France 2–48 England — World Cup Table, 1975 Rugby League World Cup
11 Oct 1975 · Stade du Parc Lescure, Bordeaux, France · Attendance: 1,581Lowest-attended match of the tournament
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
World Cup Table, 1975 Rugby League World Cup: France 2–48 England, at Stade du Parc Lescure, Bordeaux, France on 11 Oct 1975.
Scorers
| France | Goals: Calle (1) |
| England | Tries: Fielding (4); Dunn (2); Holmes (2); Forsyth; Gill; Hogan; Hughes Goals: Fairbairn (4); Millward (2) |
Teams
| France | England | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maurice de Matos | Fullback | George Fairbairn | 1 |
| 2 | Jean-François Grechi | Wing | Keith Fielding | 2 |
| 3 | André Ruiz | Centre | Eric Hughes | 3 |
| 4 | René Terrats | Centre | John Holmes | 4 |
| 5 | Michel Laffargue | Wing | Ged Dunn | 5 |
| 6 | José Calle | Stand off/Five eighth | Ken Gill | 6 |
| 7 | Jean-Marie Imbert | Scrum half/Half back | Roger Millward (c) | 7 |
| 8 | Guy Garcia | Prop forward | Brian Hogan | 8 |
| 9 | Francis Duthill | Hooker | John Bridges | 9 |
| 10 | Michel Gonzales | Prop forward | Colin Forsyth | 10 |
| 11 | Jean-Marie Bosc | Second row | Jeff Grayshon | 11 |
| 12 | Jean-Pierre Trémouille | Second row | Bob Irving | 12 |
| 13 | Guy Bucchi | Loose forward/Lock forward | Steve Norton | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Charles Thénégal | George Nicholls | 14 | |
| 15 | Guy Vigouroux | David Eckersley | 15 | |
| — not identified in sources found | Coach | Alex Murphy | ||
Match officials
| Referee | John Percival (New Zealand) |
| Player of the match | — not identified in sources found |
Match report
Played at Stade du Parc Lescure in Bordeaux in front of a sparse crowd of just 1,581, this was a one-sided rout. England, coached by Alex Murphy, led 26-2 at halftime and cruised to a 48-2 win over a struggling French side. Winger Keith Fielding scored four tries, while Ged Dunn and John Holmes added two apiece, and Colin Forsyth, Ken Gill, Brian Hogan and Eric Hughes each crossed once, giving England 12 tries in total. Fullback George Fairbairn and captain-halfback Roger Millward shared the goal-kicking.
France's only points came from a single José Calle goal; no French tries were recorded. This result was part of England's strong showing in the round-robin phase of the tournament, which Australia ultimately won.