1968 Rugby League World Cup
| 1968 World Cup | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Host countries |
 Australia New Zealand
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| Winner |
Australia (2nd title)
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| Matches played | 7 |
| Attendance | 220,683 (31,526 per match) |
| Points scored | 227 (32.43 per match) |
| Top scorer |
Eric Simms (56) |
| Top try scorers |
Lionel Williamson (4) Ron Coote (4) Clive Sullivan (4) |
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< 1960
1970 >
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The 1968 Rugby League World Cup tournament was the fourth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was held in Australia and New Zealand during May and June in 1968. Contested by the men's national rugby league football teams of the two host countries plus Great Britain and France, for the first time a final to determine the World Cup was specifically pre-arranged (previous finals having only been used when teams finished level on points). Financially it was a profitable venture for the competing nations.
The 1968 World Cup was the first to be played under limited tackles rules, the number then being four tackles. The round 1 match between Great Britain and Australia attracted an attendance of 62,256, the highest for a World Cup match until 1992. The final was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground; a crowd of 54,290 watched Australia defeat France. The stars of the Australian team in the tournament were skipper Johnny Raper, second-rower Ron Coote, who scored spectacular tries in each and every game, and the dead-shot kicker Eric Simms, who harvested a record 25 goals (50 points).
The Australian squad assembled for the tournament was coached by Harry Bath.
The France squad assembled for the tournament included Jean Claude Cros, Daniel Pélerin, Jacques Gruppi, Jean Pierre Lecompte, Jean Ledru, Jean Capdouze, Roger Garrigues, Christian Sabatie, Yves Begou, George Ailleres (c), Francis de Nadai, Henri Marracq and Jean Pierre Clar.
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