Australia 31–12 New Zealand — World Cup Table, 1968 Rugby League World Cup
1 Jun 1968 · Lang Park, Brisbane, Australia · Attendance: 23,608
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
World Cup Table, 1968 Rugby League World Cup: Australia 31–12 New Zealand, at Lang Park, Brisbane, Australia on 1 Jun 1968.
Scorers
| Australia | Tries: King (2); Coote; Jones; Rhodes Goals: Simms (8) |
| New Zealand | Tries: Dunn (2) Goals: Wiggs (3) |
Teams
| Australia | New Zealand | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Simms | Fullback | Doug Ellwood | 1 |
| 2 | Johnny Rhodes | Wing | Bob Mincham | 2 |
| 3 | Johnny Greaves | Centre | Spencer Dunn | 3 |
| 4 | Graeme Langlands | Centre | Paul Schultz | 4 |
| 5 | Johnny King | Wing | Ernie Wiggs | 5 |
| 6 | Tony Branson | Five-eighth | Jim Bond (Captain) | 6 |
| 7 | Billy Smith | Halfback | Gary Clarke | 7 |
| 8 | Elton Rasmussen | Prop | Garry Smith | 8 |
| 9 | Fred Jones | Hooker | Colin O'Neil | 9 |
| 10 | John Wittenberg | Prop | Henry Tatana | 10 |
| 11 | Ron Coote | Second Row | Brian Lee | 11 |
| 12 | Dick Thornett | Second Row | Kevin Dixon | 12 |
| 13 | John Raper (Captain) | Lock | Anthony Kriletich | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Bob Fulton | Roger Tait | 14 | |
| Harry Bath | Coach | Des Barchard | ||
Match officials
| Referee | John Percival (Auckland) |
| Touch judges | — not identified in sources found |
| Player of the match | — not identified in sources found |
Match report
New Zealand had opened their campaign with a narrow 10-15 loss to France at Carlaw Park, while Australia had begun with a comfortable 25-10 win over Great Britain at the SCG. The Lang Park fixture on 1 June, played in front of 23,608 spectators, was a must-not-lose match for New Zealand's faint hopes of reaching the final, and a chance for Australia to consolidate top spot. The match did not go to script for the hosts: New Zealand, showing a reshuffled backline including new fullback Doug Ellwood and centre Spencer Dunn, played above expectations and led at half-time, with Dunn scoring tries. Australia struggled to find fluency for long periods and trailed for much of the contest. The turning point came in the second half, when Australia's forward pack began to dominate territory and possession, and Eric Simms produced a virtuoso goal-kicking display, landing eight goals in the match. Tries to Johnny King (two), Ron Coote, Fred Jones and Johnny Rhodes, combined with Simms' relentless accuracy off the tee, turned a half-time deficit into a comfortable 31-12 victory, Australia outscoring New Zealand heavily in the second half. The result kept Australia unbeaten and on course to top the World Cup Table; they went on to beat France 37-4 in their final round-robin match and then defeated France again, 20-2, in the World Cup Final at the SCG on 10 June 1968 to retain the title. New Zealand finished bottom of the table with three losses from three matches, a disappointing campaign for a Kiwi side that had shown genuine promise in this Lang Park match before Australia's superior depth told in the closing stages.
Previous World Cup meetings
- 1954 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 34–15 New Zealand
- 1957 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 25–5 New Zealand
- 1960 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 21–15 New Zealand
- 1970 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 47–11 New Zealand
- 1972 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 9–5 New Zealand
- 1975 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 36–8 New Zealand
- 1975 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 8–24 Australia
- 1977 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 12–27 Australia
- 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 18–0 Australia
- 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 32–12 New Zealand
- 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (Final): Australia 25–12 New Zealand
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 14–22 Australia
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 40–12 New Zealand
- 1995 Rugby League World Cup (Semi-final): Australia 30–20 New Zealand
- 2000 Rugby League World Cup (Final): Australia 40–12 New Zealand
- 2008 Rugby League World Cup (Group A): Australia 30–6 New Zealand
- 2008 Rugby League World Cup (Final): New Zealand 34–20 Australia
- 2013 Rugby League World Cup (Final): Australia 34–2 New Zealand
- 2021 Rugby League World Cup (Semi-final): Australia 16–14 New Zealand