1954 Rugby League World Cup
| title | 1954 Rugby League World Cup |
| host |
 France
|
| opening | October 30, 1954 |
| Endgame | November 13, 1954 |
| Nations | 4th |
| Games | 7th |
| spectator | 138,329 (19,761 per game) |
| World Champion |
 Great Britain
|
| Top scorer |
Jimmy Ledgard (Great Britain)
|
The first Rugby League World Cup took place in France in 1954 . Four teams took part in it. The initiative for this World Cup came from the French, who were in financial difficulties due to a blockade of their assets by the rugby union . In the final, Great Britain beat France 16:12.
Teams
Australia
- Trainer: Vic Hey
| Surname | society | position |
|---|---|---|
Clive Churchill 
|
South Sydney Rabbitohs | Goalkeeper |
| Noel Pidding | Maitland | Outer three-quarters |
| Denis Flannery | Ipswich Brothers | Outer three-quarters |
| Ian Moir | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Outer three-quarters |
| Alex Watson | Western Suburbs Panthers | Inner three quarters |
| Harry Wells | Wollongong | Inner three quarters |
| Greg Hawick | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Inner three-quarters, half-crush |
| Bob Banks | Newtown (Toowoomba) | Connection half |
| Ken McCaffery | Southern Suburbs Magpies | Connection half |
| Keith V. Holman | Western Suburbs Magpies | Half of the crowd |
| Ken H. Kearney | St. George Dragons | hooker |
| Roy Bull | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | pier |
| Duncan Hall | Western Suburbs Panthers | pier |
| Brian Davies | Past Brothers | Pillar, second-row striker |
| Kel O'Shea | Ayr | Second row striker |
| Harold Crocker | Parramatta Eels | Second row striker |
| Standard Provan | St. George Dragons | Second row striker |
| Peter Diversi | North Sydney Bears | Third row striker |
France
- Coach: Jean Duhau, Rene Duffort
| Surname | position |
|---|---|
| Puig Aubert
|
Goalkeeper |
| Vincent Cantoni | Outer three-quarters |
| Raymond Contrastin | Outer three-quarters |
| Claude Teissiere | Inner three-quarters, half-crush |
| Jacques Merquey | Inner three quarters |
| Antoine Jiminez | Connection half, inner three quarters |
| Gilbert Benausse | Connection half |
| Jean Crespo | Scrum half, third row striker |
| Jean Audobert | hooker |
| Joseph Krawzyck | pier |
| Francois Rinaldi | pier |
| Armand Save | Second row striker |
| Guy Delaye | Second row striker |
| Jean Pambrun | Second row striker |
| Gilbert Verdier | Third row striker |
| Roger Guilheim | Third row striker |
Great Britain
- Trainer: G. Shaw
| Surname | society | position |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Ledgard | Leigh | Goalkeeper |
| David Rose | Leeds | Outer three-quarters |
| Frank Kitchen | Leigh | Outer three-quarters |
| Mick Sullivan | Huddersfield | Outside three quarters, inside three quarters |
| Phil Jackson | Barrow | Inner three quarters |
| Albert Naughton | Warrington | Inner three quarters |
| Gordon Brown | Leeds | Connection half |
| Gerry helmets | Warrington | Half of the crowd |
| Sam Smith | Hunslet | hooker |
| John Thorley | Halifax | pier |
| Robin Coverdale | Hull FC | pier |
| Basil Watts | York | Second row striker |
| Don Robinson | Wakefield Trinity | Second row striker |
| Dave Valentine
|
Huddersfield | Third row striker |
New Zealand
- Manager: Tom McKenzie (West Coast)
- Coach: Jim Amos (Canterbury)
| Surname | region | position |
|---|---|---|
| Doug Anderson | Auckland | Goalkeeper |
| Jimmy Edwards | Auckland | Back team |
| Neville Denton | Auckland | Back team |
| Jim Austin | Auckland | Back team |
| Ron McKay | Taranaki | Back team |
| Cyril Eastlake
|
Auckland | Back team |
| Bill Sorensen | Auckland | Connection half |
| George Menzies | West coast | Connection half |
| Len Eriksen | Auckland | Half of the crowd |
| Lory Blanchard | Canterbury | hooker |
| John Bond | Canterbury | pier |
| Cliff Johnson | Auckland | pier |
| Bill McLennan | West coast | pier |
| Jock Butterfield | Canterbury | Second row striker |
| George McDonald | Waikato | Second row striker |
| John Yates | Auckland | Second row striker |
| Alister Atkinson (vc) | Canterbury | Third row striker |
| Ian Gray | Auckland | Third row striker |
referee
- Charles Appleton
- René Guidicelli
Results
First round
| 30th of October |
France
|
22: 13 |
 New Zealand
|
Princes Park Stadium , Paris Spectators: 13,240 Referee: Charles Appleton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (12: 8) Report |
| October 31 |
 Australia
|
13:28 |
United Kingdom
|
Stade de Gerland , Lyon Spectators: 10,250 Referee: René Guidicelli |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (5:12) Report |
Second round
| November 7th |
Australia
|
34:15 |
New Zealand
|
Stade Vélodrome , Marseille Spectators: 20,000 Referee: René Guidicelli |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (16: 2) Report |
| November 7th |
France
|
13: 13 |
United Kingdom
|
Stade Municipal, Toulouse Spectators: 37,471 Referee: Charles Appleton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (7: 8) Report |
Third round
| November 11th |
France
|
15: 5 |
Australia
|
Stade Marcel-Saupin , Nantes Spectators: 13,000 Referee: Charles Appleton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (10: 5) Report |
| November 11th |
United Kingdom
|
26: 6 |
New Zealand
|
Stade Municipal Bordeaux , Bordeaux Spectators: 14,000 Referee: René Guidicelli |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (11: 6) Report |
Closing table
| space | team | Games | G' | U | V | P + | P- | Diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
United Kingdom
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 67 | 32 | +35 | 5 |
| 2 |
France
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 31 | +19 | 5 |
| 3 |
Australia
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 52 | 58 | −6 | 2 |
| 4th |
New Zealand
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 34 | 82 | −48 | 0 |
final
| November 13th |
France
|
12: 16 |
United Kingdom
|
Princes Park Stadium , Paris Spectators: 30,368 Referee: Charles Appleton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (4: 8) Report |