The 2011 Rugby League Four Nations tournament (also known as the 2011 Gillette Rugby League Four Nations due to sponsorship by Gillette), was the third staging of the Rugby League Four Nations tournament, and was played in England and Wales during October and November 2011. It was contested by regular contestants Australia, England and New Zealand, in addition to Wales, who had qualified for their first Four Nations by winning the 2010 European Cup. The tournament saw the return of international rugby league to London's Wembley Stadium for the first time since 1997, with a double-header played on 5 November 2011. Australia won the tournament, defeating England in the final at Elland Road, Leeds, on 19 November 2011. The match was the last of the 17-year professional career of Australia's captain Darren Lockyer.
History
The 2011 tournament was the third of three Four Nations series planned before the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, with the venues rotating between Europe and the South Pacific. There was no Four Nations in 2012 due to teams preparing for the World Cup.
In addition to automatic inclusions Australia, England and New Zealand, Wales qualified for the tournament by defeating France in the final of the 2010 European Cup.
Teams
| Team | Coach | Captain | RLIF Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Tim Sheens | Darren Lockyer | 1 |
| England | Steve McNamara | Jamie Peacock | 3 |
| New Zealand | Stephen Kearney | Benji Marshall | 2 |
| Wales | Iestyn Harris | Lee Briers | 5 |
Squads
Australia
Australian coach Tim Sheens' touring squad was announced on 3 October: Of the twenty four players, twenty three were Australian born while one was Fijian born.
| No. | Name | State | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 661 | Darren Lockyer (c) | QLD | Brisbane Broncos |
| 715 | Luke Lewis | NSW | Penrith Panthers |
| 724 | Willie Tonga1 | QLD | North Queensland Cowboys |
| 731 | Johnathan Thurston | QLD | North Queensland Cowboys |
| 737 | Greg Inglis | QLD | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| 738 | Cameron Smith (vc) | QLD | Melbourne Storm |
| 739 | Sam Thaiday | QLD | Brisbane Broncos |
| 744 | Cooper Cronk | QLD | Melbourne Storm |
| 750 | Paul Gallen | NSW | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| 751 | Billy Slater | QLD | Melbourne Storm |
| 758 | Anthony Watmough | NSW | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| 761 | Darius Boyd | QLD | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| 764 | Robbie Farah | NSW | Wests Tigers |
| 765 | David Shillington | QLD | Canberra Raiders |
| 767 | Josh Morris2 | NSW | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| ? | Jharal Yow Yeh | QLD | Brisbane Broncos |
| ? | Corey Parker | QLD | Brisbane Broncos |
| ? | Daly Cherry-Evans | QLD | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| ? | Tony Williams | NSW | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| ? | Akuila Uate | NSW | Newcastle Knights |
| ? | Matthew Scott | QLD | North Queensland Cowboys |
| ? | Beau Scott3 | NSW | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| ? | Chris Lawrence | NSW | Wests Tigers |
| ? | Keith Galloway | NSW | Wests Tigers |
1 Replaced originally selected Brett Stewart who withdrew due to injury.
2 Replaced originally selected David Taylor who withdrew due to injury.
3 Replaced originally selected Glenn Stewart who withdrew for compassionate reasons.
England
The England squad for the 2011 Four Nations: Of the twenty four players, twenty two were English born while one was New Zealand born and one Australian born.
Coach: Steve McNamara
| Club Team | Players |
|---|---|
| Brisbane Broncos | Jack Reed |
| Castleford | Rangi Chase |
| Huddersfield | Leroy Cudjoe |
| Hull F.C. | Tom Briscoe, Kirk Yeaman |
| Leeds | Carl Ablett, Ryan Bailey, Ryan Hall, Ben Jones-Bishop, Danny McGuire, Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Jamie Peacock(C), Kevin Sinfield |
| Melbourne Storm | Gareth Widdop |
| St. Helens | James Graham, James Roby, Jon Wilkin |
| Warrington | Garreth Carvell, Adrian Morley, Ben Westwood |
| Wests Tigers | Gareth Ellis, Chris Heighington |
| Wigan | Michael McIlorum, Sam Tomkins |
New Zealand
The Kiwis announced their 23-man touring squad on 4 October. Of the twenty three players, eighteen were New Zealand born while four were Australian born and one Tongan born.
Coach: Stephen Kearney
| Club Team | Players |
|---|---|
| Brisbane Broncos | Gerard Beale, Alex Glenn |
| Cronulla Sharks | Jeremy Smith |
| Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Kieran Foran |
| Melbourne Storm | Adam Blair, Sika Manu, Kevin Proctor |
| New Zealand Warriors | Lewis Brown, Kevin Locke, Simon Mannering, Ben Matulino, Russell Packer, Bill Tupou1, Elijah Taylor3 |
| North Queensland Cowboys | Kalifa Faifai Loa2 |
| Parramatta Eels | Fuifui Moimoi |
| Penrith Panthers | Sam McKendry |
| St George Illawarra Dragons | Jason Nightingale, Nathan Fien |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | Issac Luke |
| Sydney Roosters | Jared Waerea-Hargreaves |
| Wests Tigers | Benji Marshall |
| Wigan | Thomas Leuluai |
1 Replaced original replacement Krisnan Inu who withdrew for family reasons. He replaced originally selected Steve Matai who withdrew due to injury.
2 Replaced originally selected Manu Vatuvei who withdrew due to injury.
3 Replaced originally selected Shaun Johnson who withdrew due to injury.
Wales
The Welsh training squad was named on 14 September. Of the twenty three players, nine were English born while eight were Welsh born and five Australian borns and one South African born.
Coach: Iestyn Harris
| Club Team | Players |
|---|---|
| Bradford | Craig Kopczak |
| Burleigh Bears | Mark Lennon |
| Central Comets | Chris Beasley, Ian Webster |
| Cronulla Sharks | Tyson Frizell |
| Crusaders | Andy Bracek, Gil Dudson, Ben Flower, Jordan James, Elliot Kear, Peter Lupton, Lloyd White, Lee Williams |
| Featherstone Rovers | Ross Divorty |
| Halifax | Danny Jones |
| Mackay Cutters | Neil Budworth |
| South Wales Scorpions | Andrew Gay, Aled James, Christiaan Roets |
| Swinton | Ian Watson |
| Warrington | Lee Briers, Rhys Williams |
| Wynnum Manly Seagulls | Matt Seamark |
Gareth Thomas was originally selected in the squad, but retired with immediate effect in the week leading up to the tournament.
Venues
The games were played at venues in England and Wales. The tournament final was played in Leeds.
| Warrington | Leigh | London |
|---|---|---|
| Halliwell Jones Stadium | Leigh Sports Village | Wembley |
| Capacity: 13,200 | Capacity: 11,000 | Capacity: 90,000 |
| Hull | Wrexham | Leeds |
| KC Stadium | Racecourse Ground | Elland Road |
| Capacity: 25,400 | Capacity: 15,771 | Capacity: 37,890 |
London
Leeds
Hull
Warrington
Leigh
Wrexham
Officiating
Referees
- Phil Bentham
- Matt Cecchin
- Henry Perenara
Touch judges
- Paul Holland (TJ)
- Shane Rehm (TJ)
- James Child (TJ)
Video Referees
- Ian Smith
- Ben Thaler
Pre-tournament matches
Before the series, England played a Test match against France, New Zealand and Australia played a test in Newcastle before heading to Great Britain, and Wales played Ireland in Neath.
New Zealand were originally scheduled to play a Test match against the Cook Islands on 7 October, however this was called off due to the unavailability of 29 frontline players.
Australia vs New Zealand
16 October 2011 4:00pm (AEDT) |
| Australia | 42–6 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Tries Uate (3', 7') 2 Boyd (13', 70') 2 Lawrence (20', 34') 2 Galloway (63') 1 Tonga (68') 1 Goals Thurston 4/7 (9', 15', 21, 72') C Smith (64') 1/1 | Match details | Tries 1 (56') Locke Goals 1/1 (57') Luke |
Ausgrid Stadium, Newcastle, Australia Attendance: 32,890 Referee: Phil Bentham |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
France vs England
21 October 2011 8:45pm (CET) |
| France | 18–32 | England |
|---|---|---|
| Tries Elima (17') 1 Pélissier (71') 1 Duport (74') 1 Goals Bosc (17', 71', 74') 3/3 | Match details | Tries 2 (34', 50') Briscoe 1 (2') Hall 1 (30') Yeaman 1 (39') Roby 1 (68') Reed Goals 4/6 (30', 39', 50', 68') Sinfield |
Parc des Sports, Avignon, France Attendance: 16,866 Referee: Matt Cecchin |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wales vs Ireland
22 October 2011 6:00pm (GMT) |
| Wales | 30–6 | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Gay (2') 1 Roets (27') 1 Frizell (30') 1 Lennon (42') 1 Kear (45') 1 James (70') 1 Goals: Webster (27', 42', 70') 3/5 White 0/1 | Match details | Tries: 1 (77') Bergin Goals: 1/1 (77') Finn |
The Gnoll, Neath, Wales Attendance: 2,265 Referee: Thierry Alibert |
Results
Round 1
28 October 2011 8:00pm (BST) |
| Australia | 26–12 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Tries Matthew Scott (3') 1 Tony Williams (29') 1 Johnathan Thurston (37') 1 Darius Boyd (65') 1 Akuila Uate (77') 1 Goals Johnathan Thurston 3/5 (4', 30', 66') | Tries 1 (48') Jason Nightingale 1 (56') Kalifa Faifai Loa Goals 2/2 (49', 52') Benji Marshall |
Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington, England Attendance: 12,491 Referee: Phil Bentham Player of the Match: Sam Thaiday |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
29 October 2011 2:30pm (BST) |
| England | 42–4 | Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Tries Sam Tomkins 4 (1', 16', 50', 59') Kirk Yeaman (22') 1 Jack Reed (54') 1 Chris Heighington (76') 1 Gareth Widdop (80') 1 Goals 5/8 Kevin Sinfield (17', 51', 60', 77', 80') | Tries 1 Elliot Kear (66') Goals |
Leigh Sports Village, Leigh, England Attendance: 10,377 Referee: Henry Perenara Player of the Match: Sam Tomkins |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Round 2
5 November 2011 1:00pm (GMT) |
| Wales | 0–36 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Tries 2 (20', 32') Sika Manu 2 (39', 62') Gerard Beale 1 (5') Jason Nightingale 1 (13') Kevin Locke 1 (75') Nathan Fien Goals 4/7 Benji Marshall (21', 33', 40', 77') |
Wembley Stadium, London, England Attendance: 42,344 Referee: Matt Cecchin Player of the Match: Thomas Leuluai |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 November 2011 3:30pm (GMT) |
| England | 20–36 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Tries Ryan Hall (11', 40') 2 Jack Reed (60') 1 Chris Heighington (77') 1 Goals Kevin Sinfield 2/4 (62', 77') | Tries 1 (17') Luke Lewis 1 (30') Tony Williams 1 (44') Greg Inglis 1 (53') Paul Gallen 1 (73') Darius Boyd 1 (79') Chris Lawrence Goals 6/6 Johnathan Thurston (19', 32', 45', 55', 74', 80') |
Wembley Stadium, London, England Attendance: 42,344 Referee: Henry Perenara Player of the Match: Johnathan Thurston |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Round 3
12 November 2011 06.00pm (GMT) |
| England | 28–6 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Tries Tom Briscoe Ryan Hall James Graham Sam Tomkins Goals Kevin Sinfield 6/6 | Tries Jason Nightingale Goals Benji Marshall 1/1 |
KC Stadium, Hull, England Attendance: 23,447 Player of the Match: Kevin Sinfield |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 November 2011 5:45pm (GMT) |
| Wales | 14–56 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Tries Rhys Williams (10') 1 Elliot Kear (14') 1 Jordan James (49') 1 Goals Lee Briers 1/3 (51') | Tries 3 (38', 40', 69') Cooper Cronk 1 (25') Cameron Smith 1 (41') Daly Cherry-Evans 1 (45') Darius Boyd 1 (59') Johnathan Thurston 1 (63') Greg Inglis 1 (66') Jharal Yow Yeh 1 (73') Josh Morris Goals 8/9 (26', 39', 40', 42', 47', 60', 64', 70') Johnathan Thurston |
Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales Attendance: 5,233 Player of the Match: Darius Boyd |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 118 | 46 | +72 | 6 | Qualification for Final |
| 2 | England | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 90 | 46 | +44 | 4 | |
| 3 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 2 | |
| 4 | Wales | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 134 | −116 | 0 |
Source: Gillette Four Nations
Final
Saturday, 19 November 6:00pm (GMT) |
| England | 8–30 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Tries 1 (36') Ryan Hall Goals 2/2 (38', 52') Kevin Sinfield | Sam Thaiday (4') 1 Jharal Yow Yeh (57') 1 Johnathan Thurston (63') 1 Greg Inglis (69') 1 Darren Lockyer (80') 1 Goals Johnathan Thurston 5/5 (6', 40', 59', 64', 70') Darren Lockyer 0/1 |
Elland Road, Leeds, England Attendance: 34,174 Referee: Matt Cecchin Player of the Match: Johnathan Thurston |
| England | Position | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Tomkins | FB | Darius Boyd |
| Ryan Hall | WG | Akuila Uate |
| Jack Reed | CE | Greg Inglis |
| Kirk Yeaman | CE | Chris Lawrence |
| Tom Briscoe | WG | Jharal Yow Yeh |
| Kevin Sinfield | FE | Darren Lockyer (c) |
| Rangi Chase | HB | Johnathan Thurston |
| James Graham | PR | Matthew Scott |
| James Roby | HK | Cameron Smith |
| Jamie Peacock (c) | PR | David Shillington |
| Jon Wilkin | SR | Luke Lewis |
| Gareth Ellis | SR | Sam Thaiday |
| Ben Westwood | LK | Paul Gallen |
| Gareth Widdop | Int | Anthony Watmough |
| Adrian Morley | Int | Cooper Cronk |
| Jamie Jones-Buchanan | Int | Keith Galloway |
| Garreth Carvell | Int | Tony Williams |
Statistics
Top pointscorers
| 2011 Four Nations top pointscorers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | T | G | FG | Pts | ||||
| 1 | Johnathan Thurston | Australia | 3 | 22 | 0 | 56 | |||
| 2 | Kevin Sinfield | England | 0 | 15 | 0 | 30 | |||
| 3 | Sam Tomkins | England | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | |||
| 4 | Ryan Hall | England | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |||
| 5 | Benji Marshall | New Zealand | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | |||
Johnathan Thurston broke the record for most points in a single tournament with his 56-point haul. The previous record of 42 was set in 2005 by New Zealand's Stacey Jones.
wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about 2011 Rugby League Four Nations, What is 2011 Rugby League Four Nations? What does 2011 Rugby League Four Nations mean?