2018 Rugby League European Championship
| 2018 European Championship | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Host countries |  Wales France Scotland Ireland |
| Winner | France (8th title) |
| Matches played | 6 |
| Attendance | 8,866 (1,478 per match) |
| Points scored | 300 (50 per match) |
| Tries scored | 52 (8.67 per match) |
| Top scorer | James Olds (40) |
| Top try scorer | Morgan Escaré Rhys Williams Josh Ralph (4 tries each) |
< 2015 2020 > | |
The 2018 European Championship is an international rugby league tournament that took place in October and November 2018. Four teams competed in the tournament, which forms the top tier of European international competition, and the first stage of qualification for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. The winner and runner-up will automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the third and fourth placed teams will enter the European play-off qualifying competition.
Teams
The championship will be contested by the national teams of France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.[1] Wales are the defending champions having won the previous competition, the 2015 European Cup.[2]
Standings
The championship is a single round-robin tournament with two points awarded for a win and one point for a draw. The matches will take place over three consecutive weekends commencing 26 October 2018.[1]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 106 | 38 | +68 | 6 | Champions & qualifies for 2021 World Cup |
| 2 | Wales
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 108 | 76 | +32 | 4 | Qualifies for 2021 World Cup |
| 3 |  Ireland
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 54 | 74 | −20 | 2 | Advances to European qualifying play-off |
| 4 | Scotland
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 114 | −82 | 0 |
Fixtures
Week 1
| Ireland
|
36 − 10 | Scotland
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Higginson (2), Bentley, McCarthy, McMahon, O'Donnell, Ryan Goals: Finn (4/7) |
Report |
Tries: Glohe, Kavangh Goals: Brierley (1/2) |
Notes:
- James Bentley, Lewis Bienek, Liam Byrne, Jack Higginson, Ronan Michael, Declan O'Donnell, Ethan Ryan, Michael Ward (all Ireland), Davey Dixon, Nick Glohe, Finn Hutchison, Sam Luckley, Murray Mitchell, Kieran Moran, and Luke Westman (all Scotland) made their Test debuts.
| France
|
54 – 18 | Wales
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Escaré (2), Marcon (2), Ader, Curran, Gigot, Miloudi, Navarette Goals: Gigot (7/8), Albert (1/1), Curran (1/1) |
Report |
Tries: Kear, Olds, Ralph Goals: Olds (3/3) |
Notes:
- Rhys Curran (France), Connor Davies, Curtis Davies, Sion Jones, and James Olds (all Wales) made their Test debuts, while Chris Vitalini made his debut for Wales after previously representing Italy.
Week 2
| Scotland
|
12 – 50 | Wales
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Bell, Dixon Goals: Brierley (2/2) |
Report |
Tries: Williams (3), Jenkins (2), Ralph (2), Butler, Evans Goals: Olds (7/9) |
Notes:
- Craig Borthwick, Craig Robertson (both Scotland), Mike Butt, and Elliott Jenkins (both Wales) made their Test debuts.
| Ireland
|
10 – 24 | France
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: McNally, Ryan Goals: Finn (1/2) |
Report |
Tries: De Costa (2), Ader, Marcon Goals: Gigot (4/5) |
Notes:
- Ed O'Keefe (Ireland) made his Test debut.
- France became the 9th team to qualify for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.
Week 3
| France
|
28 – 10 | Scotland
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Escaré (2), Fages, Marion Goals: Escaré (6/6) |
Report |
Tries: Dixon, Robertson Goals: Brierley (0/1), Thomas (1/1) |
Notes:
- Gavin Marguerite (France), Hamish Bentley, Matt Hogg, Niall Sidney, and Dan Turland (all Scotland) made their Test debuts.
| Wales
|
40 – 8 | Ireland
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Bennion, Butler, Evans, Lloyd, Ralph, Williams Goals: Olds (8/10) |
Report |
Tries: Grix, King Goals: Finn (0/2) |
Notes:
- Wales became the 10th team to qualify for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.
Media coverage
| Country or region | Broadcaster | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
 Australia
|
Fox League | [7] |
 United Kingdom
|
BBC Worldwide | [7] |
| France
|
viàOccitanie | [7] |
References
- ^ a b "World Cup qualification up for grabs this autumn as Wales face France, Ireland and Scotland in European Championship". Wales Rugby League. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- ^ "Wales rugby league stars crowned European champions". 8 November 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Euro 2018: France – Galles et France – Ecosse à Domec (Carcassonne)" (in French). FFR XIII. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "Most diverse ever match official panel named for European Championship". Wales Rugby League. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ "Wales face Scotland at Netherdale, Galashiels this autumn". Wales Rugby League. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ "Wrexham's Racecourse Stadium will host Wales' international with Ireland". Wales Rugby League. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ a b c https://twitter.com/RLEFofficial/status/1056206173500624896