‘Nobody noticed we won the World Cup… it was like a secret for years’
Ahead of tomorrow’s showdown, Sam Dean meets the last British side to lift the trophy
There was to be no fanfare for the last British side to win the Rugby League World Cup. Upon their arrival back in England in November 1972, with the gleaming trophy clutched in their hands, there was not even one journalist or photographer to meet them at the airport.
So they bunged the trophy into the boot of a car and went on their way, hurrying home to prepare for their return to work the following day. “Nobody noticed we won,” remembers Steve Nash, the scrum-half. “It was the best kept secret for years.”
To be clear, this is no complaint. It is simply the way things were. This was a time when players and supporters took the same bus to matches, and an international tournament where the Great Britain squad had to club together to buy their own medals.
More than four decades later, England will tomorrow take on Australia in an effort to reclaim the title after all these years. And if Wayne Bennett’s side can return home with even half as many fond memories as the class of 1972, then it will be filed as a job well done. “It was fabulous,” says Phil Lowe, the Great Britain second row. “They were great days.”
Great nights, too. “We went out every night and had a couple of drinks,” says Nash. “We all got on so well together and there was no trouble, as long as we got up in the next morning to train hard.”
In their first game, Great Britain emerged the 27-21 victors in a thrilling contest against Australia, the holders and strong favourites. Jim Challinor’s side then went on to defeat France, the hosts, and New Zealand to set up another meeting with Australia in the final. By the time they reached Lyon’s Stade de Gerland for that final, the excitement for the tournament had evaporated among the French public. Only 4,231 supporters watched the match, compared to 19,000 who saw the 1970 World Cup final at Headingley.
“Those who stayed away missed a treat,” says Nash, now 68. The
final finished 10-10 after extra time, and Great Britain were awarded the trophy by virtue of that opening-game victory over the Australians.
“When the final whistle went, I looked at the referee and he said to me, ‘You won the first game so you won’,” says Nash. “I didn’t know that a draw would be enough. I thought we would have to play another game.”
The match itself was illuminated by a brilliant, 80-yard try from Clive Sullivan, the winger who had become the first black man to captain a British national sport team. “He picked it up real deep in our half,” says Nash. “He went in and out and then just swerved around everybody. Beat one, beat two and outrun the rest. He was so quick, Clive. Terry Clawson, our prop, turned me to and simply said, ‘What a wonderful try’.”
The final was also notable for the disallowed try scored by Australia’s Graeme Langlands, who caught a dropping ball and touched down in one remarkable diving motion, only for it to be incorrectly ruled out for offside.
Not that Great Britain were too bothered. “We just never gave in,” says Nash. “We had the firepower in the pack and we knew we weren’t going to lose. We weren’t going to let them win, especially after winning the first game.”
Were the Australian team enjoying the nightlife as much as the British? “I would think so,” says Nash. “They probably couldn’t take the beer as well as we could.”
For their troubles, Lowe says, the team were awarded £150 to share. They were also paid £5 a week to cover lost earnings while they were abroad. “Nowadays, it seems ridiculous,” says Lowe. “But we would have played for nothing.”
Predictably, they celebrated with gusto. “We were walking through France that night and one of us, I won’t say who, was up walking on the roofs of the cars,” says Lowe, 67, with a laugh. “We were that wrecked.”
More than 45 years on, the surviving members of the squad still meet for reunions every couple of years. In Lowe’s words, they each become “bigger and better” in their memories with every passing week.
“We are all old fellas now,” he says. “But we still have great times and you can’t buy that.”