World rugby league was undergoing its biggest facelift in a century when England prepared to host the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. While the British Super League was about to begin the following summer, with a curtailed 95/96 campaign being the last traditional winter season, over in Australia the game was in utter turmoil as the Super League war was in full flow.
Less than two weeks before the World Cup’s opening game the Australian Rugby League governing body had started legal action in federal court to attempt to halt the first Super League season from taking place down under as continued defections to the new competition threw the whole sport into a state of flux.
It wasn’t exactly the backdrop organisers had had in mind when planning the 1995 World Cup. The first finals tournament to be held since 1977 – the previous two had been worked into the regular calendar over four-year periods – it had been hoped that a Wembley opener between England and Australia would capture the imagination.
READ MORE:
- England name RLWC squad
- The Sportsman to show Scotland v England Knights live
- England 5/6 to win Group A*
Despite the boardroom chaos, the tournament got off to a barnstorming beginning under the old Twin Towers. After Kangaroos full-back Tim Brasher had done brilliantly to get across and deny Barrie-Jon Mather the perfect start, it was the visitors who eventually broke the deadlock in the 31st minute after Brad Fittler broke the line from a Geoff Toovey switch and fed Steve Menzies for a walk-in try.
But England soon answered when 20-year-old loose forward Andy Farrell took the ball straight out of the back of the scrum and charged over from 15 yards out. With the Wiganer missing his conversion, the Australians had a narrow 6-4 half-time lead but England came bursting out of the blocks at the start of the second half to set the tone for the remainder of the match.
Jason Robinson had a try disallowed after being held up on his back but Phil Larder’s side were soon on the attack again. On the last tackle, Chris Joynt took John Bentley’s pass and put a grubber kick through before chasing through to beat Brasher to touch down. Leading 10-6, the hosts were punished for a momentary lapse as Kris Radlinski lost Fittler’s bomb and Mark Coyne planted the loose ball down to level the scores.
Unperturbed, England continued to back themselves in attack and hit hard in defence. And when John Hopoate spilled the ball in a huge tackle from Mather and Lee Jackson, Jason Robinson picked up to go in at the corner and restore the advantage on the scoreboard.
Six minutes from time Paul Newlove put the result beyond doubt when he intercepted a desperate pass from Jim Dymock and went 40 yards to the line, handing Brasher off emphatically on the way.
Despite a late consolation try from Menzies, England had a famous 20-16 win under their belts to begin their Group A campaign, and successive 46-0 wins over Fiji and South Africa in their remaining games sent them into the knockout stage with great confidence. But after a 25-10 victory over Wales in the semi-finals, they were the victims of an Australian revenge mission in the final back at Wembley. It would be England’s last visit to the final until 2017.
Still, the World Cup had been a great success and the format has remained ever since. The one downside for England is that that Wembley win in October 1995 remains their last win over Australia despite having faced the Kangaroos 13 more times, with six of them coming at the World Cup.
Is 2022 the year they finally break the hoodoo?
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change
