1977 Rugby League World Cup

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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.

Teams

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Team	Nickname	Coach	Captain
Template:Rl (8th appearance)	The Kangaroos	Terry Fearnley	Arthur Beetson
Template:Rl (8th appearance)	The Kiwis	Ron Ackland	Tony Coll
Template:Rl (7th appearance)	The Lions	Reg Parker	Roger Millward
Template:Rl (8th appearance)	Les Chanticleers	José Calle	Yves Bégou

Venues

Template:Flagicon Sydney	Template:Flagicon Brisbane
Sydney Cricket Ground	Lang Park
Capacity: 70,000	Capacity: 35,000

Template:Flagicon Auckland	Template:Flagicon Christchurch
Carlaw Park	Addington Showground
Capacity: 20,000	Capacity: 15,000

Tour games

Great Britain and France arranged a number of tour games against local opposition during the World Championship, while Australia also played a short two-game tour for their visit to New Zealand.

Great Britain

Date	Opponents	Score	Venue	Attendance<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
7 June	Northern Maori	style="text-align: center;" Template:Won	Huntly	2,000
14 June	Auckland	style="text-align: center;" Template:Lost	Auckland
26 June	Monaro	style="text-align: center;" Template:Lost	Queanbeyan	17,500
30 June	Queensland	style="text-align: center;" Template:Won	Brisbane	8,000
3 July	North Queensland	style="text-align: center;" Template:Lost	Townsville	6,000
9 July	New South Wales	style="text-align: center;" Template:Lost	Sydney	7,244
17 July	Southern Division	style="text-align: center;" Template:Won	Gosford	6,000

France

Date	Opponents	Score	Venue	Attendance<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
29 May	Papua New Guinea	style="text-align: center;" Template:Lost	Port Moresby	14,000
31 May	Brisbane	style="text-align: center;" Template:Lost	Brisbane
7 June	Wellington	style="text-align: center;" Template:Won	Wellington	1,500
12 June	Newcastle	style="text-align: center;" Template:Lost	Newcastle	5,136
14 June	Toowoomba	style="text-align: center;" Template:Lost	Toowoomba	3,000

Australia

Date	Opponents	Score	Venue	Attendance<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
25 May	South Island	style="text-align: center;" Template:Won	Christchurch	2,500
1 June	Auckland	style="text-align: center;" Template:Lost	Auckland	10,000

Matches

Group stage

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|col_A=#cfc|text_A=Advances to the Final |result1=A|result2=A |update=complete|source= }}

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Final

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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:
Template:Flagicon 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:
Template:Flagicon 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

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

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.<ref>1977 World Cup final highlights</ref> Template:-