Mixing
2017 Rugby League World Cup
| 2017 (2017) World Cup () | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Number of teams | 14 (22 qualifying) |
| Host countries |  Australia New Zealand Papua New Guinea |
| Winner | Australia (11th title) |
| Matches played | 28 |
| Attendance | 382,080 (13,646 per match) |
| Points scored | 1264 (45.14 per match) |
| Tries scored | 230 (8.21 per match) |
| Top scorer | Cameron Smith (50) |
| Top try scorer | Valentine Holmes (12) |
Tournaments < 2013 2021 > | |
The 2017 Rugby League World Cup was the fifteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup tournament and took place in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea between 27 October and 2 December 2017.[1] The tournament featured the national teams of 14 Rugby League International Federation member countries who qualified through either standing in the previous tournament or a series of qualification play-off matches. In the final, defending champions Australia, playing in their 14th consecutive final, defeated England at Brisbane's Lang Park.
Contents
1 Host selection
2 Qualification
3 Teams
4 Match officials
5 Pre-tournament matches
6 Venues
6.1 Australia
6.2 New Zealand
6.3 Papua New Guinea
7 Group stage
7.1 Group A
7.2 Group B
7.3 Group C
7.4 Group D
7.5 Inter-group matches
8 Knockout stage
8.1 Quarter-finals
8.1.1 Australia vs Samoa
8.1.2 Tonga vs Lebanon
8.1.3 New Zealand vs Fiji
8.1.4 England vs Papua New Guinea
8.2 Semi-finals
8.2.1 Australia vs Fiji
8.2.2 Tonga vs England
8.3 Final: Australia vs England
9 Try scorers
10 Attendances
11 Criticism and controversy
12 Media coverage
13 References
14 External links
Host selection
At the 2010 Rugby League International Federation executive meeting, the New Zealand Rugby League made an early submission to co-host the 2017 tournament with Australia.[2] The Rugby League World Cup was last held in Australia in 2008.[3]
Two formal bids were subsequently received by the RLIF before a November 2012 deadline; the co-host bid from Australia and New Zealand and a bid from South Africa.[4][5][6] On 19 February 2014, it was announced that the joint bid from Australia and New Zealand had won hosting rights.[7]
Michael Brown, the CEO of several big name Australian sporting franchises and the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, was originally appointed CEO of the World Cup in 2015, but resigned less than a year later due to 'workload' and 'homesickness'.[8] He was replaced by Andrew Hill.[9]
Qualification
It was announced on 3 August 2014 that 7 of the 8 quarter-finalists from the last World Cup would qualify automatically for the 2017 tournament; hosts Australia and New Zealand, plus England, Fiji, France, Samoa and Scotland. The USA, who were also 2013 quarter-finalists, were denied automatic qualification after a long-running internal governance dispute saw their RLIF membership temporarily suspended in 2014; later, once the matter was resolved, they were accepted into the qualification process. Papua New Guinea were initially set to be involved in the qualifying competition but were later granted automatic qualification, due to becoming co-hosts of the tournament. In addition to the eight automatic qualifiers, the remaining six spots will come from four different qualification zones; three from Europe, one from Asia/Pacific, one from Americas and one from Middle East/Africa.[10]
Tonga were the first team to qualify from the qualification stage after winning the Asian-Pacific play-off. Lebanon were the second team to qualify from the qualification stage, after winning the Middle East-African play-off. The USA were the third team to qualify, winning the Americas qualification group.
Teams
| Team | Captain | Coach | RLIF rank | Previous appearances | Previous Best World Cup Result | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Cameron Smith | Mal Meninga | 1 | 14 (list) | Winners (10 times) | Co-hosts |
 England | Sean O'Loughlin | Wayne Bennett | 3 | 5 (1975, 1995, 2000, 2008, 2013) | Runners-up (1975, 1995); Winners (as part of Great Britain) 3 times | 2013 semi-finalists |
 Fiji | Kevin Naiqama | Mick Potter | 7 | 4 (1995, 2000, 2008, 2013) | Semi-finals (2008, 2013) | 2013 semi-finalists |
 France | Théo Fages | Aurélien Cologni | 6 | 14 (list) | Runners-up (1954, 1968) | 2013 quarter-finalists |
 Ireland | Liam Finn | Mark Aston | 8 | 3 (2000, 2008, 2013) | Quarter-finals (2000, 2008); Winners (as part of Great Britain) 3 times | European qualifying group 2 winner |
 Italy | Mark Minichiello | Cameron Ciraldo | 12 | 1 (2013) | Group stage (2013) | European qualifying play-off winner |
 Lebanon | Robbie Farah | Brad Fittler | 18 | 1 (2000) | Group Stage (2000) | Middle East-Africa play-off winner |
| New Zealand | Adam Blair | David Kidwell | 2 | 14 (list) | Winners (2008) | Co-hosts |
| Papua New Guinea | David Mead | Michael Marum | 16 | 6 (list) | Quarter-finals (2000) | Co-hosts |
 Samoa | Frank Pritchard | Matt Parish | 5 | 4 (1995, 2000, 2008, 2013, 2017) | Quarter-finals (2000, 2013) | 2013 quarter-finalists |
 Scotland | Danny Brough | Steve McCormack | 4 | 3 (2000, 2008, 2013) | Quarter-finals (2013); Winners (as part of Great Britain) 3 times | 2013 quarter-finalists |
 Tonga | Sika Manu | Kristian Woolf | 11 | 4 (1995, 2000, 2008, 2013) | Group Stage (1995, 2000, 2008, 2013) | Asia-Pacific play-off winner |
 United States | Mark Offerdahl | Brian McDermott | 10 | 1 (2013) | Quarter-finals (2013) | Americas qualifying group winner |
 Wales | Craig Kopczak | John Kear | 9 | 4 (1975, 1995, 2000, 2013) | Semi-finals (1995, 2000); Winners (as part of Great Britain) 3 times | European qualifying group 1 winner |
Match officials
The match officials will be headed by Tony Archer and three coaches: Steve Ganson, Russell Smith and Luke Watts.[11]
Australia: Grant Atkins, Chris Butler, Matt Cecchin, Steve Chiddy, Ben Cummins, Adam Gee, Ashley Klein, Jared Maxwell, David Munro, Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski, Belinda Sleeman, Jon Stone, Bernard Sutton, Chris Sutton, Gerard Sutton, Michael Wise
England: Phil Bentham, James Child, Mark Craven, Robert Hicks, Chris Kendall, Scott Mikalauskas, Liam Moore, Tim Roby, Ben Thaler
New Zealand: Chris McMillan, Henry Perenara
Pre-tournament matches
Before the World Cup it was announced that France would face Jamaica in Perpignan,[12] England would take on the Combined Affiliated States in Perth,[13] Lebanon would take on Niue in Leichhardt,[14] and Australia, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea would compete in a tri-series in Suva, with each game lasting 40 minutes.[15] The Australian Combined Affiliated States team will be composed of players from the Northern Territory, South Australian, Victorian and Western Australian state rugby league competitions. Malta will face Italy at Marconi Stadium in Bossley Park, a suburb of Sydney.[16]
| 23 September 2017 | Papua New Guinea PM's XIII | 8–48 | Australia PM's XIII | National Football Stadium, Port Moresby |
| 8 October 2017 | Malta  | 24–24 | Italy | Marconi Stadium, Sydney |
| 13 October 2017 | Country U23s  | 26–40 | Samoa | McDonald's Park, Wagga Wagga |
| 13 October 2017 | France | 34–12 |  Jamaica | Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan |
| 14 October 2017 | Fiji | 0–10 | Papua New Guinea | ANZ National Stadium, Suva |
| 14 October 2017 | Australia | 20–4 | Papua New Guinea | ANZ National Stadium, Suva |
| 14 October 2017 | Fiji | 0–18 | Australia | ANZ National Stadium, Suva |
| 14 October 2017 | Lebanon | 32–16 |  Niue | Leichhardt Oval, Sydney |
| 20 October 2017 | Country U23s | 50–14 | Scotland | Kingsford Smith Park, Ballina |
| 20 October 2017 | Italy | 6–16 | Tonga | Callendar Park, Innisfail |
| 20 October 2017 | Combined Affiliated States | 12–74 | England | Perth Oval, Perth |
Venues
It was announced in October 2014 that negotiations were being held for Papua New Guinea to host matches.[17] The Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League presented to the RLIF in September 2015, requesting to host three matches.[18] In October 2015 it was confirmed that Papua New Guinea would host three matches in the group stage.[19]
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne will host the opening game between Australia and England while Brisbane Stadium in Brisbane will host the World Cup Final.[20]
Australia
Brisbane | Sydney | Melbourne | Townsville |
|---|---|---|---|
Brisbane Stadium | Sydney Football Stadium | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | Townsville Stadium |
| Capacity: 52,500 | Capacity: 45,500 | Capacity: 30,050 | Capacity: 26,500 |
 |  |  |  |
  Townsville Brisbane Cairns Darwin Sydney Canberra Melbourne Perth | |||
Canberra | Perth | Cairns | Darwin |
Canberra Stadium | Perth Rectangular Stadium | Barlow Park | Darwin Stadium |
| Capacity: 25,011 | Capacity: 20,500 | Capacity: 18,000 | Capacity: 12,000 |
 |  |  | |
New Zealand
Wellington | Auckland | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Wellington Regional Stadium | Mount Smart Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 34,500 | Capacity: 30,000 | ||
 |  | ||
  Wellington Auckland Christchurch Hamilton | |||
Hamilton | Christchurch | ||
Waikato Stadium[21] | Christchurch Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 25,800 | Capacity: 18,000 | ||
 |  | ||
Papua New Guinea
Port Moresby |
|---|
National Football Stadium |
| Capacity: 14,800 |
 Port Moresby |
Group stage
The draw was undertaken at the launch of the event in Auckland on 19 July 2016[22] and involved the same four group format as the 2013 tournament.
The first two groups are made up of four teams whilst the other two groups feature three teams each. The top three teams in the first two groups and the winners of the two smaller groups will qualify for the quarter-finals. Group play will involve a round robin in the larger groups, and a round robin in the smaller groups with an additional inter-group game for each team so all teams will play three group games.[20]
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
| Key to colours in pool tables | |
|---|---|
| Advances to knockout stage and qualifies for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup | |
Group A
Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/− | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 10 | +94 | 6 |
| England | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 69 | 34 | +35 | 4 |
| Lebanon | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 81 | –42 | 2 |
| France | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 117 | –87 | 0 |
| 27 October 2017 | Australia | 18–4 | England | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne |
| 29 October 2017 | France | 18–29 | Lebanon | Canberra Stadium, Canberra |
| 3 November 2017 | Australia | 52–6 | France | Canberra Stadium, Canberra |
| 4 November 2017 | England | 29–10 | Lebanon | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney |
| 11 November 2017 | Australia | 34–0 | Lebanon | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney |
| 12 November 2017 | England | 36–6 | France | Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth |
Group B
Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/− | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonga | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 110 | 44 | +66 | 6 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 134 | 42 | +92 | 4 |
| Samoa | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 84 | –44 | 1 |
| Scotland | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 138 | –114 | 1 |
| 28 October 2017 | New Zealand | 38–8 | Samoa | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland |
| 29 October 2017 | Scotland | 4–50 | Tonga | Barlow Park, Cairns |
| 4 November 2017 | New Zealand | 74–6 | Scotland | Christchurch Stadium, Christchurch |
| 4 November 2017 | Samoa | 18–32 | Tonga | Waikato Stadium, Hamilton |
| 11 November 2017 | New Zealand | 22–28 | Tonga | Waikato Stadium, Hamilton |
| 11 November 2017 | Samoa | 14–14 | Scotland | Barlow Park, Cairns |
Group C
Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/− | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papua New Guinea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 12 | +116 | 6 |
| Ireland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 76 | 32 | +44 | 4 |
| Wales | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 156 | –138 | 0 |
| 28 October 2017 | Papua New Guinea | 50–6 | Wales | National Football Stadium, Port Moresby, |
| 5 November 2017 | Papua New Guinea | 14–6 | Ireland | National Football Stadium, Port Moresby |
| 12 November 2017 | Wales | 6–34 | Ireland | Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth |
Group D
Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/− | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiji | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 168 | 28 | +140 | 6 |
| Italy | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 68 | 74 | –6 | 2 |
| United States | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 168 | –156 | 0 |
| 28 October 2017 | Fiji | 58–12 | United States | Townsville Stadium, Townsville |
| 5 November 2017 | Italy | 46–0 | United States | Townsville Stadium, Townsville |
| 10 November 2017 | Fiji | 38–10 | Italy | Canberra Stadium, Canberra |
Inter-group matches
| 29 October 2017 | Ireland | 36–12 | Italy | Barlow Park, Cairns |
| 5 November 2017 | Fiji | 72–6 | Wales | Townsville Stadium, Townsville |
| 12 November 2017 | Papua New Guinea | 64–0 | United States | National Football Stadium, Port Moresby |
Knockout stage
Three teams from each of Groups A and B and one team from each of Groups C and D advanced to the quarter-finals. All quarter-finalists automatically qualified for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.[23] The quarter-final fixture were finalised at the conclusion of the pool stages, to ensure that Australia played in Darwin on 17 November and New Zealand in Wellington on 18 November.[24]
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 17 November – Darwin | ||||||||||
| Australia | 46 | |||||||||
| 24 November – Brisbane | ||||||||||
| Samoa | 0 | |||||||||
| Australia | 54 | |||||||||
| 18 November – Wellington | ||||||||||
| Fiji | 6 | |||||||||
| New Zealand | 2 | |||||||||
| 2 December – Brisbane | ||||||||||
| Fiji | 4 | |||||||||
| Australia | 6 | |||||||||
| 18 November – Christchurch | ||||||||||
| England | 0 | |||||||||
| Tonga | 24 | |||||||||
| 25 November – Auckland | ||||||||||
| Lebanon | 22 | |||||||||
| Tonga | 18 | |||||||||
| 19 November – Melbourne | ||||||||||
| England | 20 | |||||||||
| England | 36 | |||||||||
| Papua New Guinea | 6 | |||||||||
Quarter-finals
Australia vs Samoa
17 November 2017 19:00 ACST (UTC+9:30) |
Australia | 46–0 | Samoa |
|---|---|---|
Tries: Holmes (9', 17', 51', 57', 74') 5 Morgan (31', 36') 2 Slater (24') 1 Goals: Smith 7/8 (10', 19', 26', 33', 38', 53', 58') | 1st: 30 – 0 2nd: 16 – 0 |
Darwin Stadium, Darwin Attendance: 13,473 Referee: Phil Bentham (England) Man of the Match: Valentine Holmes (Australia) |
Tonga vs Lebanon
18 November 2017 17:00 NZDT (UTC+13) |
Tonga | 24–22 | Lebanon |
|---|---|---|
Tries: Fusitu'a (19', 33') 2 Lolohea (4') 1 Hopoate (23') 1 Goals: Hingano 4/5 (5', 24', 34', 53' pen) | 1st: 22 – 16 2nd: 2 – 6 | Tries: 2 (40', 69') Miski 1 (9') Doueihi 1 (30') Elias Goals: 3/4 Moses (10', 31', 70') |
Christchurch Stadium, Christchurch Attendance: 8,309 Referee: Gerard Sutton (Australia) Man of the Match: Mitchell Moses (Lebanon) |
New Zealand vs Fiji
18 November 2017 19:30 NZDT (UTC+13) |
New Zealand | 2–4 | Fiji |
|---|---|---|
Goals: Johnson 1/1 (45' pen) | 1st: 0 – 2 2nd: 2 – 2 | Goals: 1/1 Koroisau (15' pen) 1/1 Milne (62' pen) |
Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington Attendance: 12,713 Referee: Matt Cecchin (Australia) Man of the Match: Kevin Naiqama (Fiji) |
England vs Papua New Guinea
19 November 2017 16:00 AEDT (UTC+11) |
England | 36–6 | Papua New Guinea |
|---|---|---|
Tries: McGillvary (13', 20') 2 Watkins (68', 72') 2 Walmsley (33') 1 Currie (56') 1 Hall (79') 1 Goals: Widdop 4/7 (34', 57', 69', 80') | 1st: 14 – 0 2nd: 22 – 6 | Tries: 1 (60') Lo Goals: 1/1 Martin (61') |
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne Attendance: 10,563 Referee: James Child (England) Man of the Match: Jermaine McGillvary (England) |
Semi-finals
Australia vs Fiji
24 November 2017 19:00 AEST (UTC+10) |
Australia | 54–6 | Fiji |
|---|---|---|
Tries: Holmes (18', 24', 42', 51', 65', 75') 6 Gagai (31', 69') 2 Slater (14', 48') 2 Goals: Smith 7/10 (15', 19', 33', 43', 49', 53', 67') | 1st: 22 – 2 2nd: 32 – 4 | Tries: 1 (59') Vunivalu Goals: 1/2 Koroisau (7' pen) |
Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 22,073 Referee: Gerard Sutton (Australia) Man of the Match: Cameron Smith (Australia) |
Tonga vs England
25 November 2017 18:00 NZDT (UTC+13) |
Tonga | 18–20 | England |
|---|---|---|
Tries: Pangai Junior (73') 1 Havili (76') 1 Lolohea (77') 1 Goals: Taukeiaho 3/3 (73', 76, 77') | 1st: 0 – 12 2nd: 18 – 8 | Tries: 1 (11') McGillvary 1 (16') Widdop 1 (68') Bateman Goals: 4/4 Widdop (12, 17, 50 pen, 69) |
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland Attendance: 30,003 Referee: Matt Cecchin (Australia) Man of the Match: Gareth Widdop (England) |
Final: Australia vs England
2 December 2017 19:00 AEST (UTC+10) |
Australia | 6–0 | England |
|---|---|---|
Tries: Cordner (15') Goals: Smith 1/1 (16') | 1st: 6 – 0 2nd: 0 – 0 |
Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 40,033 Referee: Gerard Sutton (Australia) Man of the Match: Boyd Cordner (Australia) |
Try scorers
- 12
Valentine Holmes
- 9
Suliasi Vunivalu
- 7
Jermaine McGillvary
- 5
Billy Slater
David Fusitu'a
Michael Jennings
- 4
Dane Gagai
Wade Graham
Cameron Munster
Taane Milne
David Mead
Justin Olam
- 3
Kallum Watkins
Viliame Kikau
Kevin Naiqama
Henry Raiwalui
Liam Kay
Nene Macdonald
Peta Hiku
Te Maire Martin
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
Tuimoala Lolohea
- 2
Boyd Cordner
Josh Dugan
Michael Morgan
John Bateman
Gareth Widdop
Jarryd Hayne
Marcelo Montoya
Bastien Ader
Oliver Roberts
James Tedesco
Joseph Tramontana
Adam Doueihi
Abbas Miski
Travis Robinson
Shaun Johnson
Jason Nightingale
Jordan Rapana
Watson Boas
Lachlan Lam
Garry Lo
Rhyse Martin
Will Hopoate
Peni Terepo
Daniel Tupou
- 1
Tyson Frizell
Tom Trbojevic
Matt Gillett
Tom Burgess
Ben Currie
James Graham
Ryan Hall
Mark Percival
Stefan Ratchford
Alex Walmsley
Kane Evans
Salesi Junior Fainga'a
Joe Lovodua
Ben Nakubuwai
Brayden Wiliame
Akuila Uate
Eloni Vunakece
Damien Cardace
Benjamin Garcia
Mark Kheirallah
Kyle Amor
Liam Finn
George King
Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook
Michael McIlorum
Michael Morgan
Api Pewhairangi
Joe Philbin
Justin Castellaro
Mason Cerruto
Ryan Ghietti
Josh Mantellato
Nathan Milone
Paul Vaughan
Anthony Layoun
James Elias
Nick Kassis
Mitchell Moses
Jason Wehbe
Nelson Asofa-Solomona
Kenny Bromwich
Issac Liu
Kodi Nikorima
Russell Packer
Brad Takairangi
Joseph Tapine
Elijah Taylor
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
Dean Whare
Paul Aiton
Wellington Albert
James Segeyaro
Rod Griffin
Stargroth Amean
Kato Ottio
Tim Lafai
Ken Maumalo
Joseph Paulo
Junior Paulo
Ben Roberts
Jazz Tevaga
Young Tonumaipea
Matthew Wright
Danny Addy
Frankie Mariano
Oscar Thomas
Lewis Tierney
Ata Hingano
Manu Ma'u
Sika Manu
Ben Murdoch-Masila
Jason Taumalolo
Tevita Pangai Junior
Siliva Havili
Matt Shipway
Junior Vaivai
Regan Grace
Morgan Knowles
Ben Morris
Attendances
| Date | Match | Venue | Location | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 October 2017 | Australia | England | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | Melbourne | 22,724 |
| 28 October 2017 | Papua New Guinea | Wales | National Football Stadium | Port Moresby | 14,800 |
| 28 October 2017 | New Zealand | Samoa | Mount Smart Stadium | Auckland | 17,857 |
| 28 October 2017 | Fiji | United States | Townsville Stadium | Townsville | 5,103 |
| 29 October 2017 | Ireland | Italy | Barlow Park | Cairns | 9,216 |
| Scotland | Tonga | ||||
| 29 October 2017 | France | Lebanon | Canberra Stadium | Canberra | 5,492 |
| 3 November 2017 | Australia | France | Canberra Stadium | Canberra | 12,293 |
| 4 November 2017 | New Zealand | Scotland | Christchurch Stadium | Christchurch | 12,130 |
| 4 November 2017 | Samoa | Tonga | Waikato Stadium | Hamilton | 18,156 |
| 4 November 2017 | England | Lebanon | Sydney Football Stadium | Sydney | 10,237 |
| 5 November 2017 | Papua New Guinea | Ireland | National Football Stadium | Port Moresby | 14,800 |
| 5 November 2017 | Italy | United States | Townsville Stadium | Townsville | 7,732 |
| Fiji | Wales | ||||
| 10 November 2017 | Fiji | Italy | Canberra Stadium | Canberra | 6,733 |
| 11 November 2017 | New Zealand | Tonga | Waikato Stadium | Hamilton | 24,041 |
| 11 November 2017 | Samoa | Scotland | Barlow Park | Cairns | 4,309 |
| 11 November 2017 | Australia | Lebanon | Sydney Football Stadium | Sydney | 21,127 |
| 12 November 2017 | Papua New Guinea | United States | National Football Stadium | Port Moresby | 14,800 |
| 12 November 2017 | Wales | Ireland | Perth Rectangular Stadium | Perth | 14,744 |
| England | France | ||||
| 17 November 2017 | Australia | Samoa | Darwin Stadium | Darwin | 13,473 |
| 18 November 2017 | Tonga | Lebanon | Christchurch Stadium | Christchurch | 8,309 |
| 18 November 2017 | New Zealand | Fiji | Wellington Regional Stadium | Wellington | 12,713 |
| 19 November 2017 | England | Papua New Guinea | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | Melbourne | 10,563 |
| 24 November 2017 | Australia | Fiji | Brisbane Stadium | Brisbane | 22,073 |
| 25 November 2017 | Tonga | England | Mount Smart Stadium | Auckland | 30,003 |
| 2 December 2017 | Australia | England | Brisbane Stadium | Brisbane | 40,033 |
Criticism and controversy
The lack of games in New South Wales, the heartland of rugby league in Australia, drew some criticism. Only one of the 13 confirmed tournament venues was in New South Wales (Sydney Football Stadium) and it is only hosting two group-stage fixtures, both featuring Lebanon. This was due to the refusal of the New South Wales Government to bid for hosting rights. Despite the so-called 'Sydney Cup snub', the RLWC organisers backed their decision and the venues they were using.[25]
In the buildup to the Samoa vs. Tonga game in Hamilton, controversy occurred after fans from both countries were caught having brawls in South Auckland. At least 6 people were arrested from the brawls resulting in a massive security increase for the game. Both teams, celebrities, and police urged fans to calm down.[26]
Following the results of the controversial incident, a Tongan Advisory Council member lashed out at organisers, saying that this tournament is poorly organised compared to the 2011 Rugby World Cup, mentioning that Rugby World Cup organisers engaged with community groups 18 months beforehand, whereas this tournament was "scrambled around".[27]
After Scotland's 68 point thrashing to New Zealand in Christchurch, captain Danny Brough, Sam Brooks, and Jonathan Walker were sent home for violating code of conduct after being all deemed too 'intoxicated' for their team's flight to Cairns for Scotland's next game against Samoa. Italian players James Tedesco and Shannon Wakeman are under investigation by the World Cup integrity unit for a brawl at a Cairns nightclub.[28]
Media coverage
Seven Network was the Australian and worldwide host broadcaster, winning the rights for the event in July 2016, beating the likes of Foxtel and Optus.[29]
| Country or region | Broadcaster | Broadcasting | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Seven Network | All 28 matches live (via Channel 7, 7mate, or streamed from the 7Live app) | [30] |
 Austria Germany Switzerland | ProSieben Maxx ran.de | 6 matches live (ProSieben Maxx) All 28 matches live streamed (ran.de) | [31] |
| Germany | Sportdeutschland.TV | All 28 matches live streamed | [31] |
| Fiji | Fiji One | All 28 matches live | [32] |
| France | beIN Sports | All 28 matches live | [33] |
 Hong Kong | PCCW | All 28 matches live | [34] |
 Ireland | eir Sports | All 28 matches live | [35] |
 Japan | DAZN | All 28 matches live | [34] |
 Malaysia | Astro | All 28 matches live | [34] |
Middle East | OSN Sports | All 28 matches live | [34] |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport | All 28 matches live | [36] |
| Papua New Guinea | EM TV | All 28 matches live | [37] |
 United Kingdom | BBC Sport | All England matches live; Ireland, Wales and Scotland matches delayed; highlights from all 28 matches | [38] |
Premier Sports | 27 matches Live (Delayed coverage of NZ vs Tonga due to football match) | [39] | |
| United States | Fox Sports | All USA matches and knockout matches live | [34] |
References
^ "2017 Rugby League World Cup Overview". RUGBY LEAGUE PLANET. Retrieved 27 September 2015..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
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External links
- Official website
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