Rugby league star who was part of the team that won the World Cup for Great Britain in 1972Phil Lowe, who has died aged 74 following a long period living with dementia, was a member of the last Great Britain team to win the Rugby League World Cup and a stalwart of his home-town club, Hull Kingston Rovers, during their most successful period. Although his rugby league career spanned 17 seasons, during which he won every domestic honour available, his finest hour came in the international arena in France in 1972, when Great Britain faced the favourites, Australia, in the World Cup final in Lyon.The two nations had met earlier in the tournament, when Lowe scored a vital try and topped the tackle count in a 27-21 British victory in Perpignan. The final is best remembered for the British captain Clive Sullivan’s length-of-the-field try, but in an otherwise dour game of attrition it was the British forwards, led by Lowe, who stifled and subdued a powerful Australian pack. The game was tied 10-10 after extra time, and with the trophy going to the team with the better record in the group stages Lowe’s performance in the Perpignan victory took on extra significance. Fifty-five years later, the Lions have yet to repeat their success. Continue readingread full article
