The 1954 Rugby League World Cup featured the national teams (selected from eighteen-man squads) of four nations.

Statistics

Match details - listing surnames of each team and the point scorers - were included in E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook, as was a summary of the players' point-scoring.[1] This information is reflected in the Rugby League Project website.

Australia

For Australian players, the World Cup tournament took place in 1954's post-season. Their coach was Vic Hey[2] The team was managed by Spencer O'Neill of Parramatta, NSW and Jack McMahon of Queensland.[3]

The Rugby League News published details of the touring team including each player's age and weight.[4]

Banks, Davies, Flannery, Hall, McCaffery, O'Shea and Watson were selected from Queensland clubs. Pidding was selected from clubs in New South Wales Country areas. This lineup of the squad played for Sydney-based clubs during the 1954 season.

Player Position Age Weight
st.lb (kg)
Club Games Tries Goals FG Points
Bob BanksFive-eighth2312.10 (81) Toowoomba Newtown20000
Roy BullProp2514.7 (92) Manly-Warringah31003
Clive ChurchillFullback2711.7 (73) South Sydney30000
Harold CrockerSecond-row2515.0 (95) Parramatta20000
Brian DaviesProp, Second-row2314.12 (94) Booval Swifts30000
Peter DiversiLock2214.4 (91) North Sydney31003
Denis FlanneryWing2513.8 (86) Ipswich Brothers20000
Duncan HallProp2814.12 (94) Brisbane Western Suburbs10000
Greg HawickUtility Back2213.5 (85) South Sydney21003
Keith HolmanHalfback2711.9 (74) Western Suburbs20000
Ken KearneyHooker2813.9 (87) St George32006
Ken McCafferyFive-eighth2413.0 (83) Toowoomba Souths10000
Ian MoirWing2211.4 (72) South Sydney10000
Kel O'SheaSecond-row2115.1 (96)Ayr22006
Noel PiddingWing2712.0 (76) Maitland307014
Norm ProvanSecond-row2215.1 (96) St George10000
Alex WatsonCentre2213.4 (84) Brisbane Western Suburbs33009
Harry WellsCentre2214.2 (90) Wollongong22006

New Zealand

  • Manager: Tom McKenzie (West Coast)
  • Coach: Jim Amos (Canterbury)

The Rugby League News published details of the Kiwi touring team including each player's provincial team, weight, height, ageand occupation.[5]

Player Position Age Weight
st.lb (kg)
Province Games Tries Goals FG Points
Doug AndersonFullback2712. 1 (77) Auckland10000
Alister AtkinsonLock2812. 10 (81) Canterbury30000
Jim AustinWing, Centre2412. 2 (77) Auckland20000
Lory BlanchardHooker3014. 3 (90) Canterbury30000
John BondProp, Second-row2214. 7 (92) Canterbury20204
Jock ButterfieldSecond-row2214. 0 (89) Canterbury20000
Neville DentonFullback2012. 0 (76) Auckland10000
Cyril Eastlake (c)Wing, Centre2411. 9 (74) Auckland31003
Jimmy EdwardsWing2712. 0 (76) Auckland31003
Len EriksenHalfback2710. 0 (64) Auckland31003
Ian GreyFullback2312. 7 (79) Auckland10000
Cliff JohnsonProp2514. 3 (90) Auckland20000
George McDonaldSecond-row2013. 10 (87) South Auckland10000
Ron McKayCentre2212. 9 (80) Taranaki319021
Bill McLennanProp2615. 10 (100) West Coast30000
George MenziesWing2311. 4 (72) West Coast10000
Bill SorensenFive-eighth2213. 4 (84) Auckland30000
John YatesSecond-row2414. 11 (94) Auckland20000

Great Britain

For British players, the World Cup tournament took place during the 1954–55 Northern Rugby Football League season. Their coach was Mr Gideon Shaw.
The Rugby League News published the selected British touring team.[6] The following seven players listed in this article did not play a match in the tournament: Billy Boston (Wigan), Willie Horne (Barrow), Geoff Gunney (Hunslet), W. Banks, Ron Rylance (Huddersfield), Alvin Ackerley (Halifax) and Johnny Whiteley (Hull).
English representative Phil Jackson was born in Canada. David Rose and captain Dave Valentine were representatives from Scotland, and John Thorley from Wales.

Player Position Club Games Tries Goals FG Points
Gordon BrownFive-eighth Leeds460018
Bob CoverdaleProp Hull40000
Gerry HelmeHalfback Warrington42006
Phil JacksonCentre Barrow43009
Frank KitchenWing Leigh23009
Jimmy LedgardFullback Leigh4113029
Albert NaughtonCentre Warrington20000
Don RobinsonSecond-row Wakefield Trinity40000
David RoseWing Leeds440012
Sam SmithHooker Hunslet40000
Mick SullivanWing Huddersfield40000
John ThorleyProp Halifax40000
Dave Valentine (c)Lock Huddersfield40000
Basil WattsSecond-row York40000

France

Coaches: Jean Duhau and René Duffort The French squad was:[7]

Player Position Age Club Games Tries Goals FG Points
Jean AudoubertHooker30 Lyon Villeurbanne41003
Gilbert BenausseFive-eighth, Halfback22 AS Carcassonne20000
Vincent CantoniWing27 Toulouse Olympique42006
André CarrèreProp30 Villeneuve XIII RLLG00000
Raymond ContrastinWing29 Bordeaux450015
Joseph CrespoHalfback29 Lyon Villeurbanne41003
Guy DelayeSecond-row25 Sporting Olympique Avignon31003
Roger GuilhemLock28 AS Carcassonne10000
Antoine JimenezFive-eighth, Centre25 Villeneuve XIII RLLG40000
Joseph KrawzyckProp- Lyon Villeurbanne41003
Jacques MerqueyCentre25 Sporting Olympique Avignon41003
Jean PambrunSecond-row24 Marseille XIII40000
Puig AubertFullback29 XIII Catalan4013026
François RinaldiProp- Marseille XIII40000
Armand SaveSecond-row23 Bordeaux10000
Claude TeisseireFive-eighth, Centre23 AS Carcassonne30000
Gilbert VerdiéLock26 Racing Club Albi XIII20000
Maurice VoronWing- Lyon Villeurbanne00000

Note: The Rugby League Project has Roger Guilhem playing one match and Gilbert Verdié two, whilst EE Chistensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook has Roger Guilhem playing two matches (the round matches against Great Britain and Australia) and Gilbert Verdié playing one match (the Final against Great Britain).

References

  1. E.E.Christensen (1954). "World Cup". E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook. Sydney: E.E.Christensen (Vol. 8).
  2. AAP (24 October 1954). "R.L. Cup team fit but tired". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. p. 8. Retrieved 25 December 2009.
  3. New South Wales Rugby Football League. (1920). "Cup Tour Manager Has Given Service To League". The Rugby League News. Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League (Vol. 35 No. 23 (31 July 1954)). nla.obj-642592258. Retrieved 18 Jan 2021 via Trove.
  4. New South Wales Rugby Football League. (1920). "Australians For France". The Rugby League News. Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League (Vol. 35 No. 32 (1 October 1951)). nla.obj-642649963. Retrieved 18 Jan 2021 via Trove.
  5. New South Wales Rugby Football League. (1920). "New Faces In Kiwi Tourists". The Rugby League News. Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League (Vol. 35 No. 32 (1 October 1951)). nla.obj-642649847. Retrieved 18 Jan 2021 via Trove.
  6. New South Wales Rugby Football League. (1920). "British Team For France". The Rugby League News. Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League (Vol. 35 No. 32 (1 October 1951)). nla.obj-642650989. Retrieved 18 Jan 2021 via Trove.
  7. "World Cup 1954 - Squads - Rugby League Project".
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.