Australia 25–10 Great Britain — World Cup Table, 1968 Rugby League World Cup
25 May 1968 · Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia · Attendance: 62,256Highest-attended match of the tournament
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
World Cup Table, 1968 Rugby League World Cup: Australia 25–10 Great Britain, at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia on 25 May 1968.
Scorers
| Australia | Tries: Coote; Raper; Smith Goals: Simms (8) |
| Great Britain | Tries: Brooke; Sullivan Goals: Risman (2) |
Teams
| Australia | Great Britain | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Simms | Fullback | Bev Risman (Captain) | 1 |
| 2 | Johnny Rhodes | Wing | Ian Brooke | 2 |
| 3 | Johnny Greaves | Centre | Mick Shoebottom | 3 |
| 4 | Graeme Langlands | Centre | Alan Burwell | 4 |
| 5 | Johnny King | Wing | Clive Sullivan | 5 |
| 6 | Tony Branson | Five-eighth | Roger Millward | 6 |
| 7 | Billy Smith | Halfback | Tommy Bishop | 7 |
| 8 | John Raper (Captain) | Prop | Mick Clark | 8 |
| 9 | Dick Thornett | Hooker | Kevin Ashcroft | 9 |
| 10 | Ron Coote | Prop | Cliff Watson | 10 |
| 11 | John Wittenberg | Second Row | Ray French | 11 |
| 12 | Fred Jones | Second Row | Robert Haigh | 12 |
| 13 | Arthur Beetson | Lock | Charlie Renilson | 13 |
| Harry Bath | Coach | Colin Hutton | ||
Match officials
| Referee | John Percival (Auckland) |
| Touch judges | — not identified in sources found |
| Player of the match | — not identified in sources found |
Match report
Australia entered the 1968 World Cup as hosts and the dominant force of the international game, assembling a powerful St George Dragons-heavy line-up under coach Harry Bath, captained by legendary forward John Raper. Great Britain, coached by Colin Hutton and captained by Bev Risman, arrived as Australia's traditional oldest rivals and one of the pre-tournament favourites. The opening match of the World Cup Table, played on 25 May 1968 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, drew a then-record World Cup crowd of 62,256. The game was played at a fierce, ill-disciplined pace, with referee John Percival penalising Great Britain heavily throughout. Australia led 10-7 at half-time before pulling away in the second half. The standout individual performance came from Australian debutant fullback Eric Simms, who kicked a then-record eight goals from nine attempts on debut — a landmark recorded prominently in Australian rugby league history. Tries came from Ron Coote, John Raper and Billy Smith for Australia, while Great Britain replied through wingers Ian Brooke and Clive Sullivan, with Bev Risman adding two goals. The result set the tone for Australia's tournament: they went on to finish the World Cup Table stage undefeated, topped the table, and advanced to the final where they defeated France 20-2 at the same venue on 10 June 1968 to claim their second World Cup title. The 25 May defeat of Great Britain is remembered principally as the match that launched Eric Simms' representative career and as an early sign of the dominance Australia would exert over the international game in the years that followed.
Previous World Cup meetings
- 1954 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 13–28 Great Britain
- 1957 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 31–6 Great Britain
- 1960 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Great Britain 10–3 Australia
- 1970 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Great Britain 11–4 Australia
- 1970 Rugby League World Cup (Final): Australia 12–7 Great Britain
- 1972 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Great Britain 27–21 Australia
- 1972 Rugby League World Cup (Final): Great Britain 10–10 Australia
- 1977 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 19–5 Great Britain
- 1977 Rugby League World Cup (Final): Australia 13–12 Great Britain
- 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Great Britain 15–24 Australia
- 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 12–26 Great Britain
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Great Britain 0–14 Australia
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 16–10 Great Britain
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (Final): Australia 10–6 Great Britain