Australia 21–9 France — World Cup Table, 1977 Rugby League World Cup
11 Jun 1977 · Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia · Attendance: 13,231
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
World Cup Table, 1977 Rugby League World Cup: Australia 21–9 France, at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia on 11 Jun 1977.
Scorers
| Australia | Tries: Eadie (2); Fitzgerald; McMahon; Veivers Goals: Cronin (3) |
| France | Tries: Laskawiec Goals: Calle (3) |
Teams
| Australia | France | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graham Eadie | Fullback | Jacques Guigue | 1 |
| 2 | Allan McMahon | Wing | José Moya | 2 |
| 3 | Michael Cronin | Centre | Jean-Marc Bourret | 3 |
| 4 | Mark Thomas | Centre | René Terrats | 4 |
| 5 | Terry Fahey | Wing | Christian Laskawiec | 5 |
| 6 | John Peard | Stand off/Five eighth | José Calle (c) | 6 |
| 7 | Tom Raudonikis | Scrum half/Half back | Guy Alard | 7 |
| 8 | Greg Veivers | Prop forward | Michel Cassin | 8 |
| 9 | Nick Geiger | Hooker | Guy Garcia | 9 |
| 10 | Denis Fitzgerald | Prop forward | Max Chantal | 10 |
| 11 | Terry Randall | Second row | Jean-Pierre Sauret | 11 |
| 12 | Arthur Beetson (c) | Second row | Manuel Caravaca | 12 |
| 13 | Rod Reddy | Loose forward/Lock forward | Joël Roosebrouck | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Ray Higgs | Jacky Imbert | 14 | |
| 15 | Russel Gartner | Guy Rodriguez | 15 | |
| Terry Fearnley | Coach | Yves Bégou | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Billy Thompson (England) |
| Player of the match | — not identified in sources found |
Match report
A pool match played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Australia, captained by Arthur Beetson and coached by Terry Fearnley, took control early, leading 13-0 at halftime, and went on to win 21-9. Fullback Graham Eadie was the standout, scoring twice, with tries also credited to Denis Fitzgerald, Allan McMahon and Greg Veivers, and Michael Cronin adding the goals.
France, captained by five-eighth José Calle and coached by Yves Bégou, got their only try through winger Christian Laskawiec, with Calle adding the goals. The result kept Australia unbeaten and on course to top their pool ahead of the final phase of the tournament, while France's tour continued to be a difficult campaign against the stronger nations.
Sourcing caveat: This era used a 3-point try; under that scoring, both totals reconcile exactly (Australia: 4 tries + 3 goals = 21; France: 1 try + 3 goals = 9), with no field goal needed.
Previous World Cup meetings
- 1954 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 15–5 Australia
- 1957 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 26–9 France
- 1960 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 13–12 France
- 1968 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 37–4 France
- 1968 Rugby League World Cup (Final): Australia 20–2 France
- 1970 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 15–17 France
- 1972 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 9–31 Australia
- 1975 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 26–6 France
- 1975 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 2–41 Australia
- 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 0–52 Australia
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 34–2 France
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 10–34 Australia
- 2017 Rugby League World Cup (Group A): Australia 52–6 France