France 20–9 New Zealand — World Cup Table, 1972 Rugby League World Cup
28 Oct 1972 · Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France · Attendance: N/A
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
World Cup Table, 1972 Rugby League World Cup: France 20–9 New Zealand, at Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France on 28 Oct 1972.
Scorers
| France | Tries: Bonal (2); — further scorer(s) not identified in sources found (needed to reconcile with the 20-point total under this era's 3-point try scoring) Goals: Guilhelm (4) |
| New Zealand | Tries: Orchard; Brereton; — further scorer(s) not identified in sources found (needed to reconcile with the 9-point total under this era's 3-point try scoring) |
Teams
| France | New Zealand | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roger Toujas | Fullback | John Whittaker | 1 |
| 2 | Serge Marsolan | Wing | Phil Orchard | 2 |
| 3 | Michael Molinier | Centre | John O'Sullivan | 3 |
| 4 | André Ruiz | Centre | Roy Christian (c) | 4 |
| 5 | Jean-Marie Bonal | Wing | Maurice Brereton | 5 |
| 6 | Bernard Guilhelm | Stand off/Five eighth | Dennis Williams | 6 |
| 7 | Marius Frattini | Scrum half/Half back | Brian Tracey | 7 |
| 8 | Francis de Nadaï (c) | Prop forward | Mita Mohi | 8 |
| 9 | Jacques Franc | Hooker | William Burgoyne | 9 |
| 10 | Jacques Garzino | Prop forward | Robert Paul | 10 |
| 11 | Victor Serrano | Second row | Doug Gailey | 11 |
| 12 | Serge Gleyzes | Second row | Peter Gurnick | 12 |
| 13 | Michel Anglade | Loose forward/Lock forward | Murray Eade | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Charles Zalduendo | Graeme Cooksley | 14 | |
| Tony Coll | 15 | |||
| — not identified in sources found | Coach | — disputed between sources (RLP's match page lists Des Barchard; a separate RLP coaching-history summary attributes this period to Lory Blanchard) | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Georges Jameau (France) |
| Player of the match | — not identified in sources found |
Match report
The opening pool match of the 1972 Rugby League World Cup, hosted entirely in France, played at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille. Hosts France defeated New Zealand 20-9. Winger Jean-Marie Bonal scored twice for France, with Bernard Guilhelm kicking four goals. New Zealand's response came through wings Phil Orchard and Maurice Brereton, though the full scorer breakdown could not be confirmed with certainty from the sources available.
The result was part of a round-robin 'World Cup Table' format in which France, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand each played the other three, with Great Britain ultimately awarded the trophy after the final finished level.
Sourcing caveat: The primary source (rugbyleagueproject.org) does not provide a fully reconciling scorer breakdown for this match — this is a known limitation of its older 1970s scoresheets rather than a research gap. New Zealand's head coach is disputed between two sections of the same primary source.
Previous World Cup meetings
- 1954 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 22–13 New Zealand
- 1957 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 14–10 New Zealand
- 1960 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 0–9 New Zealand
- 1968 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 10–15 France
- 1970 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 15–16 New Zealand
- 1975 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 27–0 France
- 1975 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 12–12 New Zealand
- 1977 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 28–20 France
- 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 0–22 New Zealand
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 0–34 New Zealand
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 32–10 France
- 2000 Rugby League World Cup (Quarter-final): New Zealand 54–6 France
- 2013 Rugby League World Cup (Group B): New Zealand 48–0 France