France 0–9 New Zealand — World Cup Table, 1960 Rugby League World Cup

8 Oct 1960 · Central Park, Wigan, England · Attendance: 2,876Lowest-attended match of the tournament

Data last verified: 11 August 2026.

1960 Rugby League World Cup ▾

World Cup Table, 1960 Rugby League World Cup: France 0–9 New Zealand, at Central Park, Wigan, England on 8 Oct 1960.

Scorers

FranceNo scorers recorded.
New ZealandTries: Reid
Goals: Eastlake (3)

Teams

FranceNew Zealand
1Louis PolettiFullbackGary Phillips1
2Jacques DubonWingTom Hadfield2
3Roger ReyCentreCyril Eastlake3
4Claude MantoulanCentreGeorge Turner4
5Raymond GruppiWingReese Griffiths5
6Jacques MerqueyFive-eighthGeorge Menzies6
7Georges FagesHalfbackKeith Roberts7
8Angelo BoldiniPropTom Reid8
9Andre VadonHookerJohn Butterfield9
10Aldo QuaglioPropCliff Johnson (Captain)10
11Jean Barthe (Captain)Second RowLaurie Oliff11
12Robert EramouspeSecond RowRon Ackland12
13Andre LacazeLockMel Cooke13
Rene Duffort / Jean DuhauCoachTravers Hardwick

Match officials

RefereeEric Clay (Leeds)
Touch judges— not identified in sources found
Player of the match— not identified in sources found

Match report

This France-New Zealand fixture, played at Wigan's Central Park on 8 October, was the last of the six matches in the 1960 World Cup and is generally regarded as, in effect, a wooden-spoon match, since by that stage Great Britain had already secured the title outright with maximum points from their first two games, while Australia and New Zealand were fighting only for the runner-up position and France were already guaranteed the bottom spot. Going into the round, New Zealand had lost their first two matches of the tournament, while France had also lost their first two. Both sides therefore arrived at this final round with 0 wins from 2, playing for pride and, for New Zealand, the consolation of finishing above France to avoid the wooden spoon. The match was low-scoring and tightly contested for long periods, in keeping with the modest crowd of just 2,876. New Zealand led 4-0 at halftime and closed out the game 9-0, scoring the decisive points through a single try to forward Tom Reid, converted by veteran goal-kicking centre Cyril Eastlake, who added two further goals to complete the scoring. France were held scoreless for the second time in the tournament. The result meant New Zealand finished third in the final table ahead of France, who finished bottom with three losses from three and no points. Great Britain topped the table undefeated to be crowned World Cup champions, with Australia second.

Previous World Cup meetings

Sources

← 1960 Rugby League World Cup — full match archive

← 1960 Rugby League World Cup