1954 Rugby League World Cup final

The 1954 Rugby League World Cup final was the conclusive game of the 1954 Rugby League World Cup tournament and was played between France and Great Britain on 13 November 1954 at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France.

1954 (1954) Rugby League World Cup final  ()
France Great Britain (FFR XIII) (RFL) 12 16
1 2 Total FRA 4 8 12 GBR 8 8 16
Date	13 November 1954
Stadium	Parc des Princes
Location	Paris, France
Man of the Match	Don Robinson (Great Britain)
Referee	Charles Appleton (Great Britain)
Attendance	30,368
Broadcast partners
Broadcasters	BBC (United Kingdom)
Commentators	Eddie Waring

Background

Main article: 1954 Rugby League World Cup

Parc des Princes, the venue of the inaugural Rugby League World Cup final

The 1954 Rugby League World Cup was the inaugural staging of the Rugby League World Cup. The tournament was held in France from 30 October, culminating in the final between France and Great Britain on 13 November.

France

Scores and results list France's points tally first.

Opposing Team	For	Against	Date	Venue	Attendance	Stage
New Zealand	22	13	30 October	Parc des Princes, Paris	13,240	Group Stage
Great Britain	13	13	7 November	Stadium Municipal, Toulouse	37,471	Group Stage
Australia	15	5	11 November	Stade Marcel Saupin, Nantes	13,000	Group Stage

Great Britain

Scores and results list Great Britain's points tally first.

Opposing Team	For	Against	Date	Venue	Attendance	Stage
Australia	28	13	31 October	Stade de Gerland, Lyon	10,250	Group Stage
France	13	13	7 November	Stadium Municipal, Toulouse	37,471	Group Stage
New Zealand	26	6	11 November	Stade Chaban Delmas, Bordeaux	14,000	Group Stage

Match details

13 November 1954

France	12–16	Great Britain
Try: Raymond Contrastin Vincent Cantoni Goals: Puig Aubert (3)		Try: Gordon Brown (2) Gerry Helme David Rose Goals: Jimmy Ledgard (2)

Parc des Princes, Paris Attendance: 30,368 Referee: Charles Appleton (Great Britain) Player of the Match: Don Robinson (Great Britain)

France

Great Britain

FB 1 Puig Aubert (c) RW 2 Vincent Cantoni RC 3 Claude Teisseire LC 4 Jacques Merquey LW 5 Raymond Contrastin SO 6 Antoine Jimenez SH 7 Joseph Crespo PR 8 Joseph Krawzyck HK 9 Jean Audoubert PR 10 François Rinaldi SR 11 Armand Save SR 12 Jean Pambrun LF 13 Gilbert Verdié Coach: Jean Duhau and Rene Duffort

FB 1 Jimmy Ledgard RW 2 David Rose RC 3 Phil Jackson LC 4 Albert Naughton LW 5 Mick Sullivan SO 6 Gordon Brown SH 7 Gerry Helme PR 8 John Thorley HK 9 Sam Smith PR 10 Bob Coverdale SR 11 Basil Watts SR 12 Don Robinson LF 13 Dave Valentine (c) Coach: Gideon Shaw

The BBC broadcast the whole match live in the UK via the Television Continental Exchange – a rare novelty for the time. France opened the scoring with a penalty Puig-Aubert kick from 45 yards out and played well early in the match, leading early in the second half thanks to a brilliant try from Cantoni. However Great Britain did not waver, with credit for the win given to a starring role by centre Phil Jackson and the play of their forward pack, as well as the tough match France had played against Australia in Nantes two days earlier. Great Britain defeated France 16–12 and became the first team to lift the World Cup.