France 0–22 New Zealand — World Cup Table, 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup
7 Dec 1985 · Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan, France · Attendance: 5,000
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
World Cup Table, 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup: France 0–22 New Zealand, at Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan, France on 7 Dec 1985.
Scorers
| France | No scorers recorded. |
| New Zealand | Tries: McGahan (2); Kemble; K. Sorensen Goals: Filipaina (3) |
Teams
| France | New Zealand | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serge Pallarès | Fullback | Gary Kemble | 1 |
| 2 | Hugues Ratier | Wing | Dane O'Hara | 2 |
| 3 | Denis Berge | Centre | Dean Bell | 3 |
| 4 | Roger Palisses | Centre | Fred Ah Kuoi | 4 |
| 5 | Didier Couston | Wing | James Leuluai | 5 |
| 6 | Dominique Espugna | Stand off/Five eighth | Olsen Filipaina | 6 |
| 7 | Bruno Guasch | Scrum half/Half back | Clayton Friend | 7 |
| 8 | Max Chantal | Prop forward | Kurt Sorensen | 8 |
| 9 | Thierry Bernabé | Hooker | Wayne Wallace | 9 |
| 10 | Serge Titeux | Prop forward | Dane Sorensen | 10 |
| 11 | Pierre Montgaillard | Second row | Hugh McGahan (c) | 11 |
| 12 | Marc Palanque | Second row | Owen Wright | 12 |
| 13 | Guy Laforgue (c) | Loose forward/Lock forward | Ron O'Regan | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| Interchange | André Perez | Mark Elia | Interchange | |
| Interchange | Jean-Luc Rabot | Brent Todd | Interchange | |
| Tas Baitieri | Coach | Graham Lowe | ||
Match officials
| Referee | — referee's nationality not confirmed in sources found |
| Player of the match | — not identified in sources found |
Match report
Game 3 of the 1985-88 World Cup pool phase, played at the Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan during New Zealand's extended end-of-1985 tour of Great Britain and France. New Zealand, coached by Graham Lowe, arrived off a strong tour, having already beaten France 22-0 in an earlier non-championship tour match two weeks prior. France, in a period of marked decline from their 1950s-70s strength, could not trouble the scoreboard, trailing only 0-10 at halftime before New Zealand pulled away in the second half.
New Zealand's tries came from co-captain Hugh McGahan (2), fullback Gary Kemble and prop Kurt Sorensen, with five-eighth Olsen Filipaina adding three goals. The result kept New Zealand unbeaten in the young World Cup pool phase, while France's struggles continued through the tournament; they ultimately finished bottom of the standings and later forfeited away fixtures in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea for 1987 due to financial difficulties.
Sourcing caveat: Referee identified only as 'Ron Campbell' in the RLP scoresheet; nationality could not be confirmed with confidence and is left unflagged 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
- 1977 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 28–20 France
- 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