The 2008 Festival of World Cups was a series of rugby league world cups held in Australia during 2008. The festival was staged in concurrence with the 2008 Men's Rugby League World Cup also in Australia and coincided with the centenary of rugby league celebrations in Australia.[1][2]
| 2008 Festival of World Cups | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Host country |  Australia |
2013 > | |
The festival contained world cups for Student, Police, Women, Defence and Wheelchair teams.[2] The Universities tournament officially started the Festival in July ahead of the remaining competitions in October.[1]
Colin Love, the Rugby League World Cup 2008 Tournament Director and RLIF Chairman, stated "The festival highlights how the World Cup is embracing the Rugby League community and acknowledging its wide-ranging affiliates", adding "It’s a great opportunity to showcase the broad appeal of the game internationally".[2]
Festival schedule
editThe Festival of World Cups included:
| Event[2] | Dates[2] | Areas/Venues[2] | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| University | 4 July - 19 July 2008 | Griffith University and other Brisbane venues; Langlands Park (Final) | Australia |
| Men | 25 October - 22 November 2008 | Twelve venues across four Australian states; Suncorp Stadium (Final) | New Zealand |
| Police | 2 November - 15 November 2008 | Stockland Park, Sunshine Coast; Suncorp Stadium (Final) | Fiji |
| Women | 2 November - 15 November 2008 | Stockland Park, Sunshine Coast; Suncorp Stadium (Final) | New Zealand |
| Defence | 5 November - 16 November 2008 | Penrith, Townsville; Sydney Football Stadium (Final) | Great Britain |
| Wheelchair | 7 November - 17 November 2008 | Sydney metropolitan area | England |
University
editThe seventh University Rugby League World Cup was held in July, being the first of the six world cups to be held. The previous tournament was held in 2005 and won by New Zealand. The eight countries that took part were Australia, New Zealand, England, Greece, Scotland, Wales, France and Ireland.[3] Australia defeated England in the final, while Greece won the plate competition.
Men
editThe thirteenth Rugby League World Cup was held throughout October and November. Ten teams took part. Defending Champions and hosts Australia, New Zealand, England, France and Papua New Guinea all qualified automatically, while Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Ireland and Scotland all qualified through tournaments in 2006 and 2007. The final was held at Suncorp Stadium on 22 November.
Police
editThe inaugural International Police Rugby League World Cup was held during November alongside the Women's Rugby League World Cup at Stockland Park. [4] The final was held as a curtain raiser to the first semi-final of the men's World Cup at Suncorp Stadium. AMP sponsored the event with organisers hoping would go towards the formation of an International Police Rugby League Federation.[5]
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/− | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 36 | +84 | 8 |
| Fiji | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 170 | 50 | +120 | 6 |
| Australia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 80 | 76 | +4 | 4 |
| Great Britain | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 42 | 126 | -84 | 2 |
| Papua New Guinea | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 40 | 164 | -124 | 0 |
Source:[6]
Women
editThe third Women's Rugby League World Cup was held at Stockland Park alongside the Police World Cup.[7] Eight teams took part including defending champions New Zealand.[8] The final was held at Suncorp Stadium on 15 November.[9]
Defence
editThe inaugural Defence Forces World Cup was held in Sydney with the final played at the Sydney Football Stadium as a curtain raiser to the second Semi Final of the Men's tournament. Five defence forces took part, New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands.[10][11]
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/− | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 196 | 68 | +128 | 8 |
| Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 110 | 63 | +47 | 6 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 153 | 80 | +73 | 4 |
| Cook Islands | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 106 | 128 | -22 | 2 |
| Papua New Guinea | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 22 | 248 | -226 | 0 |
Source:[6]
Wheelchair
edit| 2008 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Host country | Australia |
2013 > | |
Four teams took part in the inaugural Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup which was held at indoor venues in Sydney. The four teams were France, Australia, England and a Barbarians scratch team which replaced New Zealand who withdrew shortly before the start of the tournament.[12][13]
Group stage
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/− | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 134 | 48 | +86 | 6 |
| France | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 170 | 40 | +130 | 4 |
| Australia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 128 | 78 | +50 | 2 |
| Barbarians | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 270 | –266 | 0 |
- Results
- 7 November: Sydney Academy of Sport, Narrabeen
- England 34 – 26 Australia
- Barbarians 0 – 108 France
- 10 November: Betts Stadium, Mount Druitt
- England 74 – 4 Barbarians
- Australia 14 – 44 France
- 12 November: Sydney Academy of Sport, Narrabeen
- Australia 88 – 0 Barbarians
- France 18 – 26 England
Source:[6]
Finals
edit| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 1 | England | 66 | |||||||
| 4 | Barbarians | 0 | |||||||
| England | 44 | ||||||||
| Australia | 12 | ||||||||
| 3 | Australia | 22 | |||||||
| 2 | France | 20 | 3rd/4th play-off | ||||||
| France | 52 | ||||||||
| Barbarians | 0 | ||||||||
Source:[6]
References
edit- ^ a b "Universities World Cup Opened". Rugby League International Federation. 4 July 2008. Retrieved 2 November 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f "Festival of World Cups Schedule". Rugby League International Federation. 8 May 2008. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 2 November 2008.
- ^ 2008 Tertiary Student Rugby League World Cup Archived 28 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine @ 2008 University Student Rugby League World Cup.
- ^ Qld to Host Police World Cup Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine @ Queensland Police Service Rugby League
- ^ AMP Sign up as World Cup Sponsors Archived 13 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine @ Queensland Police Service Rugby League
- ^ a b c d "Results: 2008". RLEF. Archived from the original on 24 July 2009.
- ^ Womens and Police Rugby League World Cup Sunshine Coast Events
- ^ England Women’s Rugby League World Cup squad announced England RL
- ^ Kiwi Ferns and NZ Police progress[permanent dead link] RLWC08, 14 November 2008
- ^ Anzac clash first up in Defence League world cup @ NZDF, 7 November 2008
- ^ Semi Final Warm Up Games[permanent dead link] @ RLWC08, 14 November 2008
- ^ Wheelchair Rugby League tournament Archived 12 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine @ RLWC08, 8 November 2008
- ^ Weelchair RLWC[permanent dead link] @ RLWC08, 14 November 2008
- ^ "England Wheelchair Rugby League win the World Cup". Sport Focus. 17 November 2008. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
External links
edit- Universities World Cup official site
- Rugby League World Cup official site
- RLIF official site Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine