Rugby League World Cup records

Rugby League World Cup records have been accumulating since the first Rugby League World Cup tournament was held in 1954.

Team Records

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All-time record

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Top four finishes
Team Champions Runners-up Third / Fourth / Losing Semi-finalists
  Australia 12 (1957, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1988, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2013, 2017, 2021) 3 (1960, 1972, 2008) 1 (1954)
  Great Britain 3 (1954, 1960, 1972) 4 (1964, 1970, 1977, 1992) 2 (1968, 1988)
  New Zealand 1 (2008) 3 (1985–88, 2000, 2013) 11 (1954, 1957, 1960, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1992, 1995, 2021)
  England 3 (1975, 1995, 2017) 4 (2000, 2008, 2013, 2021)
  France 2 (1954, 1968) 6 (1957, 1960, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1992)
  Samoa

1 (2021)

  Wales

3 (1975, 1995, 2000)

  Fiji

3 (2008, 2013, 2017)

  Papua New Guinea

1 (1988)

  Tonga

1 (2017)

  • Tournaments between 1954–1992 did not feature semi-final and quarter-final rounds.

Title win rate

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Team Win rate
  Australia 75.00%
  Great Britain 33.33%
  New Zealand 6.67%

Biggest wins

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Rank Winner Score Loser Points Year
1   Australia 110-4   Russia 106 2000
2   England 94-4   Greece 90 2021
3   Australia 84-0   Scotland 84 2021
4   Tonga 92-10   Cook Islands 82 2021
5   Australia 86-6   South Africa 80 1995

Individual records

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Most appearances

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Rank Player Country(s) Years Apps
1 Kurt Sorensen   New Zealand 1975–1989 25
2 John Atkinson   Great Britain
  England
1970–1980 17
Bob Fulton   Australia 1968–1978
Cameron Smith   Australia 2008–2017
5 Mal Meninga   Australia 1982–1994 15
Michael O'Connor   Australia 1985–1990
Chris Hill   England 2013-

Top try scorers

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Rank Player Country(s) Years Tries
1 Billy Slater   Australia 2008–2017 16
2 Jarryd Hayne   Australia
  Fiji
2008–2017 14
Ryan Hall   England 2013–
4 Bob Fulton   Australia 1968–1975 13
Valentine Holmes   Australia 2017–

Top points scorers

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Rank Player Country(s) Years Points
1 Johnathan Thurston   Australia 2008–2017 124
2 Shaun Johnson   New Zealand 2013–2017 120
3 Mick Cronin   Australia 1975–1982 112
4 Michael O'Connor   Australia 1985–1990 108
5 George Fairbairn   Great Britain
  England
1975–1982 94

Most tries in a tournament

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Tries Player Year
12   Valentine Holmes 2017
12   Josh Addo-Carr 2021
10   Wendell Sailor 2000
9   Jarryd Hayne 2013
  Brett Morris 2013
  Dominic Young 2021
7   Billy Slater 2008

Most tries in a match

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Tries Player Year
6   Valentine Holmes 2017
5   Valentine Holmes 2017
  Josh Addo-Carr 2021
  Tommy Makinson 2021

Miscellaneous

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Winning captains and coaches

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A foreign coach has never managed a World Cup-winning team.

Year Captain Coach Team
1954   Dave Valentine   G Shaw   Great Britain
1957   Dick Poole   Dick Poole   Australia
1960   Eric Ashton   William Fallowfield   Great Britain
1968  Johnny Raper  Harry Bath   Australia
1970 Ron Coote Harry Bath   Australia
1972   Clive Sullivan   Jim Challinor   Great Britain
1975 Arthur Beetson Graeme Langlands   Australia
1977 Arthur Beetson Terry Fearnley   Australia
1988 Wally Lewis Don Furner   Australia
1992 Mal Meninga Bob Fulton   Australia
1995 Brad Fittler Bob Fulton   Australia
2000 Brad Fittler Chris Anderson   Australia
2008 Nathan Cayless Stephen Kearney   New Zealand
2013   Cameron Smith   Tim Sheens   Australia
2017   Cameron Smith   Mal Meninga   Australia

Draws

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Team Score Opponent Date
  France 13–13   Great Britain 7 November 1954
  Great Britain 10–10*   Australia 11 November 1972
  New Zealand 17–17   England 21 June 1975
  Australia 10–10   England 28 June 1975
  France 12–12   New Zealand 17 October 1975
  Great Britain 6–6   New Zealand 9 November 1985
  France 10–10   Great Britain 16 February 1986
  Papua New Guinea 28–28   Tonga 10 October 1995
  Cook Islands 22–22   Lebanon 5 November 2000
  Samoa 14–14   Scotland 11 November 2017

* After Extra Time

Nil points

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Team Score Opponent Date
  France 0–9   New Zealand 8 October 1960
  France 0–6   Great Britain 28 October 1970
  France 0–27   New Zealand 15 June 1975
  England 0–25   Australia 12 November 1975
  Australia 0–18   New Zealand 7 July 1985
  France 0–22   New Zealand 7 December 1985
  France 0–52   Australia 13 December 1986
  Papua New Guinea 0–42   Great Britain 24 October 1987
  France 0–34   New Zealand 3 December 1989
  Great Britain 0–14   Australia 24 November 1990
  France 0–36   Great Britain 7 March 1992
  Fiji 0–46   England 11 October 1995
  Fiji 0–66   Australia 14 October 1995
  South Africa 0–46   England 14 October 1995
  Lebanon 0–64   New Zealand 29 October 2000
  South Africa 0–16   Papua New Guinea 2 November 2000
  Fiji 0–52   Australia 16 November 2008
  France 0–48   New Zealand 1 November 2013
  Ireland 0–42   England 2 November 2013
  Ireland 0–50   Australia 9 November 2013
  Italy 0–16   Tonga 10 November 2013
  United States 0–62   Australia 16 November 2013
  Fiji 0–64   Australia 23 November 2013
  United States 0–46   Italy 5 November 2017
  Lebanon 0–34   Australia 11 November 2017
  United States 0–64   Papua New Guinea 12 November 2017
  Samoa 0–46   Australia 17 November 2017
  England 0–6   Australia 2 December 2017
  Scotland 0–84   Australia 21 October 2022[1]
  Wales 0–36   Papua New Guinea 31 October 2022[2]

Attendance Records

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The 2013 Rugby League World Cup final at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, drew a world record international rugby league attendance of 74,468.[3]

Top 5 match attendances

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Year Venue City/Country Event Result Attendance
2013 Old Trafford Manchester, England Final   Australia def.   New Zealand 34–2 74,468
1989–92 Wembley Stadium (1923) London, England Final   Australia def.   Great Britain 10–6 73,631
2013 Wembley Stadium London, England Semi Final (double header)   Australia def.   Fiji 64–0
  New Zealand def.   England 20–18
67,575
1995 Wembley Stadium (1923) London, England Final   Australia def.   England 16–8 66,540
1968 Sydney Cricket Ground Sydney, Australia Group stage   Australia def.   Great Britain 25–10 62,256

Top 5 World Cup final attendances

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Year Venue City/Country Result Attendance
2013 Old Trafford Manchester, England   Australia def.   New Zealand 34–2 74,468
1992 Wembley Stadium (1923) London, England   Australia def.   Great Britain 10–6 73,631
1995 Wembley Stadium (1923) London, England   Australia def.   England 16–8 66,540
1968 Sydney Cricket Ground Sydney, Australia   Australia def.   France 20–2 54,290
2008 Suncorp Stadium Brisbane, Australia   New Zealand def.   Australia 34–20 50,599

Highest Attendance per Host Nation

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Country Year Venue City Event Result Attendance
England 2013 Old Trafford Manchester Final   Australia def.   New Zealand 34–2 74,468
Australia 1968 Sydney Cricket Ground Sydney Group stage   Australia def.   Great Britain 25–10 62,256
New Zealand 1988 Eden Park Auckland Final   Australia def.   New Zealand 25–12 47,363
Wales 2013 Millennium Stadium Cardiff Group stage (double header)   Australia def.   England 28–20
  Italy def.   Wales 32–16
45,052
France 1954 Stadium de Toulouse Toulouse Group stage   France drew with   Great Britain 13–13 37,471
Papua New Guinea 1986 Lloyd Robson Oval Port Moresby Group stage   Australia def.   Papua New Guinea 62–12 17,000
Ireland 2013 Thomond Park Limerick Group stage   Australia def.   Ireland 50–0 5,021
Northern Ireland 2000 Windsor Park Belfast Group stage   Ireland def.   Samoa 30–16 3,207
Scotland 2000 Firhill Stadium Glasgow Group stage   Aotearoa Māori def.   Scotland 17–16 2,008

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Australia 84–0 Scotland". RLWC2021. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Papua New Guinea 36–0 Wales". RLWC2021. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  3. ^ Fletcher, Paul (30 November 2013). "Rugby League World Cup 2013: New Zealand 2–34 Australia". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
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