2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifying

2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifying matches took place from April 2006 to November 2007. Of the ten teams to compete in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, five of them qualified based on their performance in these matches. The other five teams had qualified automatically.

2008 Rugby League World Cup qualification
Tournament details
DatesApril 2006 – November 2007
Teams15 (from 3 confederations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played9

Qualified teams

6 Asian-Pacific teams qualified for the World Cup; 3 qualified automatically, with the top 2 in the Pacific qualifying group also reaching the finals. Samoa finished third in the Pacific qualifying group and earned a qualification spot by winning the repechage. 4 European teams qualified for the World Cup. 2 qualified automatically, with a further 2 finals berths for the winner of each European qualifying group. No teams from the Atlantic qualifying group reached the finals, with the USA losing at the repechage semi-final stage.

Team Method of
qualification		 Date of
qualification		 Finals
appearance		 Last
appearance		 Consecutive
finals
appearances		 Previous best
performance
 AustraliaHost2000Winners (1957, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1988, 1992, 1995, 2000)
 New ZealandAutomatic qualifier2000Runners-up (1988, 2000)
 Papua New GuineaAutomatic qualifier2000Quarter-finals (2000)
 EnglandAutomatic qualifier2000Runners-up (1975, 1995)
 FranceAutomatic qualifier2000Runners-up (1954, 1968)
 ScotlandEurope Pool A winners2000Group stage (2000)
 IrelandEurope Pool B winners2000Quarter-finals (2000)
 TongaPacific qualifying group winners2000Group stage (1995, 2000)
 FijiPacific qualifying group runners-up2000Group stage (1995, 2000)
 SamoaRepechage winner2000Quarter-finals (2000

Continental qualifying

Europe

First Round

Team Pld W D L PF PA +/− Pts Qualification
 Russia330010820+886Second Round
 Georgia320110250+524Failed to qualify for World Cup
 Netherlands310268123–552
 Serbia300342127–850
28 April 2006
Netherlands  14–40  Russia
Hoek van Holland
Attendance: 250
13 May 2006
Serbia  10–45  Georgia
FK Radnički Stadium, Belgrade
Attendance: 500
26 May 2006
Georgia  57–16  Netherlands
Locomotive Stadium, Tbilisi
Attendance: 10,935
4 June 2006
Serbia  6–44  Russia
FK Radnički Stadium, Belgrade
Attendance: 500
17 June 2006
Netherlands  38–26  Serbia
Rotterdamse RC Beekweg, Rotterdam
Attendance: 250
22 June 2006
Russia  24–0[1]  Georgia
–

Second Round

Group A

Team Pld W D L PF PA +/− Pts Qualification
 Scotland21013732+52Qualified for World Cup
 Wales21013237–52Intercontinental playoff
29 October 2006
Wales  14–21  Scotland
Tries: Briers
Hughes
Johnson

Goal: Briers

 Tries: Benn
Brough
Liddell
Nanyn

Goals: Morton
Nanyn
Field Goal: Brough

Brewery Field, Bridgend
Attendance: 2,378
4 November 2007
Scotland  16–18  Wales
Tries: Benn
Fisher

Goals: Brough (4/4)

 Tries: Dyer
Gibson
Hughes

Goals: Harris (3/4)

Old Anniesland, Glasgow
Attendance: 911

Group B In early 2011 Ireland and Lebanon's two draws, which involved Ryan Tandy and Jai Ayoub, became subject to police investigation as the two had been connected to match-fixing.[2]

Team Pld W D L PF PA +/− Pts Qualification
 Ireland422014264786Qualified for World Cup
 Lebanon422010442626Interncontinental playoff
 Russia400438178−1400Failed to qualify for World Cup
22 October 2006
Russia  12–50  Ireland
Tries: Baskakov
Iliassov
Ovchinnikov		 Tries: Dodd (3)
Bridge (2)
Cantillon (2)
Littler (2)

Goals: Bridge (7/9)

Sili Stadium, Moscow
Attendance: 120
28 October 2006
Lebanon  22–8  Russia
New River Stadium, London
Attendance: 300
5 November 2006
Ireland  18–18  Lebanon
Tries: Grix
Littler
Tandy

Goals: Bridge (3/3)

 Tries: Chiha
Koborsi
Salem

Goals: El Masri (2/2)
Salem (1/2)

Tolka Park, Dublin
Attendance: 140
20 October 2007
Ireland  58–18  Russia
Tries: Blanch (3)
Littler (3)
Beswick (2)
Gleeson (2)
Handforth

Goals: Finn (4/6)
Handforth (3/5)

 Tries: Baskakov
Logunov
Zagoskin

Goals: Grigoryan (2/3)
Zdobnikov (1/1)

Oak Park, Carlow
Attendance: 2,958
27 October 2007
Russia  0–48  Lebanon
Nara Stadium, Narofominsk
Attendance: 1,426
2 November 2007
Lebanon  16–16  Ireland
Tries: Farah
Salem
Samia

Goals: Nicholas (2)

 Tries: Finn
Handforth

Goals: Finn (2)
Bridge (2)

Crown Flatt, Dewsbury
Attendance: 6,812

Pacific
Team Pld W D L PF PA +/− Pts Qualification
 Tonga320110254484Qualified for World Cup
 Fiji32019862364
 Samoa32018652344Advances to the repechage round
 Cook Islands300324142−1180Failed to qualify for World Cup
29 September 2006
Tonga  56–14  Cook Islands
Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 3,013
29 September 2006
Samoa  30–28  Fiji
Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 3,013
4 October 2006
Fiji  30–28  Tonga
Western Weekender Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 3,813
4 October 2006
Samoa  46–6  Cook Islands
Western Weekender Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 3,813
7 October 2006
Fiji  40–4  Cook Islands
CUA Stadium, Penrith
Attendance: 1,713
22 October 2006
Tonga  18–10  Samoa
Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds
Attendance: 5,547

Atlantic

Originally the USA, Japan, South Africa and West Indies were going to compete in a fourway tournament at Bernie Robbins Stadium, Atlantic City from 21–28 October. However the West Indies and South Africa withdrew and so a one-off match was played between Japan and the USA.[3]

Team Pld W D L PF PA +/− Pts Qualification
 United States11005418+362Advances to the repechage round
 Japan10011854–360Failed to qualify for World Cup
28 October 2006
United States  54–18  Japan
Aston Community Center Field, Aston
Attendance: 1,200

Repechage

Semi-finals
9 November 2007
Wales  26–50  Lebanon
Tries: Gibson (3)
Blackwood
Bracek

Goals: Harris (2/4)
Briers

 Tries: Salem (3)
El Zbaideh
Kourouche
Moujalli
Ndaira
Saab
Samia

Goals: Nicolas (7/9)

Halton Stadium, Widnes
Attendance: 753
9 November 2007
United States  10–42  Samoa
Halton Stadium, Widnes
Attendance: 753

Final
14 November 2007
Lebanon  16–38  Samoa
Post Office Road, Featherstone
Attendance: 1,323
  • Therefore, Samoa qualified for the final position at the World Cup to be held in Australia in 2008.
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See also

References
  1. The match was originally abandoned after the Georgian team had their visa applications rejected. A subsequent investigation discovered that Georgia's players were actually representing the rugby union team at the time; Georgia were found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute, ejected from the competition and banned from RLIF events for two years. Russia were awarded the match 24–0.
  2. Proszenko, Adrian (6 March 2011). "Police identify final punter". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia: Fairfax Media. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  3. "Tips regarding supplementation - American National Rugby League - Rugby league in the United States". www.amnrl.com.

Sources
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