New Zealand 28–20 France — World Cup Table, 1977 Rugby League World Cup
19 Jun 1977 · Carlaw Park, Auckland, New Zealand · Attendance: 8,000Lowest-attended match of the tournament
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
World Cup Table, 1977 Rugby League World Cup: New Zealand 28–20 France, at Carlaw Park, Auckland, New Zealand on 19 Jun 1977.
Scorers
| New Zealand | Tries: Fisher (2); Graham; — not identified in sources found (an additional try is required to reconcile with the 28-point total under this era's 3-point try scoring) Goals: Jordan (8/11) |
| France | Tries: Cologni; Guigue; Roosebrouck; — not identified in sources found (an additional try is required to reconcile with the 20-point total under this era's 3-point try scoring) Goals: Moya (4) |
Teams
| New Zealand | France | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael O'Donnell | Fullback | José Calle (c) | 1 |
| 2 | Kevin Fisher | Wing | José Moya | 2 |
| 3 | Fred Ah Kuoi | Centre | André Ruiz | 3 |
| 4 | Dennis Williams | Centre | René Terrats | 4 |
| 5 | John Whittaker | Wing | Jacques Guigue | 5 |
| 6 | Chris Jordan | Stand off/Five eighth | Guy Alard | 6 |
| 7 | John Smith | Scrum half/Half back | Jacky Imbert | 7 |
| 8 | Lyndsay Proctor | Prop forward | Michel Cassin | 8 |
| 9 | Alan Rushton | Hooker | Guy Garcia | 9 |
| 10 | Whetu Henry | Prop forward | Jean-Pierre Sauret | 10 |
| 11 | Tony Coll (c) | Second row | Manuel Caravaca | 11 |
| 12 | Kurt Sorensen | Second row | Jean-Jacques Cologni | 12 |
| 13 | Mark Graham | Loose forward/Lock forward | Joël Roosebrouck | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Olsen Filipaina | Michel Moussard | 14 | |
| 15 | Ray Baxendale | |||
| Ron Ackland | Coach | Yves Bégou | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Don Lancashire (Australia) |
| Player of the match | Chris Jordan (New Zealand) |
Match report
New Zealand's final group match of the 1977 World Cup, played at Carlaw Park, Auckland. Having already been eliminated from final contention after losses to Australia and Great Britain, this fixture was effectively a consolation game for the Kiwis to close out the group phase. For France, who had already lost to Great Britain and Australia, this was their third and final pool match, and defeat completed a winless tournament.
New Zealand led 16-12 at halftime and held on despite France scoring three tries to their three, with the difference coming down to the boot: five-eighth Chris Jordan's kicking outscored José Moya's conversions for France. Winger Kevin Fisher was the standout with a brace of tries, while a young Mark Graham also crossed. Jordan, who combined his kicking with playmaking duties, was named man of the match. This stands as New Zealand's only victory of the 1977 World Cup.
Sourcing caveat: Under this era's 3-point try scoring, neither team's named scorers fully reconcile: New Zealand's 3 named tries + 8 goals total 25 of the 28 points (one try short); France's 3 named tries + 4 goals total 17 of the 20 points (also one try short). Both gaps are flagged as unidentified rather than guessed.
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
- 1972 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): France 20–9 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
- 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