Great Britain 26–6 New Zealand — World Cup Table, 1954 Rugby League World Cup
11 Nov 1954 · Stade Chaban Delmas, Bordeaux, France · Attendance: N/A
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
World Cup Table, 1954 Rugby League World Cup: Great Britain 26–6 New Zealand, at Stade Chaban Delmas, Bordeaux, France on 11 Nov 1954.
Scorers
| Great Britain | Tries: Kitchen (2); — further scorer(s) not identified in sources found (needed to reconcile with the 26-point total under this era's 3-point try scoring; equivalent to four further tries whose scorers could not be identified in sources found) Goals: Ledgard (4) |
| New Zealand | Goals: McKay (3) |
Teams
| Great Britain | New Zealand | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim Ledgard | Fullback | Ian Grey | 1 |
| 2 | David Rose | Wing | Jim Edwards | 2 |
| 3 | Phil Jackson | Centre | Cyril Eastlake (Captain) | 3 |
| 4 | Mick Sullivan | Centre | Ron McKay | 4 |
| 5 | Frank Kitchen | Wing | Jim Austin | 5 |
| 6 | Gordon Brown | Five-eighth | William Sorensen | 6 |
| 7 | Gerry Helme | Halfback | Lenny Eriksen | 7 |
| 8 | John Thorley | Prop | John Bond | 8 |
| 9 | Sam Smith | Hooker | Lory Blanchard | 9 |
| 10 | Robert Coverdale | Prop | William McLennan | 10 |
| 11 | Basil Watts | Second Row | John Butterfield | 11 |
| 12 | Don Robinson | Second Row | George McDonald | 12 |
| 13 | Dave Valentine (Captain) | Lock | Alister Atkinson | 13 |
| Gideon Shaw | Coach | Jim Amos | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Rene Guidicelli |
| Touch judges | — not identified in sources found |
| Player of the match | — not identified in sources found |
Match report
Great Britain opened with a 28-13 win over Australia in Lyon, then were held to a 13-13 draw by hosts France, before facing New Zealand — already eliminated in practical terms — in Bordeaux on 11 November 1954. Great Britain led 11-6 at half-time and pulled away in the second half to win 26-6, a result which, combined with results elsewhere, allowed Great Britain to finish top of the group table and advance to face France in the final at the Parc des Princes in Paris on 13 November 1954, which Great Britain won 16-12 to become the first-ever Rugby League World Cup champions. The Bordeaux match is chiefly remembered in British rugby league history for winger Frank Kitchen's two-try display, and the fact that Kitchen suffered a leg injury during the match that ruled him out of the subsequent World Cup Final — a significant blow given his form in the tournament. New Zealand, by contrast, endured a wretched tournament, finishing bottom of the table with no wins, a draw and two losses, and the worst points differential of any of the four competing nations. The 26-6 scoreline in Bordeaux effectively confirmed New Zealand's early elimination from world championship contention and stood as part of the platform from which Great Britain, as significant underdogs against the host nation and reigning continental power Australia, completed one of the more notable giant-killing achievements in British international rugby league history by winning the inaugural World Cup two days later.
Sourcing caveat: Great Britain's confirmed try scorer (Frank Kitchen, 2 tries) plus Jim Ledgard's 4 goals total 14 points, 12 short of the confirmed 26-point final score (equivalent to four further tries); no source consulted named the remaining Great Britain try scorers, so this gap is flagged explicitly rather than assigning it to unconfirmed players.
Previous World Cup meetings
- 1957 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Great Britain 21–29 New Zealand
- 1960 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Great Britain 23–8 New Zealand
- 1968 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Great Britain 38–14 New Zealand
- 1970 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Great Britain 27–17 New Zealand
- 1972 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Great Britain 53–19 New Zealand
- 1977 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 12–30 Great Britain
- 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Great Britain 6–6 New Zealand
- 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 12–10 Great Britain
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Great Britain 10–6 New Zealand
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 21–18 Great Britain