France 22–13 New Zealand — World Cup Table, 1954 Rugby League World Cup

30 Oct 1954 · Parc des Princes, Paris, France · Attendance: N/A

Data last verified: 11 August 2026.

1954 Rugby League World Cup ▾

World Cup Table, 1954 Rugby League World Cup: France 22–13 New Zealand, at Parc des Princes, Paris, France on 30 Oct 1954.

Scorers

FranceTries: Audoubert; Contrastin; Crespo; Delaye; — further point(s) not identified in sources found (needed to reconcile with the 22-point total under this era's 3-point try scoring)
Goals: Aubert (4)
New ZealandTries: Eastlake; Edwards; McKay
Goals: Bond (2)

Teams

FranceNew Zealand
1Puig Aubert (Captain)FullbackHarry Anderson1
2Raymond ContrastinWingGeorge Menzies2
3Jacques MerqueyCentreRon McKay3
4Antoine JiminezCentreCyril Eastlake (Captain)4
5Vincent CantoniWingJim Edwards5
6Gilbert BenausseFive-eighthWilliam Sorensen6
7Claude TeisseireHalfbackLenny Eriksen7
8Joseph KrawzykPropCliff Johnson8
9Jean AudoubertHookerLory Blanchard9
10Francois RinaldiPropWilliam McLennan10
11Jean PambrunSecond RowJohn Bond11
12Guy DelayeSecond RowJohn Yates12
13Joseph CrespoLockAlister Atkinson13
Rene Duffort / Jean DuhauCoachJim Amos

Match officials

RefereeCharles Appleton
Touch judges— not identified in sources found
Player of the match— not identified in sources found

Match report

The 1954 Rugby League World Cup was rugby league's — and either rugby code's — first-ever official World Cup, staged entirely in France between 30 October and 13 November 1954. The tournament was the brainchild of French rugby league administrator Paul Barriere, who personally funded the trophy. Five nations were originally invited — Australia, France, Great Britain, New Zealand and the United States — but the USA withdrew before the tournament began, leaving four competing nations. The format was a round-robin World Cup Table in which each of the four nations played the other three once, with the top two placed teams advancing to a final. This France v New Zealand match at the Parc des Princes on 30 October 1954 was the opening fixture of the entire tournament — the first Rugby League World Cup match ever played. New Zealand struck first: winger Jim Edwards scored a try inside the first five minutes, earning him the distinction of being the first try-scorer in World Cup history. France, however, took control from there. French captain and legendary fullback Puig Aubert landed the tournament's first-ever goal and continued to add to the score with the boot throughout the match, while a string of French forwards and backs — Jean Audoubert, Raymond Contrastin, Joseph Crespo and Guy Delaye — crossed for tries. France led 12-8 at half-time and pulled away in the second half to close out a 22-13 win. New Zealand hit back through further tries from centre/captain Cyril Eastlake and centre Ron McKay, with hooker John Bond kicking two goals, but could not match France's scoring rate. The result set France on course for a strong tournament: they went on to finish level with Great Britain on competition points at the top of the four-team table, with the tournament culminating in a Great Britain 16-12 win over France in the final, also at the Parc des Princes, on 13 November 1954. The opening France-New Zealand match is historically significant as the very first game of what became a permanent quadrennial international rugby league institution.

Sourcing caveat: France's four named try scorers plus Aubert's four goals total 20 points, two short of the confirmed 22-point final score; a possible additional Aubert field goal was suggested in one source pass but could not be corroborated on repeated queries, and would still leave the total one point short even if included, so it is not asserted as fact.

Previous World Cup meetings

Sources

← 1954 Rugby League World Cup — full match archive

← 1954 Rugby League World Cup