Australia 26–9 France — World Cup Table, 1957 Rugby League World Cup
22 Jun 1957 · Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia · Attendance: 35,158
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
World Cup Table, 1957 Rugby League World Cup: Australia 26–9 France, at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia on 22 Jun 1957.
Scorers
| Australia | Tries: Carlson; Marsh; O'Shea; Poole Goals: Carlson (7) |
| France | Tries: Benausse Goals: Benausse (3) |
Teams
| Australia | France | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Carlson | Fullback | Andre Rives | 1 |
| 2 | Alex Watson | Wing | Guy Husson | 2 |
| 3 | Dick Poole (Captain) | Centre | Antoine Jiminez (Captain) | 3 |
| 4 | Harry Wells | Centre | Jean Foussat | 4 |
| 5 | Ian Moir | Wing | Maurice Voron | 5 |
| 6 | Brian Clay | Five-eighth | Gilbert Benausse | 6 |
| 7 | Ken McCaffery | Halfback | Rene Jean | 7 |
| 8 | Don Schofield | Lock | Francis Levy | 8 |
| 9 | Norm Provan | Second Row | Robert Medus | 9 |
| 10 | Kel O'Shea | Second Row | Augustin Parent | 10 |
| 11 | Brian Davies | Prop | Henri Delhoste | 11 |
| 12 | Ken Kearney | Hooker | Antranick Apelian | 12 |
| 13 | Bill Marsh | Prop | Rene Ferrero | 13 |
| Dick Poole | Coach | Jean Duhau | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Vic Belsham (Auckland) |
| Touch judges | — not identified in sources found |
| Player of the match | — not identified in sources found |
Match report
Five days after their big win over Great Britain, Australia met France in their second World Cup Table fixture, again at the Sydney Cricket Ground. France, who had already played once in the tournament, made three personnel changes and two positional switches from their previous match. Australia, captained and coached by Dick Poole, took control early and led 13-4 at half-time. They pulled away in the second half to record a comfortable 26-9 victory, scoring four tries to one. Fullback Brian Carlson was the outstanding individual performer, scoring a try and adding seven goals from fourteen attempts. Other tries came from forwards Bill Marsh and Kel O'Shea and from captain Dick Poole himself. For France, five-eighth Gilbert Benausse was the sole try-scorer and also kicked 3 from 6 goal attempts, accounting for all nine French points. The win kept Australia's unbeaten run intact; they went on to complete the tournament with a perfect 3-0 record, finishing top of the World Cup Table and were crowned 1957 Rugby League World Cup champions without the need for a separate final. Great Britain, France and New Zealand all finished on one win and two losses apiece, with France's defeat to Australia contributing directly to them missing out on the title.
Previous World Cup meetings
- 1954 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 15–5 Australia
- 1960 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 13–12 France
- 1968 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 37–4 France
- 1968 Rugby League World Cup (Final): Australia 20–2 France
- 1970 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 15–17 France
- 1972 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 9–31 Australia
- 1975 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 26–6 France
- 1975 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 2–41 Australia
- 1977 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 21–9 France
- 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 0–52 Australia
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 34–2 France
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 10–34 Australia
- 2017 Rugby League World Cup (Group A): Australia 52–6 France