Great Britain 38–14 New Zealand — World Cup Table, 1968 Rugby League World Cup
8 Jun 1968 · Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia · Attendance: 14,105Lowest-attended match of the tournament
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
World Cup Table, 1968 Rugby League World Cup: Great Britain 38–14 New Zealand, at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia on 8 Jun 1968.
Scorers
| Great Britain | Tries: Sullivan (3); Burwell (2); Brooke; Morgan; Shoebottom Goals: Risman (7) |
| New Zealand | Tries: Schultz (2) Goals: Wiggs (4) |
Teams
| Great Britain | New Zealand | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bev Risman (Captain) | Fullback | Doug Ellwood | 1 |
| 2 | Clive Sullivan | Wing | Bob Mincham | 2 |
| 3 | Ian Brooke | Centre | Spencer Dunn | 3 |
| 4 | Alan Burwell | Centre | Paul Schultz | 4 |
| 5 | John Atkinson | Wing | Ernie Wiggs | 5 |
| 6 | Roger Millward | Five-eighth | Roger Tait (Captain) | 6 |
| 7 | Tommy Bishop | Halfback | Eric Carson | 7 |
| 8 | Mick Clark | Prop | Garry Smith | 8 |
| 9 | Peter Flanagan | Hooker | Colin O'Neil | 9 |
| 10 | John Warlow | Prop | Colin McMaster | 10 |
| 11 | Ray French | Second Row | Ray Sinel | 11 |
| 12 | Arnold Morgan | Second Row | Brian Lee | 12 |
| 13 | Charlie Renilson | Lock | Anthony Kriletich | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Mick Shoebottom | Kevin Dixon | 14 | |
| 15 | Cliff Watson | |||
| Colin Hutton | Coach | Des Barchard | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Col Pearce (Sydney) |
| Touch judges | — not identified in sources found |
| Player of the match | — not identified in sources found |
Match report
Great Britain's tournament had begun poorly: a 25-10 loss to hosts Australia at the SCG, then a shock 7-2 defeat to France at Carlaw Park that effectively ended the Lions' realistic hopes of reaching the final. With the final already out of reach, Great Britain's last group match, against New Zealand at the SCG on 8 June 1968, became a chance for the Lions to salvage pride and finish the tour strongly. Great Britain took full control from the outset, racing to a commanding 20-4 half-time lead and never looking back, eventually running out comprehensive 38-14 winners in front of 14,105 spectators. Clive Sullivan was the outstanding performer with a hat-trick of tries, while Alan Burwell also crossed twice; further tries came from Ian Brooke, Arnold Morgan and substitute Mick Shoebottom, with captain and fullback Bev Risman landing seven of ten goal-kicking attempts. New Zealand, already eliminated and playing out a winless tournament, scored twice through centre Paul Schultz, with Ernie Wiggs converting four of six attempts. The result meant Great Britain finished third in the World Cup Table behind Australia and France, narrowly missing out on the inaugural pre-arranged World Cup Final on points difference. New Zealand finished bottom of the table without a win. The Final itself, played two days later at the same venue, was won by Australia over France 20-2. For Great Britain, the emphatic win over New Zealand was nonetheless a significant statement of the Lions' quality — Clive Sullivan in particular built on the try-scoring form that would soon establish him as one of the era's outstanding wingers and, in 1972, the first black man to captain a British international sports team.
Previous World Cup meetings
- 1954 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Great Britain 26–6 New Zealand
- 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
- 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