The 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth World Cup for men’s national rugby league teams, held between 28 October and 25 November and hosted between the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. Australia won their ninth title by beating New Zealand 40-12 in the final at Old Trafford.
| 2000 Rugby League World Cup | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Host countries | England France Ireland Scotland Wales |
| Winner | Australia (9th title) |
| Matches played | 31 |
| Attendance | 263,921 (8,514 per match) |
| Top scorer | Mat Rogers (70) |
| Top try scorer | Wendell Sailor (10) |
Tournaments < 1995 2008 > | |
Following the success of the previous tournament, the World Cup was expanded to 16 teams and for the first time featured qualification rounds before the finals.
Alongside the men's tournament, it was also the same year when the inaugural Women's Rugby League World Cup was first played.
Summary
Following the success of the 1995 Rugby League World Cup, organisers decided to expand the 2000 tournament to 16 teams, 15 were invited while seven emerging nations were invited into a qualifying tournament to determine the 16th place.
The millennium World Cup attracted a record sponsorship of over £1 million from title Lincoln Financial Group, who had also sponsored Great Britain's Tests against New Zealand the previous year. The tournament also made a £2 million profit, despite attracting small crowds.
Despite its financial success the 2000 World Cup was seen as a failure, with too many blow out score lines and the inclusion of New Zealand Māori team being invited alongside the New Zealand National team. Despite being the only team to have to qualify to play in the World Cup, Lebanon were criticised for consisting entirely of Australians of Lebanese origin, which led to derisory comments in the media. The tournament also attracted criticism of its lack of marketing and poor crowds.
France performed creditably and had healthy attendances in games they hosted, while the much-derided Lebanon team also proved the catalyst for domestic competition in that country.
Qualifying
Six countries – Lebanon, the United States, Morocco, Canada, Italy and Japan – competed for one available place in the tournament. Lebanon defeated the United States 62–8 in the final play-off match.
Teams
The 2000 World Cup tournament featured 16 teams:
| Team | Captain | Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Brad Fittler | Chris Anderson |
| Cook Islands | Kevin Iro | Stan Martin |
| England | Andy Farrell | John Kear |
| Fiji | Lote Tuqiri | Don Furner |
| France | Fabien Devecchi | Gilles Dumas |
| Ireland | Terry O'Connor | Steve O'Neill and Andy Kelly |
| Lebanon | Darren Marroon | John Elias |
| New Zealand | Richie Barnett | Frank Endacott |
| Aotearoa Māori | Tawera Nikau | Cameron Bell |
| Papua New Guinea | Adrian Lam | Bob Bennett |
| Russia | Ian Rubin | Evgeniy Klebanov |
| Samoa | Willie Poching | Darrell Williams |
| Scotland | Danny Russell | Shaun McRae |
| South Africa | Jamie Bloem | Paul Matete |
| Tonga | Martin Masella | Murray Hurst |
| Wales | Iestyn Harris | Clive Griffiths |
Venues
The games were played at various venues in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France.
The Twickenham Stadium in London, the home of the English rugby union was the host stadium for the opening ceremony and match featuring hosts England and defending champions Australia.
| London | Cardiff | Trafford | Toulouse | Bolton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twickenham Stadium | Millennium Stadium | Old Trafford (Venue of Final) | Stadium de Toulouse | Reebok Stadium |
| Capacity: 75,000 | Capacity: 74,500 | Capacity: 56,000 | Capacity: 37,000 | Capacity: 28,723 |
| Huddersfield | London Trafford Cardiff Bolton Huddersfield Reading Leeds Watford Edinburgh St Helens Belfast Gloucester Widnes Hull (2) Gateshead Castleford Llanelli Wrexham Glasgow Workington class=notpageimage| Locations of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup host venues in the United KingdomDublin class=notpageimage| Locations of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup host venues in the Republic of IrelandToulouse Paris Albi Carcassonne class=notpageimage| Locations of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup host venues in France | Reading | ||
| McAlpine Stadium | Madejski Stadium | |||
| Capacity: 24,500 | Capacity: 24,161 | |||
| Leeds | Watford | |||
| Headingley | Vicarage Road | |||
| Capacity: 22,000 | Capacity: 21,577 | |||
| Paris | Edinburgh | |||
| Stade Sébastien Charléty | Tynecastle Stadium | |||
| Capacity: 20,000 | Capacity: 17,529 | |||
| St. Helens | Belfast | |||
| Knowsley Road | Windsor Park | |||
| Capacity: 17,500 | Capacity: 17,000 | |||
| Gloucester | Widnes | |||
| Kingsholm Stadium | Autoquest Stadium | |||
| Capacity: 16,500 | Capacity: 13,350 | |||
| Albi | Hull | |||
| Stadium Municipal d'Albi | Craven Park | |||
| Capacity: 13,058 | Capacity: 12,000 | |||
| Gateshead | Castleford | |||
| Gateshead International Stadium | Wheldon Road | |||
| Capacity: 11,800 | Capacity: 11,743 | |||
| Llanelli | Wrexham | |||
| Stradey Park | Racecourse Ground | |||
| Capacity: 10,800 | Capacity: 10,771 | |||
| Hull | Glasgow | Workington | Carcassonne | Dublin |
| The Boulevard | Firhill Stadium | Derwent Park | Stade Albert Domec | Tolka Park |
| Capacity: 10,500 | Capacity: 10,102 | Capacity: 10,000 | Capacity: 10,000 | Capacity: 9,680 |
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 198 | 14 | +184 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | England | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 144 | 36 | +108 | 4 | |
| 3 | Fiji | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 144 | −88 | 2 | |
| 4 | Russia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 224 | −204 | 0 |
Source: Rugby League Project
28 October 2000 18:30 GMT (UTC±00:00) |
| England | 2–22 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Goals: Farrell (1/1) | Summary | Tries: Sailor (2), Gidley, MacDougall Goals: Rogers (3/4) |
Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 33,758 Referee: David Pakieto (New Zealand) Player of the Match: Brett Kimmorley (Australia) |
29 October 2000 |
| Fiji | 38–12 | Russia |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Vunivalu (3), Tuqiri (2), Kuraduadua, Sovatabua Con: Tuqiri (5/7) | Summary | Try: Rullis, Ilyasov Con: Zhiltsov (1/1) Mitrofanov (1/1) |
Craven Park, Hull Attendance: 2,187 Referee: Russell Smith |
1 November 2000 |
| Australia | 66–8 | Fiji |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Rogers (4), Girdler (2), Kennedy (2), Hindmarsh, Barrett, MacDougall, Gidley Con: Rogers (9/12) | Summary | Try: Cakacaka (m), Tuqiri (m) Con: ? (0/2) |
Gateshead International Stadium, Gateshead Attendance: 4,197 Referee: Robert Connolly |
| 1 November 2000 |
| England | 76–4 | Russia |
| Try: Sinfield (3), Jamie Peacock (2), Long (2), Rowley (2), Walker, Stephenson, Hay, Deacon, Pryce Con: Farrell (5), Long (5) | Summary | Pen: Mitrofanov (2) |
| Knowsley Road, St Helens Attendance: 5,736 Referee: Bill Shrimpton |
| 4 November 2000 |
| England | 66–10 | Fiji |
| Try: Jamie Peacock (3), Wellens (2), Rogers (2), Naylor, Hay, Radlinski, Smith, Farrell Con: Farrell (9/12) | Summary | Try: Tuqiri (m), Navale (c), Con: Vunivalu (1/2) |
| Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds Attendance: 10,052 Referee: Thierry Alibert |
| 4 November 2000 |
| Australia | 110–4 | Russia |
| Try: Sailor (4), Girdler (3), Croker (2), Hindmarsh (2), Barrett (2), Johns, Tallis, Fletcher, Webcke, MacDougall, Gidley Con: Girdler (17/19) | Summary | Try: Matt Donovan Con: Mikhail Mitrofanov (0/2) |
| The Boulevard, Hull Attendance: 3,044 Referee: Stuart Cummings |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 206 | 28 | +178 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Wales | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 80 | 86 | −6 | 4 | |
| 3 | Lebanon | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 44 | 110 | −66 | 1 | |
| 4 | Cook Islands | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 38 | 144 | −106 | 1 |
Source: Rugby League Project
29 October 2000 |
| New Zealand | 64–0 | Lebanon |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Jones (2), Carroll (2), Vainikolo (2), Talau (2), Barnett (2), Swain, Jellick Con: Jones (6), Paul (2) |
Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester Attendance: 2,496 Referee: Bill Harrigan |
29 October 2000 |
| Wales | 38–6 | Cook Islands |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Tassell (3), Jenkins, Briers, Cunningham Con: Harris (6/6) Pen.: Harris (1/1) | Try: Temata Con: Piakura (1/1) |
Racecourse Ground, Wrexham Attendance: 5,016 Referee: Thierry Alibert |
| 2 November 2000 |
| New Zealand | 84–10 | Cook Islands |
| Try: Vaealiki (2), Paul (2), Barnett (2), Lavea (2), Lauiti'iti, Vainikolo, Wiki, Cayless, Pongia, Vagana, Puletua Con: Lavea (12/15) | Try: Noovao Iro Con: Piakura (1/2) |
| Madejski Stadium, Reading Attendance: 3,982 Referee: Tim Mander |
| 2 November 2000 |
| Wales | 24–22 | Lebanon |
| Try: Harris (2), Davies, Cunningham, Sterling Con: Harris (2/5) | Try: Saleh (2), Coorey El Masri Con: El Masri (3/4) |
| Stradey Park, Llanelli Attendance: 1,497 Referee: David Pakieto |
| 5 November 2000 |
| Cook Islands | 22–22 | Lebanon |
| Try: Berryman (2), Toa, Joe Con: Berryman (2) Piakura | Try: El Masri (2), Touma, Saleh Con: El Masri (3/4) |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 17,612 Referee: Bill Shrimpton |
| 5 November 2000 |
| Wales | 18–58 | New Zealand |
| Try: Briers, Atcheson, Farrell Con: Harris (3/3) | Try: Vainikolo (3), Barnett (2), Lauiti'iti, Wiki, Vagana, Paul, Talau, Carroll Con: Paul (5) Lavea (2) |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 17,612 Referee: Russell Smith |
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Papua New Guinea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 42 | +27 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | France | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 104 | 37 | +67 | 4 | |
| 3 | Tonga | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 96 | 76 | +20 | 2 | |
| 4 | South Africa | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 138 | −114 | 0 |
Source: Rugby League Project
28 October 2000 |
| Papua New Guinea | 23–20 | France |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Bai, Krewanty, Buko, Lam. Goals: Buko, Wilshere 2. Drop Goals: Lam. | Tries: Benausse, Dekkiche, Hechiche 2. Goals: Banquet 2. |
Charlety Stadium, Paris Attendance: 7,498 Referee: Steve Ganson |
28 October 2000 |
| Tonga | 66–18 | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Vaikona 5' (c) D. Mann 7' (c) Vaikona 20' (c) Liava'a ?' (m) Masella ?' (m) Moala ?' (m) E. Mann 44' (m) Vaikona 46' (m) Lomi 51' (c) Vaikona 55' (c) Kaufusi ?' (?) D. Mann ?' (?) Mason ?' (?) Con: Moala (4/9) Mason (1/1) | Try: Breytenbach 17' (m) Barnard ?' (c) Best ?' (c) Con: ? (0/1) Bloem (2/2) Pen: O'Shea (1/1) |
Charlety Stadium, Paris Attendance: 7,498 Referee: Darren Hopewell |
1 November 2000 |
| France | 28–8 | Tonga |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Banquet ?' (c) Sirvent ?' (c) Dulac 66' (m) Garcia ?' (c) Jampy ?' (c) Con: Banquet (4/5) Pen: Banquet (0/2) | Try: D. Fisi'iahi ?' (m) P. Fisi'iahi 60' (m) Con: Moala (0/2) |
Stade d'Albert Domec, Carcassonne Attendance: 10,288 Referee: Steve Clark |
| 2 November 2000 |
| Papua New Guinea | 16–0 | South Africa |
| Try: Aila 25' (c) Wilshere 31' (c) Paiyo 52' (m) Con: Wilshere (2/3) |
| Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse Attendance: 4,313 Referee: Darren Hopewell |
| 5 November 2000 |
| France | 56–6 | South Africa |
| Try: Cassin 8' (c) Banquet 21' (c) Cassin 35' (c) Guisset 38' (c) Jampy ?' (c) Jampy ?' (c) Jampy 53' (c) Sirvent ?' (c) Tallec ?' (c) Con: Banquet (9/9) Pen: Banquet (1/1) 18' | Try: De Villiers ?' (m) Con: ? (0/1) Pen: Bloem (1/1) ?' |
| Stadium Municipal d'Albi, Albi Attendance: 7,969 Referee: Steve Clark |
| 6 November 2000 |
| Papua New Guinea | 30–22 | Tonga |
| Try: Mondo 19' (c) Gene 23' (m) Buko 35' (c) Karl ?' (m) Gene ?' (c) Con: Wiltshere (3/5) Pen: Wiltshere (2/2) 5', 42' | Try: Moala 10' (c) Mason 39' (c) Moala ?' (m) Vaikona ?' (m) Con: Moala (2/2) Pen: Moala (1/1) 7' |
| Saint-Esteve, Perpignan Attendance: 3,666 Referee: Steve Ganson |
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ireland | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 38 | +40 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Samoa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 57 | 58 | −1 | 4 | |
| 3 | Aotearoa Māori | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 49 | 67 | −18 | 2 | |
| 4 | Scotland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 34 | 55 | −21 | 0 |
Source: Rugby League Project
28 October 2000 |
| Ireland | 30–16 | Samoa |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Joynt, Ricketson, Eagar, Carney, Prescott. Goals: Prescott 5 | Tries: Leauma, Milford, Betham. Goals: Geros 2. |
Windsor Park, Belfast Attendance: 3,207 Referee: Tim Mander Player of the Match: Barrie McDermott |
29 October 2000 |
| Scotland | 16–17 | Aotearoa Māori |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Penny, Maiden, Bell Goals: Mackay, Crowther | Tries: Toopi 2, Kidwell Goals: Ngamu 2 Drop Goals: Ngamu |
Firhill Stadium, Glasgow Attendance: 2,008 Referee: Stuart Cummings |
1 November 2000 |
Tolka Park, Dublin Attendance: 1,782 Referee: Russell Smith |
1 November 2000 |
| Samoa | 21–16 | Aotearoa Māori |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Faafili 2, W Swann, Milford. Goals: Poching 2. | Tries: Mathews, Nelson, Rauhihi. Goals: Goodwin 2. |
Derwent Park, Workington Attendance: 4,107 Referee: Bill Harrigan |
4 November 2000 |
| Ireland | 30–16 | Aotearoa Māori |
|---|---|---|
Tolka Park, Dublin Attendance: 3,164 Referee: Bill Harrigan |
Knockout stage
The top 2 teams from each pool advanced to the quarter-finals.
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 11 November – Leeds | ||||||||||
| Ireland | 16 | |||||||||
| 18 November – Bolton | ||||||||||
| England | 26 | |||||||||
| England | 6 | |||||||||
| 12 November – Castleford | ||||||||||
| New Zealand | 49 | |||||||||
| New Zealand | 54 | |||||||||
| 25 November – Manchester | ||||||||||
| France | 6 | |||||||||
| New Zealand | 12 | |||||||||
| 11 November – Watford | ||||||||||
| Australia | 40 | |||||||||
| Australia | 66 | |||||||||
| 19 November – Huddersfield | ||||||||||
| Samoa | 10 | |||||||||
| Australia | 46 | |||||||||
| 12 November – Widnes | ||||||||||
| Wales | 22 | |||||||||
| Papua New Guinea | 8 | |||||||||
| Wales | 22 | |||||||||
Quarter-finals
11 November 2000 |
Vicarage Road, Watford Attendance: 5,404 Referee: Stuart Cummings (England) |
11 November 2000 18:30 GMT (UTC±00:00) |
Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds Attendance: 15,405 Referee: Tim Mander (Australia) |
12 November 2000 |
| New Zealand | 54–6 | France |
|---|---|---|
| Summary |
Mend-a-Hose Jungle, Castleford Attendance: 5,158 Referee: Bill Harrigan (Australia) |
12 November 2000 |
| Wales | 22–8 | Papua New Guinea |
|---|---|---|
| Summary |
Auto Quest Stadium, Widnes Attendance: 5,211 Referee: David Pakieto (New Zealand) |
Semi-finals
18 November 2000 |
| New Zealand | 49–6 | England |
|---|---|---|
| Summary |
Reebok Stadium, Bolton Attendance: 16,032 Referee: Tim Mander (Australia) Player of the Match: Stephen Kearney (New Zealand) |
19 November 2000 |
McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield Attendance: 8,114 Referee: Russell Smith (England) |
Final
25 November 2000 |
| Australia | 40–12 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Gidley 26' Hindmarsh 46' Lockyer 53' Sailor (2) 66', 69' Fittler 74' Barrett 76' Goals: Rogers (6/7) | Summary | Tries: Vainikolo 50' Carroll 57' Goals: H. Paul (2/2) |
Old Trafford, Manchester Attendance: 44,329 Referee: Stuart Cummings Player of the Match: Wendell Sailor |
Try scorers
- 10
- Wendell Sailor
- 9
- Lesley Vainikolo
- 6
- Ryan Girdler
- Jamie Peacock
- Richie Barnett
- Willie Talau
- 5
- Bryan Fletcher
- Adam MacDougall
- Robbie Paul
- 4
- Trent Barrett
- Brad Fittler
- Matthew Gidley
- Nathan Hindmarsh
- Mat Rogers
- Lote Tuqiri
- Pascal Jampy
- Tonie Carroll
- Brian Leauma
- Tevita Vaikona
- Lee Briers
- Kris Tassell
- 3
- Andrew Johns
- Ben Kennedy
- Darren Lockyer
- Kevin Sinfield
- Tony Smith
- Atunasia Vunivialu
- Claude Sirvent
- Michael Withers
- Hazem El Masri
- Hassan Saleh
- Nigel Vagana
- Ruben Wiki
- Shane Laloata
- Laloa Milford
- Fifita Moala
- 2
- Jason Croker
- Scott Hill
- Steve Berryman
- Andy Hay
- Sean Long
- Darren Rogers
- Paul Rowley
- Chev Walker
- Paul Wellens
- Frédéric Banquet
- Jean-Emmanuel Cassin
- Rachid Hechiche
- Brian Carney
- Ryan Sheridan
- Brian Jellick
- Stacey Jones
- Stephen Kearney
- Ali Lauiti'iti
- Tasesa Lavea
- Quentin Pongia
- Logan Swann
- David Vaealiki
- Boycie Nelson
- Clinton Toopi
- David Buko
- Stanley Gene
- John Wilshere
- Henry Fa'afili
- David Solomona
- Duane Mann
- Willie Mason
- Iestyn Harris
- Wes Davies
- 1
- Craig Gower
- Brett Kimmorley
- Gorden Tallis
- Shane Webcke
- Kevin Iro
- Leroy Joe
- Meti Noovao
- Karl Temata
- Tiri Toa
- Paul Deacon
- Andy Farrell
- Scott Naylor
- Leon Pryce
- Kris Radlinski
- Keith Senior
- Francis Stephenson
- Patrice Benausse
- Yacine Dekkiche
- Arnaud Dulac
- Jean-Marc Garcia
- Jérôme Guisset
- Julien Rinaldi
- Gael Tallec
- Tabua Cakacaka
- Jone Kuraduadua
- Eparama Navale
- Waisale Sovatabua
- David Barnhill
- Martin Crompton
- Michael Eagar
- Mark Forster
- Chris Joynt
- Tommy Martyn
- Steve Prescott
- Luke Ricketson
- Michael Coorey
- Travis Touma
- Richie Blackmore
- Nathan Cayless
- Henry Paul
- Tony Puletua
- Matt Rua
- Craig Smith
- David Kidwell
- Wairangi Koopu
- Steve Matthews
- Paul Rauhihi
- Hare Te Rangi
- Eddie Aila
- Marcus Bai
- Raymond Karl
- Alex Krewanty
- Adrian Lam
- Michael Mondo
- Elias Paiyo
- Lucas Solbat
- Matt Donovan
- Robert Ilyasov
- Joel Rullis
- Monty Betham
- Willie Swann
- Danny Arnold
- Geoff Bell
- David Maiden
- Lee Penny
- Scott Rhodes
- Adrian Vowles
- Daniel Foster
- Paul Fisiiahi
- David Fisiiahi
- Lipina Kaufusi
- Talite Liava'a
- Nelson Lomi
- Esau Mann
- Martin Masella
- Willie Wolfgramm
- Leon Barnard
- Brian Best
- Coenraad Breytenbach
- Quinton De Villiers
- Paul Atcheson
- Jason Critchley
- Keiron Cunningham
- Anthony Farrell
- Mick Jenkins
- Paul Sterling
- Ian Watson
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