1970 Rugby League World Cup
The fifth Rugby League World Cup was held in Great Britain in 1970. Britain, fresh from defeating Australia in the Ashes during their Australasian tour earlier in the year (the last time as of 2017 that they would win The Ashes), were hot favourites, and won all three of their group stage games, including defeating Australia 11–4. All the other nations lost two games each, and Australia qualified for the final largely on the back of an impressive tally of points against New Zealand.
| 1970 World Cup | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Host country | England |
| Winner | Australia (3rd title) |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Attendance | 68,710 (9,816 per match) |
| Points scored | 205 (29.29 per match) |
| Top scorer | Eric Simms (37) |
| Top try scorer | John Cootes (5) |
Tournaments | |
The final was held at Headingley, Leeds. Although Great Britain dominated the possession, the Kangaroos were able to exploit their chances, and ran out unexpected winners in a scrappy game that became known as the "Battle of Leeds".
Australian centre Bob Fulton was named the official player of the tournament.
After winning the tournament, the Australian team put the World Cup trophy on display in the Midland Hotel in Bradford. From there it was stolen and remained unseen for the next 20 years.