The Paul Barrière Trophy serves as the Rugby League World Cup, being awarded to the victorious team of each tournament's final.

[3] The trophy was stolen from the hotel on the night of Sunday, 1 November 1970, six days before the final, and remained unseen for the next twenty years.

[3][4] 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.

He subsequently handed the trophy in to the police, but it was returned to him 28 days later after no-one claimed it, and tried contacting Yorkshire Television's Calendar programme but could not interest them in the story.

[3] The RFL agreed to pay a reward for the trophy's return, "anything except a place in the team" Howes joked,[3] but the finder asked only for some match tickets.