2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup

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2021 (2021) Men's Rugby League World Cup  ()
Number of teams16
Host country England
Winner Australia (12th title)
Runner-up Samoa
Matches played31
Attendance423,689 (13,667 per match)
Points scored1721 (55.52 per match)
Tries scored307 (9.9 per match)
Top scorerSamoa Stephen Crichton (73)
Top try scorerAustralia Josh Addo-Carr (12 tries)
Tournaments
 < 2017
2026 > 

The 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup was the 16th Rugby League World Cup, and one of three major tournaments of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. The tournament was held in England from 15 October 2022 to 19 November 2022.[1] It was originally due to be held between 23 October 2021 and 27 November 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent withdrawals of Australia and New Zealand caused the tournament to be postponed.[2] 16 teams competed in the tournament, an increase of two from the previous two tournaments and the first to feature 16 teams since the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.[3]

For the first time, the Rugby League World Cup was run alongside the women's and wheelchair tournaments with all participants being paid the same, while all 61 matches in the three tournaments were broadcast live.[4][5]

Australia beat Samoa 30–10 in the final to win the tournament for the third successive time, extending their record number of World Cup titles to twelve.[6]

Teams[edit]

Qualification[edit]

Main article: 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup qualification

The eight quarter-finalists of the previous tournament in 2017 earned automatic qualification to the 2021 tournament. As such, the allocations were confirmed as 6 teams from Europe (excluding hosts), 6 from Asia-Pacific, 1 from Middle East-Africa, 1 from the Americas, and 1 from an inter-regional play-off.[7] Qualification began on 16 June 2018, and concluded on 16 November 2019.

Team Method of
qualification 		Date of
qualification 		Total
times
qualified 		Last
time
qualified 		Current
consecutive
appearances 		Previous best
performance
 England Hosts 27 October 2016 7[a] 2017 7 Runners-up (1975, 1995, 2017)
 Fiji 2017 Group D winners 10 November 2017 6 2017 6 Semi-finals (2008, 2013, 2017)
 Tonga 2017 Group B winners 11 November 2017 6 2017 6 Semi-finals (2017)
 New Zealand 2017 Group B runners-up 11 November 2017 16 2017 16 Winners (2008)
 Samoa 2017 Group B third place 11 November 2017 6 2017 6 Quarter-finals (2000, 2013, 2017)
 Australia 2017 Group A winners 11 November 2017 16 2017 16 Winners (11 times)
 Lebanon 2017 Group A third place 11 November 2017 3 2017 2 Quarter-finals (2017)
 Papua New Guinea 2017 Group C winners 12 November 2017 8 2017 8 Quarter-finals (2000, 2017)
 France Europe second round winners 11 November 2018 16 2017 16 Runners-up (1954, 1968)
 Wales Europe second round runners-up 11 November 2018 6[a] 2017 3 Semi-finals (1995, 2000)
 Jamaica Americas Championship winners 17 November 2018 1 – 1 –
 Ireland Europe third round Group A winners 9 November 2019 5[a] 2017 5 Quarter-finals (2000, 2008)
 Italy Europe third round Group A runners-up 9 November 2019 3 2017 3 Group stage (2013, 2017)
 Scotland Europe third round Group B winners 9 November 2019 5[a] 2017 5 Quarter-finals (2013)
 Greece Europe third round Group B runners-up 9 November 2019 1 – 1 –
 Cook Islands Inter-regional repechage winners 16 November 2019 3 2013 1 Group stage (2000, 2013)
Notes
  1. ^ a b c d Competed as part of Great Britain in nine previous tournaments, finishing as champions on three occasions (1954, 1960, 1972). The squads largely consisted of English players, but also featured Welsh players in every tournament. Scotland (1954, 1968, 1977, 1989–92) and Ireland (1957) were represented by native-born players in some tournaments.

Draw[edit]

The draw was originally scheduled to be finalised on 27 November 2019, exactly two years before the date of the tournament final, however, it was postponed until 16 January 2020.[8] The draw was made at Buckingham Palace on 16 January 2020 and was streamed live on Facebook. Teams from pot 1 were drawn by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, pot 2 by Katherine Grainger, and pot 3 by Jason Robinson.[9]

Seeded Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3

 England (A)
 Australia (B)
 New Zealand (C)
 Tonga (D)

 Fiji
 Lebanon
 Papua New Guinea
 Samoa

 France
 Jamaica
 Scotland
 Wales

 Cook Islands
 Greece
 Ireland
 Italy

The draw resulted in the following teams being drawn into the following groups. Each group had to have at least one team from the Pacific region. As such, Lebanon were not eligible to be drawn into Group A from pot 1.[10]

Group A Group B Group C Group D

 England
 Samoa
 France
 Greece

 Australia
 Fiji
 Scotland
 Italy

 New Zealand
 Lebanon
 Jamaica
 Ireland

 Tonga
 Papua New Guinea
 Wales
 Cook Islands

Squads[edit]

Main article: 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup squads

From September 2022, teams announced wider squads of up to 38 players, which were reduced to 24 before the beginning of the tournament.[11]

Venues[edit]

Stadium locations[edit]

Seventeen venues were used for the men's tournament.[12]

Manchester London Newcastle Leeds
Old Trafford Emirates Stadium St James' Park Elland Road
Capacity: 74,994 Capacity: 60,260 Capacity: 52,405 Capacity: 37,890
Middlesbrough
class=notpageimage|
Stadiums in Greater Manchester
class=notpageimage|
Stadiums in West Yorkshire
 Coventry
Riverside Stadium Coventry Building Society Arena
Capacity: 34,742 Capacity: 32,753
Sheffield Bolton
Bramall Lane University of Bolton Stadium
Capacity: 32,702 Capacity: 28,723
Hull Wigan
MKM Stadium DW Stadium
Capacity: 25,400 Capacity: 25,138
Huddersfield Leeds
Kirklees Stadium Headingley Rugby Stadium
Capacity: 24,121 Capacity: 21,062
St Helens Doncaster Warrington Leigh Newcastle
Totally Wicked Stadium Eco-Power Stadium Halliwell Jones Stadium Leigh Sports Village Kingston Park
Capacity: 18,000 Capacity: 15,231 Capacity: 15,200 Capacity: 12,000 Capacity: 10,200

Team base camp locations[edit]

13 base camps were used by the 16 national squads to stay and train before and during the World Cup tournament, as follow:[13]

Officiating[edit]

Match officials[edit]

The list of match officials who officiated across both the men's and women's tournaments was published on 5 October 2022.[14]

On-field rules and disciplinary measures[edit]

Matches were played to the International Rugby League (IRL) rules. Certain differences between the way the rules of Australia and Europe were clarified in September 2022. All drop goals were worth one point and all play the ball infringements resulted in a set restart. Introduced from the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) was the "captain's challenge" where under certain circumstances a team captain was able to ask for the referee's decision to be reviewed. Head injury assessments and subsequent treatment followed the European model.[17]

A new match review panel comprising members from both the RFL and NRL was established for the tournament to deal with disciplinary issues.[17]

Warm-up matches[edit]

Pre-tournament practice matches took place on 7 and 8 October, the weekend before the first round of group stage matches of the World Cup.[18]

7 October 2022
19:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
England  50–0  Fiji
Report
7 October 2022
19:45 BST (UTC+01:00)
Cumbria Cumbria 28–12  Jamaica
Report
Derwent Park, Workington[22]
Attendance: 3,000
8 October 2022
14:00 BST (UTC+01:00)
France  12–48  Tonga
Report
The Shay, Halifax[24]
Attendance: 876
8 October 2022
15:00 BST (UTC+01:00)
Wales  22–38  Lebanon
Report
Heywood Road, Sale[25]
Attendance: 509
8 October 2022
15:00 BST (UTC+01:00)
Bradford Bulls 34–34  Greece
Report
Odsal Stadium, Bradford[26]
Attendance: 950
8 October 2022
18:00 BST (UTC+01:00)
Leeds Rhinos 0–74  New Zealand
Report
Headingley Stadium, Leeds[27]
Attendance: 9,125

Group stage[edit]

England rugby league fans create an England flag ahead of the opening match at St James' Park

Competing countries were divided into four groups of four teams (groups A to D). Teams in each group played one another in a round-robin, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stage.[28]

Group A[edit]

Main article: 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup Group A
Pos Team
 Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  England (H) 3 3 0 0 196 28 +168 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Samoa 3 2 0 1 140 68 +72 4
3  France 3 1 0 2 56 116 −60 2
4  Greece 3 0 0 3 20 200 −180 0
Source: rlwc2021
(H) Hosts
15 October 2022
14:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
England  60–6  Samoa
Tries: Welsby 22'
Young (2) 25', 30'
Watkins 49'
Farnworth 65'
Whitehead (2) 69', 71'
Makinson 74'
Williams 76'
Burgess 80'
Goals: Makinson (10/12) 6' pen, 23', 26', 49', 63' pen, 66', 69', 71', 74', 79'
 Report
 Tries: Tago 34'
Goals: Crichton (1/1) 35'
St James' Park, Newcastle
Attendance: 43,199
Referee: Ashley Klein (Australia)
Touch judges: Jack Smith (England), Warren Turley (England)
Player of the Match: Victor Radley (England)
17 October 2022
19:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
France  34–12  Greece
Tries: Dezaria 9'
Gigot 30'
Jullien (2) 34', 74'
Mourgue 47'
Goals: Mourgue (7/7) 10', 24' pen, 30', 36', 49', 67' pen, 76'
 Report
 Tries: Taukamo 56'
Mougios 79'
Goals: Ilias (2/2) 58', 80'
Eco-Power Stadium, Doncaster
Attendance: 4,182
Referee: Adam Gee (Australia)
Touch judges: Kasey Badger (Australia), James Vella (England)
Player of the Match: Benjamin Garcia (France)
22 October 2022
17:00 BST (UTC+01:00)
England  42–18  France
Tries: Hall (2) 6', 12'
Thompson 24'
Whitehead 45'
Radley 50'
Young (2) 57', 66'
Goals: Sneyd (7/7) 8', 13', 26', 46', 51’, 58', 67'
 Report
 Tries: Mourgue 29'
Pelissier 33'
Romano 76'
Goals: Mourgue (3/3) 30', 33', 77'
University of Bolton Stadium, Bolton
Attendance: 23,648
Referee: Gerard Sutton (Australia)
Touch judges: Liam Moore (England), Todd Smith (Australia)
Player of the Match: George Williams (England)
23 October 2022
17:00 BST (UTC+01:00)
Samoa  72–4  Greece
Tries: To'o 1'
Paulo 5'
Levi 16', 70'
Harris-Tavita 22', 60'
Hunt 30'
Luai 33'
Lafai (2) 37', 80'
Brown 53'
Crichton 56'
Feagai 64'
Goals: Crichton (10/13) 3', 5', 17', 23', 31', 34', 38', 54', 61', 71'
 Report
 Tries: Ilias 49'
Goals: Ilias (0/1)
Eco-Power Stadium, Doncaster
Attendance: 4,415
Referee: James Child (England)
Touch judges: Liam Rush (England), Robert Hicks (England)
Player of the Match: Jarome Luai (Samoa)
29 October 2022
14:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
England  94–4  Greece
Tries: Lees 3'
Young (4) 13', 25', 35', 37'
Hall (2) 28', 59'
Burgess (2) 33', 53'
Williams 40'
Makinson 43'
Sneyd 49'
Batchelor 63'
Ackers (2) 67', 75'
Pearce-Paul 73'
McMeeken 77'
Goals: Sneyd (13/17) 4', 27', 34', 36', 39', 40', 43', 50', 55', 60', 68', 76', 77'
 Report
 Tries: Taukamo 18'
Goals: Ilias (0/1)
Bramall Lane, Sheffield
Attendance: 18,760
Referee: Belinda Sharpe (Australia)
Touch judges: Marcus Griffiths (England), Wyatt Raymond (Australia)
Player of the Match: Marc Sneyd (England)
30 October 2022
17:00 GMT (UTC±00:00)
Samoa  62–4  France
Tries: Lafai (2) 4', 66'
To'o (2) 17', 47'
Ta. May (4) 21', 34', 40', 44'
Milford (2) 62', 74'
Harris-Tavita 69'
Goals: Crichton (9/11) 5', 22', 36', 40', 45', 48', 64', 70', 75'
 Report
 Tries: Yaha 53'
Goals: Mourgue (0/1)
Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington
Attendance: 6,756
Referee: Todd Smith (Australia)
Touch judges: Liam Rush (England), Warren Turley (England)

Group B[edit]

Main article: 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup Group B
Pos Team
 Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  Australia 3 3 0 0 192 14 +178 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Fiji 3 2 0 1 98 60 +38 4
3  Italy 3 1 0 2 38 130 −92 2
4  Scotland 3 0 0 3 18 142 −124 0
Source: rlwc2021
15 October 2022
19:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
Australia  42–8  Fiji
Tries: Nanai 16'
Addo-Carr (2) 24', 68'
Crichton 35'
Mitchell 44'
Grant 54'
Tedesco 61'
Goals: Holmes (7/7) 16', 25', 36', 45', 54', 61', 68'
 Report
 Tries: Valemei 4'
Turuva 76'
Goals: Wakeham (0/2)
Headingley Stadium, Leeds
Attendance: 13,366
Referee: Chris Kendall (England)
Touch judges: Wyatt Raymond (Australia), Darian Furner (Australia)
Player of the Match: Cameron Munster (Australia)
16 October 2022
14:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
Scotland  4–28  Italy
Tries: Walmsley 76'
Goals: Brierley (0/1)
 Report
 Tries: Polselli 10'
Parata 23'
Maizen (3) 44', 49', 74'
Goals: Campagnolo (4/5) 10', 23' 45', 74'
Kingston Park, Newcastle
Attendance: 6,206
Referee: Todd Smith (Australia)
Touch judges: Paki Parkinson (New Zealand), Marcus Griffiths (England)
Player of the Match: Nathan Brown (Italy)
21 October 2022
19:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
Australia  84–0  Scotland
Tries: Addo-Carr (4) 6', 32', 49', 79'
Wighton (2) 11', 35'
Crichton 15'
Graham (3) 21', 59', 74'
Cleary 28'
Tedesco 41'
Hunt 44'
Burton 66'
Yeo 77'
Goals: Cleary (12/15) 12', 16', 23', 30', 34', 36', 42', 45', 50', 67', 75', 78'
 Report
Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry
Attendance: 10,276
Referee: Grant Atkins (Australia)
Touch judges: Kasey Badger (Australia), Warren Turley (England)
Player of the Match: Josh Addo-Carr (Australia)
22 October 2022
14:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
Fiji  60–4  Italy
Tries: Kikau (2) 9', 23'
Naiqama 12'
Tagituimua (2) 15', 46'
Koroisau 37'
Nakubuwai 51'
Sivo (2) 53', 63'
Sadrugu 79'
Goals: Wakeham (7/7) 10', 13', 17', 25', 38', 47', 51'
Koroisau (2/2) 55', 65'
Raiwalui (1/1) 80'
 Report
 Tries: Maizen 56'
Goals: Campagnolo (0/1)
Kingston Park, Newcastle
Attendance: 3,675
Referee: Jack Smith (England)
Touch judges: Darian Furner (Australia), James Vella (England)
Player of the Match: Penioni Tagituimua (Fiji)
29 October 2022
17:00 BST (UTC+01:00)
Fiji  30–14  Scotland
Tries: Sadrugu 6'
Kikau 15'
Raiwalui 36'
Sivo 46'
Sims 67'
Goals: Wakeham (5/5) 7', 16', 37', 48', 68'
 Report
 Tries: Walmsley 21'
Hellewell 40'
Liu 51'
Goals: Schneider (1/3) 63'
Kingston Park, Newcastle
Attendance: 6,736
Referee: Tom Grant (England)
Touch judges: James Child (England), Chris Kendall (England)
Player of the Match: Sunia Turuva (Fiji)
29 October 2022
19:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
Australia  66–6  Italy
Tries: Holmes 7'
Taulagi (2) 14', 40'
Tedesco 19'
Graham (2) 28', 68'
Mitchell 36'
Yeo 46'
Martin 51'
Murray 58'
Nanai 74'
Collins 80'
Goals: Cleary (9/12) 20', 30', 38', 48', 52', 60', 69', 76', 80'
 Report
 Tries: Palumbo 54'
Goals: Campagnolo (1/1) 55'
Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens
Attendance: 5,586
Referee: Liam Moore (England)
Touch judges: Michael Smaill (England), Jack Smith (England)
Player of the Match: Jeremiah Nanai (Australia)

Group C[edit]

Main article: 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup Group C
Pos Team
 Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  New Zealand 3 3 0 0 150 28 +122 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Lebanon 3 2 0 1 118 60 +58 4
3  Ireland 3 1 0 2 72 82 −10 2
4  Jamaica 3 0 0 3 20 190 −170 0
Source: rlwc2021
16 October 2022
17:00 BST (UTC+01:00)
Jamaica  2–48  Ireland
Goals: Rush 1/1 (39' pen)
 Report
 Tries: L. Senior (2) 13', 64'
G. King 16'
O'Hagan 19'
Chamberlain 37'
I. Senior 52'
T. King 57'
McDonnell 72'
Bentley 77'
Halton 80'
Goals: Chamberlain (1/5) 20'
Keyes (3/5) 57', 64', 77'
Headingley Stadium, Leeds
Attendance: 6,320
Referee: Ben Casty (France)
Touch judges: Geoffrey Poumes (France), Neil Horton (England)
Player of the Match: Luke Keary (Ireland)
16 October 2022
19:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
New Zealand  34–12  Lebanon
Tries: K. Bromwich 6'
Asofa-Solomona 25'
Hiku 30'
Brown 55'
Manu 57'
Rapana 61'
Goals: Rapana (5/6) 6', 25', 31', 55', 58'
 Report
 Tries: Mansour 1'
Miski 46'
Goals: Moses (2/2) 1', 47'
Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington
Attendance: 5,453
Referee: Grant Atkins (Australia)
Touch judges: Tom Grant (England), Dean Bowmer (England)
Player of the Match: Joseph Manu (New Zealand)
22 October 2022
19:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
New Zealand  68–6  Jamaica
Tries: Watene-Zelezniak (4) 4', 14', 19', 59'
Hiku 9'
Niukore 29'
Kris 37'
Marshall-King (2) 40', 55'
Nicoll-Klokstad 44'
Nikora 53'
Smith (2) 66', 72'
Goals: Foran (6/10) 16', 31', 40', 61', 67', 73'
Watene-Zelezniak (2/3) 45', 54'
 Report
 Tries: Jones-Bishop 76'
Goals: Rush (1/1) 78'
MKM Stadium, Hull
Attendance: 6,829
Referee: Marcus Griffiths (England)
Touch judges: Belinda Sharpe (Australia), Aaron Moore (England)
Player of the Match: Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (New Zealand)
23 October 2022
14:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
Lebanon  32–14  Ireland
Tries: Robinson 21'
Kiraz 25'
Morkos 31'
El-Zakhem 54'
Miski 58'
Goals: Moses (6/7) 17' pen, 22' 26', 33', 56', 71' pen
 Report
 Tries: L. Senior (2) 38', 48'
Chamberlain 78'
Goals: Chamberlain (1/3) 50'
Leigh Sports Village, Leigh
Attendance: 6,057
Referee: Adam Gee (Australia)
Touch judges: Tom Grant (England), Warren Turley (Australia)
Player of the Match: Mitchell Moses (Lebanon)
28 October 2022
19:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
New Zealand  48–10  Ireland
Tries: Hughes (2) 15', 60'
Rapana (2) 20', 46'
Hiku (2) 26', 33'
Mulitalo 38'
Fisher-Harris 55'
K. Bromwich 63'
Manu 79'
Goals: Rapana (2/4) 17', 27'
Brown (2/6) 61', 64'
 Report
 Tries: L. Senior (2) 29', 66'
Goals: Chamberlain (1/3) 12' pen
Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds
Attendance: 14,044
Referee: Robert Hicks (England)
Touch judges: James Vella (England), Darian Furner (Australia)
Player of the Match: Jahrome Hughes (New Zealand)
30 October 2022
12:00 GMT (UTC±00:00)
Lebanon  74–12  Jamaica
Tries: Tannous 6'
Miski 9'
El-Zakhem 12'
Robinson 15'
Rajab 23'
Tasipale (2) 27', 55'
Mansour (2) 32', 62'
Doueihi 45'
Maroun 59'
Goals: Moses (7/7) 8', 11', 13', 16', 24', 28', 33'
Doueihi (2/4) 57', 60'
 Report
 Tries: Agoro 50'
Andrade 66'
Goals: Woodburn-Hall (1/1) 51'
Rush (1/1) 66'
Leigh Sports Village, Leigh
Attendance: 5,006
Referee: Paki Parkinson (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Grant Atkins (Australia), Darian Furner (Australia)
Player of the Match: Adam Doueihi (Lebanon)

Group D[edit]

Main article: 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup Group D
Pos Team
 Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  Tonga 3 3 0 0 148 34 +114 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Papua New Guinea 3 2 0 1 86 40 +46 4
3  Cook Islands 3 1 0 2 44 136 −92 2
4  Wales 3 0 0 3 18 86 −68 0
Source: rlwc2021
18 October 2022
19:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
Tonga  24–18  Papua New Guinea
Tries: Penisini 14'
Fotuaika 35'
I. Katoa 37'
Koloamatangi 78'
Goals: I. Katoa (4/5) 16', 36', 39', 79'
 Report
 Tries: Martin 6'
Lam 41'
Russell 68'
Goals: Martin (3/3) 7', 43', 69'
Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens
Attendance: 10,409
Referee: Liam Moore (England)
Touch judges: James Child (England), Belinda Sharpe (Australia)
Player of the Match: Edwin Ipape (Papua New Guinea)
19 October 2022
19:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
Wales  12–18  Cook Islands
Tries: Lloyd 13'
Olds 27'
Goals: Fozard (2/2) 15', 29'
 Report
 Tries: Gelling 22'
Moale 59'
S. Marsters 64'
Goals: S. Marsters (3/4) 24', 40' pen, 61'
Leigh Sports Village, Leigh
Attendance: 6,188
Referee: Robert Hicks (England)
Touch judges: Rochelle Tamarua (New Zealand), Todd Smith (Australia)
Player of the Match: Johnathon Ford (Cook Islands)
24 October 2022
19:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
Tonga  32–6  Wales
Tries: Tupou (3) 21', 51', 71'
Fifita 37'
Koloamatangi 40'
Niu 47'
Goals: Lolohea (3/5) 38', 40', 49'
Talakai (1/1) 72'
 Report
 Tries: Evans 17'
Goals: Fozard (1/1) 18'
Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens
Attendance: 7,752
Referee: Kasey Badger (Australia)
Touch judges: Mike Smaill (England), Rochelle Tamarua (New Zealand)
Player of the Match: Daniel Tupou (Tonga)
25 October 2022
19:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
Papua New Guinea  32–16  Cook Islands
Tries: Tai (2) 14', 46'
Laybutt 23'
Martin 41'
Lam 56'
Olam 68'
Goals: Martin (4/6) 24', 42', 57', 69'
 Report
 Tries: Ulberg 34'
Gelling 60'
Iro 77'
Goals: S. Marsters (2/3) 3' pen, 35'
Takairangi (0/1)
Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington
Attendance: 6,273
Referee: Chris Kendall (England)
Touch judges: Wyatt Raymond (Australia), Paki Parkinson (New Zealand)
Player of the Match: Rhyse Martin (Papua New Guinea)
30 October 2022
14:30 GMT (UTC±00:00)
Tonga  92–10  Cook Islands
Tries: Tupou (2) 1', 64'
Taumalolo (2) 13', 20'
Niu (3) 22', 29', 49'
Penisini (4) 26', 32' (pen), 61', 74'
Lolohea (2) 35', 58'
Kaufusi 40'
I. Katoa 44'
Amone 78'
Goals: I. Katoa (14/16) 15', 21', 24', 28', 31', 33', 37', 40', 46', 51', 62', 66', 76', 79'
 Report
 Tries: S. Marsters 69'
Ti. Arona 80'
Goals: S. Marsters (0/1)
Ti. Arona (1/1) 80'
Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
Attendance: 8,342
Referee: Ashley Klein (Australia)
Touch judges: Kasey Badger (Australia), Aaron Moore (England)
Player of the Match: Jason Taumalolo (Tonga)
31 October 2022
19:30 GMT (UTC±00:00)
Papua New Guinea  36–0  Wales
Tries: Laybutt 6'
Putt (2) 12', 46'
Ngutlik (2) 18', 76'
Russell 23'
Goals: Martin (6/6) 6', 12', 18', 23', 46', 77'
 Report
Eco-Power Stadium, Doncaster
Attendance: 6,968
Referee: Gerard Sutton (Australia)
Touch judges: Belinda Sharpe (Australia), James Child (England)
Player of the Match: Nixon Putt (Papua New Guinea)

Knockout stage[edit]

Main article: 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup knockout stage

The top 2 teams from each pool advanced to the quarter-finals. All quarter-finalists will automatically qualify for the 2025 Rugby League World Cup.

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
 5 November – Wigan
 
 
 England 46
 
12 November – London
 
 Papua New Guinea 6
 
 England 26
 
 6 November – Warrington
 
 Samoa (g.p.) 27
 
 Tonga 18
 
 19 November – Manchester
 
 Samoa 20
 
 Samoa 10
 
 4 November – Huddersfield
 
 Australia 30
 
 Australia 48
 
 11 November – Leeds
 
 Lebanon 4
 
  Australia 16
 
 5 November – Hull
 
 New Zealand 14
 
 New Zealand 24
 
 
 Fiji 18
 

Quarter-finals[edit]

4 November 2022
19:30 GMT (UTC±00:00)
Australia  48–4  Lebanon
Tries: Addo-Carr (5) 5', 16', 19', 45', 59'
Mitchell 24'
Murray (2) 30', 33'
Martin 69'
Goals: Cleary (6/9) 17', 31', 34', 46', 60', 70'
 Report
 Tries: Mansour 52'
Goals: Moses (0/1)
John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield
Attendance: 8,206
Referee: Chris Kendall (England)
Touch judges: Wyatt Raymond (Australia), Warren Turley (England)
Player of the Match: Josh Addo-Carr (Australia)
5 November 2022
14:30 GMT (UTC±00:00)
England  46–6  Papua New Guinea
Tries: Burgess 6'
Makinson (5) 9', 18', 27', 58', 75'
Young 14'
Williams 21'
Watkins 24'
Goals: Makinson (5/9) 7', 20', 22', 26, 28'
 Report
 Tries: Ngutlik 70'
Goals: Martin (1/1) 71'
DW Stadium, Wigan
Attendance: 23,179
Referee: Liam Moore (England)
Touch judges: Darian Furner (Australia), Jack Smith (England)
Player of the Match: Tommy Makinson (England)
5 November 2022
19:30 GMT (UTC±00:00)
New Zealand  24–18  Fiji
Tries: Mulitalo 25'
Nikora 48'
Manu 62'
Rapana 78'
Goals: Rapana (4/5) 27', 49', 64', 71' pen
 Report
 Tries: Sivo 11'
Naiqama (2) 17', 43'
Goals: Wakeham (3/3) 12', 19', 44'
MKM Stadium, Hull
Attendance: 7,080
Referee: Gerard Sutton (Australia)
Touch judges: Belinda Sharpe (Australia), Marcus Griffiths (England)
Player of the Match: Joseph Manu (New Zealand)
6 November 2022
14:30 GMT (UTC±00:00)
Tonga  18–20  Samoa
Tries: Tupou 7'
Taukeiaho 32'
S. Katoa 70'
Goals: I. Katoa (3/4) 33', 49' pen, 71'
 Report
 Tries: Su'a 4'
Luai 16'
To'o 58'
Goals: Crichton (4/4) 5', 18', 56' pen, 59'
Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington
Attendance: 12,674
Referee: Ashley Klein (Australia)
Touch judges: Robert Hicks (England), Kasey Badger (Australia)
Player of the Match: Anthony Milford (Samoa)

Semi-finals[edit]

11 November 2022
19:45 GMT (UTC±00:00)
Australia  16–14  New Zealand
Tries: Addo-Carr 16'
Holmes 30'
Murray 53'
Goals: Cleary (2/3) 18', 55'
 Report
 Tries: Hughes 11'
Brown 37'
Goals: Rapana (3/3) 13', 26' pen, 39'
Elland Road, Leeds
Attendance: 28,113
Referee: Ashley Klein (Australia)
Touch judges: Warren Turley (England), Wyatt Raymond (Australia)
Player of the Match: Liam Martin (Australia)
12 November 2022
14:30 GMT (UTC±00:00)
England  26–27 (g.p.)  Samoa
Tries: Whitehead 24'
Bateman 44'
Farnworth (2) 63', 77'
Goals: Makinson (5/5) 25', 45', 63', 67' pen, 78'
 Report
 Tries: Lafai 6'
Sao (2) 30', 56'
Crichton (2) 48', 72'
Goals: Crichton (3/5) 32', 49', 74'
Drop goals: Milford (0/1)
Crichton (1/1) 83'
Emirates Stadium, London
Attendance: 40,489
Referee: Gerard Sutton (Australia)
Touch judges: Darian Furner (Australia), Jack Smith (England)
Player of the Match: Jarome Luai (Samoa)

Final[edit]

Main article: 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup final
19 November 2022
16:00 GMT (UTC±00:00)
Australia  30–10  Samoa
Tries: Mitchell (2) 14', 80'
Tedesco (2) 18', 69'
Martin 30'
Murray 53'
Goals: Cleary (3/5) 19', 55', 70'
Addo-Carr (0/1)
 Report
 Tries: To'o 61'
Crichton 71'
Goals: Crichton (1/2) 63'
Old Trafford, Manchester
Attendance: 67,502
Referee: Ashley Klein (Australia)
Touch judges: Jack Smith (England), Warren Turley (England)
Player of the Match: James Tedesco (Australia)

Statistics[edit]

Final standings[edit]

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Final result
1 B  Australia 6 6 0 0 286 42 +244 12 Champions
2 A  Samoa 6 4 0 2 197 142 +55 8 Runners-up
3 A  England (H) 5 4 0 1 268 61 +207 8 Eliminated in
semi-finals
4 C  New Zealand 5 4 0 1 188 62 +126 8
5 D  Tonga 4 3 0 1 166 54 +112 6 Eliminated in
quarter-finals
6 B  Fiji 4 2 0 2 116 84 +32 4
7 D  Papua New Guinea 4 2 0 2 92 86 +6 4
8 C  Lebanon 4 2 0 2 122 108 +14 4
9 C  Ireland 3 1 0 2 72 82 −10 2 Eliminated in
group stage
10 A  France 3 1 0 2 56 116 −60 2
11 D  Cook Islands 3 1 0 2 44 136 −92 2
12 B  Italy 3 1 0 2 38 130 −92 2
13 D  Wales 3 0 0 3 18 86 −68 0
14 B  Scotland 3 0 0 3 18 142 −124 0
15 C  Jamaica 3 0 0 3 20 190 −170 0
16 A  Greece 3 0 0 3 20 200 −180 0
Updated to match(es) played on 23 November 2022. Source: World Cup 2022
(H) Hosts

Top try scorers[edit]

Rank Player Team Tries
1 Josh Addo-Carr  Australia 12
2 Dom Young  England 9
3 Tommy Makinson  England 7
4 Louis Senior  Ireland 6
Josh Mansour  Lebanon
Daniel Tupou  Tonga
7 Campbell Graham  Australia 5
Tim Lafai  Samoa
Will Penisini  Tonga
8 Elliott Whitehead  England 4
Ryan Hall
Jake Maizen  Italy
Abbas Miski  Lebanon
Peta Hiku  New Zealand
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
Taylan May  Samoa
Tesi Niu  Tonga

Top goal scorers[edit]

Rank Player Team Goals
1 Stephen Crichton  Samoa 28
2 Nathan Cleary  Australia 26
3 Isaiya Katoa  Tonga 21
4 Marc Sneyd  England 20
Tommy Makinson
6 Brandon Wakeham  Fiji 15
Mitchell Moses  Lebanon
8 Jordan Rapana  New Zealand 14
9 Arthur Mourgue  France 10
10 Valentine Holmes  Australia 7

Top points scorers[edit]

Rank Player Team Points
1 Stephen Crichton  Samoa 73
2= Nathan Cleary  Australia 68
Tommy Makinson  England
4 Isaiya Katoa  Tonga 50
5 Josh Addo-Carr  Australia 48
6 Jordan Rapana  New Zealand 40
7 Dom Young  England 36
Rhyse Martin  Papua New Guinea
9 Mitchell Moses  Lebanon 30
10 Arthur Mourgue  France 28

Player discipline[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Smaill is a New Zealander who is currently based in England.[15]
  2. ^ Vella is an Australian who is currently based in England.[16]
  3. ^ Match originally scheduled to be played at Rochdale[20][21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Walter, Brad (26 August 2021). "New dates announced for rescheduled World Cup". nrl.com. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  2. ^ Walter, Brad (5 August 2021). "2021 World Cup officially postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic". nrl.com. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Rugby League World Cup to feature 16 teams in 2021". Sky Sports. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  4. ^ Darbyshire, Drew (21 October 2019). "Women and wheelchair players to receive equal pay to men at 2021 World Cup". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  5. ^ Ed, Dixon (2 July 2020). "2021 Rugby League World Cup and IRL team up on broadcast production - SportsPro Media". www.sportspromedia.com. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  6. ^ Sutcliffe, Steve (19 November 2022). "Australia 30-10 Samoa: Kangaroos claim third consecutive World Cup with hard-fought victory". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Statement from the RLIF Board meeting - March 28th 2017". rlif.com. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Rugby League World Cup 2021". www.rlwc2021.com. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Rugby League World Cup 2021 draw: England drawn with Samoa, France and Greece". BBC Sport. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Rugby League World Cup 2021: How will Thursday's draw work?". BBC Sport. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Rugby League World Cup Squads: Men's, Women's, Wheelchair". Rugby League International Federation. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  12. ^ "2021 Rugby League World Cup: Emirates Stadium among host venues but Wigan misses out". BBC Sport. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  13. ^ "Kangaroos to be united in Manchester: World Cup team bases announced". National Rugby League. 10 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  14. ^ "Rugby League World Cup 2021 announces tournament Match Officials". Rugby League World Cup. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Michael Smaill relishing leading the RFL's "Lead the Game" initiative". rugby-league.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021.
  16. ^ "James Vella". rugby-league.com. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  17. ^ a b Bower, Aaron (27 September 2022). "Rugby League World Cup rule changes including captain's call and disciplinary". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  18. ^ "Updated list of Rugby League World Cup warm-up games as tournament draws closer". 23 August 2022.
  19. ^ "Rochdale AFC release statement following venue change for England versus Fiji". LoveRugbyLeague. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  20. ^ "England to face Fiji in World Cup warm-up at Rochdale". www.rugby-league.com. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  21. ^ "England versus Fiji postponed until October 2022". www.rugby-league.com. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  22. ^ "Jamaica to have pre-World Cup game against Cumbria". TotalRL.com. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  23. ^ McAllister, Josh (23 August 2022). "England Knights name squad as Scotland confirm World Cup warm-up fixture". LoveRugbyLeague. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  24. ^ "World Cup semi-finalists Tonga to meet France in Halifax RLWC2021 warm-up game".
  25. ^ Thomson, Doug (9 August 2022). "Wales confirm World Cup warm-up fixture". TotalRL.com. Total RL. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  26. ^ "Tackle one: Greece is the word". rlwc2021.com. RLWC2021. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  27. ^ "Kiwis to face Leeds in World Cup warm-up match". 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  28. ^ "Groups and Standings". Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2021 Rugby League World Cup.
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