Great Britain 27–17 New Zealand — World Cup Table, 1970 Rugby League World Cup
31 Oct 1970 · Station Road, Swinton, England · Attendance: 5,609
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
World Cup Table, 1970 Rugby League World Cup: Great Britain 27–17 New Zealand, at Station Road, Swinton, England on 31 Oct 1970.
Scorers
| Great Britain | Tries: Atkinson; Hesketh; Hynes; Laughton; Watson Goals: Dutton (6) |
| New Zealand | Tries: Christian; Kriletich; Smith Goals: Ladner (4) |
Teams
| Great Britain | New Zealand | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ray Dutton | Fullback | Don Ladner | 1 |
| 2 | Keri Jones | Wing | John Whittaker | 2 |
| 3 | Syd Hynes | Centre | Roy Christian (Captain) | 3 |
| 4 | Chris Hesketh | Centre | Bernie Lowther | 4 |
| 5 | John Atkinson | Wing | Maurice Brereton | 5 |
| 6 | Mick Shoebottom | Five-eighth | Gary Woollard | 6 |
| 7 | Keith Hepworth | Halfback | Graeme Cooksley | 7 |
| 8 | Dave Chisnall | Prop | John Greengrass | 8 |
| 9 | Kevin Ashcroft | Hooker | Colin O'Neil | 9 |
| 10 | Cliff Watson | Prop | Elliot Kereopa | 10 |
| 11 | Robert Haigh | Second Row | Garry Smith | 11 |
| 12 | Jimmy Thompson | Second Row | Eddie Heatley | 12 |
| 13 | Doug Laughton (Captain) | Lock | Anthony Kriletich | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Paul Charlton | Lummy Graham | 14 | |
| John Whiteley | Coach | — not identified in sources found | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Fred Lindop (Wakefield) |
| Touch judges | — not identified in sources found |
| Player of the match | — not identified in sources found |
Match report
By the time Great Britain met New Zealand at Station Road, Swinton, on Saturday 31 October 1970, the destiny of the World Cup Table had already begun to take shape. Great Britain had opened the tournament with an efficient 11-4 win over Australia at Headingley and had then beaten France 6-0 at Wheldon Road, courtesy of three Ray Dutton penalty goals. New Zealand, by contrast, had endured a chastening 47-11 defeat to Australia in the tournament opener, before recovering to edge France 16-15 in a high-scoring, closely fought match at Hull's Boulevard. The Swinton fixture was effectively a dead rubber for seeding purposes — Great Britain were already unbeaten and closing in on top spot — but it mattered enormously to New Zealand, who needed a result to keep any faint tournament hopes alive. In front of 5,609 spectators, Great Britain proved too strong, running in five tries to New Zealand's three. Great Britain led 15-10 at half-time before pulling away in the second period. Tries came from wingman John Atkinson, centres Chris Hesketh and Syd Hynes, captain and lock-forward Doug Laughton, and prop Cliff Watson, with fullback Ray Dutton landing a near-faultless six from six with the boot. New Zealand fought hard throughout, with centre and captain Roy Christian, lock Anthony Kriletich and second-rower Garry Smith all crossing for tries, and fullback Don Ladner adding four goals. The win completed an unbeaten group-stage campaign for Great Britain, while New Zealand finished the World Cup Table with a 1-2 record and were eliminated from championship contention, ending the tournament in fourth place. Great Britain went on to contest the final against Australia at Headingley on 7 November 1970 — the brutal, ill-tempered 'Battle of Headingley' — losing 12-7 in a match that saw Syd Hynes sent off.
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
- 1968 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Great Britain 38–14 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