs. A striking trophy, 2’
6” tall, surmounted by a globe, topped by a French cockerel, was commissioned
by the French Rugby League who had hoped to name it after Barriere. Monsieur
Barriere, however, modestly declined the honour.
The first World Cup was an eminently successful project, both playing-wise
and financially. Great Britain were surprise winners of the four team tournament
which quickly established itself on a three-yearly basis but after 1960 became
more spasmodic. The four team format of Australia, France, Great Britain and New
Zealand did not alter until 1975 when Britain split into England and Wales. The
competition was then dubbed the World Championship and teams played each other
on a home and away basis over a period of eight months. The experiment was
abandoned after just one tournament. The old format was reintroduced in
1977 but
then the World Cup went into abeyance for eight years.
In 1985 it was revived but scheduled to be staged on a complicated system
linked to individual test matches within certain series. Moreover, the
tournament was spread over three years ending in 1988 in an Australian victory
over New Zealand in the unlikely setting of Rugby Union’s stronghold of Eden
Park in Auckland. Papua-New Guinea, a nation besotted with Rugby League, was
admitted for the first time.
The three year tournament was repeated from 1989-92. As in the previous
tournament, the final was a huge and splendid occasion, this time climaxing in
another Australian victory over the British at Wembley before a record crowd of
73,631.
However, the long drawn-out format was clearly unsatisfactory and in
1995,
the game’s centenary was celebrated with an entirely different type of
World
Cup in England and Wales. This time the tournament embraced ten nations,
including three newcomers from the South Seas - Fiji, Tonga and Western Samoa -
and South Africa. A supplementary competition was held simultaneously,
comprising Ireland, Scotland, USA, Russia, Moldova, Morocco and the winners,
Cook Islands.
The tournament was a resounding success, from the first match in which England
defeated Australia at Wembley, to the Wembley Final where Australia gained their
revenge. Launched by Diana Ross, the Centenary World Cup
saw large crowds throughout England and Wales enthralled by the skill and
determination of PNG and the South Sea Island teams. The semi final ties were
classics of Rugby League test history - England defeating an enterprising Wales
at Old Trafford while Australia saw off New Zealand in Huddersfield in extra
time. The thickness of a coat of paint separated New Zealand from a Final
appearance when a last gasp field goal effort by Matthew Ridge just sailed wide
of the mark. The Millennium World Cup unfortunately
failed to capture the imagination of the British public to the same extent as
the 1995 tournament. This was not the case in France
however where the group games were all played to full houses. The format was
further extended to 16 teams, including a first appearance for Ireland and
Scotland. England disappointingly fell at the semi final stage to New Zealand.
British pride was somewhat restored however by a truly remarkable performance by
a Welsh side well short of class on paper compared to their 1995 counterparts.
They outplayed Australia for the first sixty minutes of their semi final, led
admirably by Lee Briers, before succumbing to the superior organisation and
fitness of the Kangaroos. Australia went on to win a superb Final against the
Kiwis at Manchester's Old Trafford.
The financial cost of the Millennium World Cup led
to a reluctant International Board suspending the World
Cup programme in the short term. Thankfully a decision was made to celebrate
the centenary of the game In Australia in 2008 with a World Cup tournament. The
realisation of the importance of international competition to the game, a
concept forgotten in the Super League war and Britain's move to summer football,
means that there is a great deal of anticipation of the next
World Cup and competition between the great cities of
the game in Australia, Brisbane and Sydney, to stage what will be the first
World Cup Final in Australia since 1977.
To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the World Cup in 2004, visitors
to this site took part in a poll to choose the Golden Lions
- a team of great British players who have excelled in the World Cup tournament
over the years. |
