Rugby League World Cup trophy

Paul Barrière Trophy
The Paul Barrière trophy
Given for	Winning the Rugby League World Cup
Presented by	RLIF
History
First award	1954
Most recent	Australia

The Paul Barrière Trophy serves as the Rugby League World Cup, being awarded to the victorious team of each tournament's final. It is named after Paul Barrière, president of the Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII from 1947 to 1955.

The World Cup trophy was commissioned by French Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII president Paul Barrière at a cost of eight million francs, and then donated to the International Rugby League Board to be used for the inaugural competition in 1954. This trophy was used and presented to the winning nation for the first four tournaments, before being stolen in 1970.

While no trophy could be presented in 1970 due to the original's disappearance a few days before the final, several other trophies were used from 1972 until 1995. For the 1995 tournament, a £10,000 cup was made by Tiffanys to celebrate the centenary of the game.

While competing in the 1970 tournament, reigning champions Australia put the trophy on display at the Midland Hotel, Bradford. The trophy was stolen from the hotel on the night of Sunday, November 1, 1970, six days before the final, and remained unseen for the next twenty years. Before the theft, the trophy was last held aloft by Johnny Raper after Australia's 20-2 win over France at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 10 June 1968 to claim the fourth World Cup title.

Ironically, the stolen trophy was not the one which was due to be competed for and presented in the 1970 World Cup Final the following Saturday at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds: with the commencement of sponsorship in the game, administrators had decided to play for a new sponsored trophy, with the original being kept safe and on display at the hotel in a symbolic capacity only.