2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifying
2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifying matches took place from April 2006 to November 2007. Of the ten teams to compete in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, five of them qualified based on their performance in these matches. The other five teams had qualified automatically.
Contents |
Qualified teams [edit]
- Pacific
6 teams qualified for the World Cup. 3 qualified automatically, with the top 2 in the Pacific qualifying group also reaching the finals. Samoa finished third in the Pacific qualifying group and earned a qualification spot by winning the repechage.
Australia (automatic qualifier and host)
New Zealand (automatic qualifier)
Papua New Guinea (automatic qualifier)
Tonga (Pacific qualifying group winners)
Fiji (Pacific qualifying group runners up)
Samoa (Repechage winners)
- Europe
4 teams qualified for the World Cup. 2 qualified automatically, with a further 2 finals berths for the winner of each European qualifying group.
England (automatic qualifier)
France (automatic qualifier)
Ireland (Europe group 2 winners)
Scotland (Europe group 1 winners)
- Atlantic
No teams from the Atlantic qualifying group reached the finals, with the USA losing at the repechage semi-final stage.
Regional qualifiers [edit]
Europe (Round 1) [edit]
Results [edit]
| 28 April 2006 |
Netherlands  |
14–40 |  Russia |
Hoek van Holland Attendance: 250 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 May 2006 |
Serbia  |
10–45 |  Georgia |
FK Radnički Stadium, Belgrade Attendance: 500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 May 2006 |
Georgia |
57–16 | Netherlands |
Locomotive Stadium, Tblisi Attendance: 10935 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 June 2006 |
Serbia |
6–44 | Russia |
FK Radnički Stadium, Belgrade Attendance: 500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 June 2006 |
Netherlands |
38–26 | Serbia |
Rotterdamse RC Beekweg, Rotterdam Attendance: 250 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 June 2006 |
Russia |
24–0[1] | Georgia |
— |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Standings [edit]
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Points | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russia |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 20 | 6 | 88 |
| Georgia |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 102 | 50 | 4 | 52 |
| Netherlands |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 68 | 123 | 2 | -55 |
| Serbia |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 42 | 127 | 0 | -85 |
Europe (Round 2) [edit]
Group 1 [edit]
| October 29, 2006 |
Wales  |
14–21 |  Scotland |
Brewery Field, Bridgend Attendance: 2378 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tries: Briers Hughes Johnson Goal: Briers |
Tries: Benn Brough Liddell Nanyn |
| November 4, 2007 |
Scotland |
16–18 | Wales |
Old Anniesland, Glasgow Attendance: 911 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tries: Benn Fisher Goals: Brough (4/4) |
Tries: Dyer Gibson Hughes Goals: Harris (3/4) |
Scotland won 37-32 on aggregate
Group 2 [edit]
Matches [edit]
In early 2011 Ireland and Lebanon's two draws, which involved Ryan Tandy and Jai Ayoub, became subject to police investigation as the two had been connected to match-fixing.[2]
| 22 October 2006 |
Russia |
12–50 |  Ireland |
Fili Stadium, Moscow Attendance: 120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tries: Baskakov Iliassov Ovchinnikov |
Tries: Dodd (3) Bridge (2) Cantillon (2) Littler (2) Goals: Bridge (7/9) |
| 28 October 2006 |
Lebanon  |
22–8 | Russia |
New River Stadium, London Attendance: 300 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 November 2006 |
Ireland |
18–18 | Lebanon |
Tolka Park, Dublin Attendance: 140 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tries: Grix Littler Tandy Goals: Bridge (3/3) |
Tries: Chiha Koborsi Salem Goals: El Masri (2/2) |
| 20 October 2007 |
Ireland |
58–18 | Russia |
Oak Park, Carlow Attendance: 2,958 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tries: Blanch (3) Littler (3) Beswick (2) Gleeson (2) Handforth Goals: Finn (4/6) |
Tries: Baskakov Logunov Zagoskin Goals: Grigoryan (2/3) |
| 27 October 2007 |
Russia |
0–48 | Lebanon |
Nara Stadium, Narofominsk Attendance: 1,426 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 November 2007 |
Lebanon |
16–16 | Ireland |
Crown Flatt, Dewsbury Attendance: 6,812 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tries: Farah Salem Samia Goals: Nicholas (2) |
Tries: Finn Handforth Goals: Finn (2) |
Standing [edit]
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Points | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland |
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 142 | 64 | 6 | 78 |
| Lebanon |
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 104 | 42 | 6 | 62 |
| Russia |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 178 | 0 | -140 |
- Despite finishing on equal number of points, Ireland secured their World Cup spot as a result of a higher points differential.
- Lebanon faced Wales in the Repechage round.
Pacific [edit]
Results [edit]
| 29 September 2006 |
Tonga  |
56–14 |  Cook Islands |
Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 3013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 September 2006 |
Samoa  |
30–28 |  Fiji |
Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 3013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 October 2006 |
Fiji |
30–28 | Tonga |
Western Weekender Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 3813 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 October 2006 |
Samoa |
46–6 | Cook Islands |
Western Weekender Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 3813 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 October 2006 |
Fiji |
40–4 | Cook Islands |
CUA Stadium, Penrith Attendance: 1713 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 October 2006 |
Tonga |
18–10 | Samoa |
Headingley Stadium, Leeds Attendance: 5547 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Standings [edit]
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Points | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonga |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 102 | 54 | 4 | 48 |
| Fiji |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 98 | 62 | 4 | 36 |
| Samoa |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 86 | 52 | 4 | 34 |
| Cook Islands |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 142 | 0 | -118 |
Atlantic [edit]
Originally the USA, Japan, South Africa and West Indies were going to compete in a fourway tournament at Bernie Robbins Stadium, Atlantic City from 21-28 October. However the West Indies and South Africa withdrew and so a one-off match was played between Japan and the USA.[3]
| 28 October 2006 |
United States  |
54–18 |  Japan |
Aston Community Center Field, Aston Attendance: 1200 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
- The United States entered the repechage round, to play Samoa (3rd placed Pacific team).
Repechage [edit]
semi-finals
| 9 November 2007 |
Wales |
26–50 | Lebanon |
Halton Stadium, Widnes Attendance: 753 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tries: Gibson (3) Blackwood Bracek Goals: Harris (2/4) |
Tries: Salem (3) El Zbaideh Kourouche Moujalli Ndaira Saab Samia Goals: Nicolas (7/9) |
| 9 November 2007 |
United States |
10–42 | Samoa |
Halton Stadium, Widnes Attendance: 753 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
final
| 14 November 2007 |
Lebanon |
16-38 | Samoa |
Post Office Road, Featherstone Attendance: 1323 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
- Therefore, Samoa qualified for the final position at the World Cup to be held in Australia in 2008.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ The match was originally abandoned after the Georgian team had their visa applications rejected. A subsequent investigation discovered that Georgia's players were actually representing the rugby union team at the time; Georgia were found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute, ejected from the competition and banned from RLIF events for two years. Russia were awarded the match 24-0.
- ^ Proszenko, Adrian (6 March 2011). "Police identify final punter". The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia: Fairfax Media). Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ http://www.amnrl.com/news/0972006atlanticcup.html
Sources [edit]
- "World Cup European Preliminary Qualifying Tournament - Euro B", Rugby League European Federation website, retrieved May 8, 2006
- "Rugby League World Cup 2008 - European Qualifying Group", Rugby League European Federation website, retrieved May 15, 2006
- "Impressive Georgia Outrun Dutch in 2nd Half", Rugby League European Federation website, retrieved May 28, 2006
- "World Cup 2008 - European Qualifying Ground", Rugby League European Federation website, retrieved June 20, 2006
- "The Road to World Cup 2008", Scotland Rugby League website, retrieved July 16, 2006.
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