Rugby League World Cup: The Top 10 Moments Of The Tournament So Far

It has been as exhilarating as it has been exhausting, but the Rugby League World Cup is edging towards its three-game finale over the weekend as France face England for the wheelchair title before Saturday’s double-header sees Australia aim to defend both men’s and women’s crowns against Samoa and New Zealand respectively.

But the 58 games which have led us to this point have been full of thrills and spills the like of which we won’t forget in a hurry.

Here are the 10 moments of the competition so far… 

Opening-day domination (England men v Samoa)

It feels like forever ago now, of course, but England v Samoa meant something very different until Saturday. Before all the semi-final drama, England had absolutely hammered Samoa 60-6 on the opening day of RLWC2021 at St James’ Park in front of 43,199 fans to get the triple-header event off to a flying start. It looked like the Wall of White were the real deal, but it turned out the Samoans were undercooked and playing the long game. 

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Reggae heaven (Jamaica men v New Zealand)

Not many consolation tries at 68-0 down live long in the memory, but this one will never be forgotten in Jamaica. The Reggae Warriors had been enterprising throughout their one-sided hammering by the former world champions but never looked particularly likely to get a reward in the way of points on the board. But then with five minutes to go a scuffed kick caused trouble in the Kiwi line, and Ben Jones-Bishop hacked ahead before touching down for Jamaica’s first ever World Cup try. Absolute scenes. 

Josh Addo-Carr’s trick-shot try (Australia men v Scotland)

At 80-0 up in the 79th minute, Australia’s Matt Burton would have been forgiven for letting a bouncing loose ball run out of play. Instead, he decided to bust a gut to keep it alive, scooping the ball between his legs as he went hurtling off over the sideline. Behind him to collect it was teammate Josh Addo-Carr, who took the unorthodox pass, kicked perfectly beyond the Scotland defence and chased it down to score in the corner. One for the ages. 

O jogo bonito (Brazil women v England)

Brazil had played two games ever before they rocked up at Headingley to face England in the opening match of the women’s tournament, so a nil score would have been very much expected. Natalia Momberg had other ideas though. She hung around the ruck long enough to collect Paula Casemiro’s offload as England turned their backs, and made a beeline for the corner from 12 yards out. The Amazonas celebrated like they’d won the whole shebang. 

The wheelchair event makes its mark (England wheelchair v Australia)

With a world-record crowd of 3,033 packed into the Copper Box Arena, England and Australia put on a huge showcase for wheelchair rugby league which got the event trending on Twitter. It wouldn’t be the last world-record attendance, nor the last time the wheelchair game made it big on social media, with the indoor version of the sport fast becoming a cult hit.

Tonga and Samoa’s shared war dance (Tonga men v Samoa)

Pacific Islanders v Pacific Islanders. Emerging force v Emerging force. Sipi Tau v Siva Tau. This one was billed as the first truly titanic battle of the men’s event, and yet the edge was both aided and softened at the same time ahead of kick-off when the two squads joined forces to amalgamate their opposing war dances. Taking it in turns, the two sets of players served up a treat which had goosebumps going all around the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Leah Burke’s diving double (England women v Papua New Guinea)

When Leah Burke strode into the path of Courtney Winfield-Hill’s lofted kick in the first half of the Group A game at Headingley to level the scores, it was merely an appetiser to the real show she would put on in the second stanza. After the break another Winfield-Hill kick over the top was taken in full flight by the St Helens winger, who planted the ball over the line in the same movement. Not content with that, the pair combined for an identikit effort moments later to complete Burke’s hat-trick. 

Jack Brown’s eight tries (England wheelchair v Wales)

Two of the three England teams on show at this World Cup saw their performance levels drop once they reached the semi-finals, but the nation’s wheelchair athletes turned in a dominant display to make it to Friday’s final. The chief architect in their 125-22 battering of Wales was Jack Brown, whose eight – yes, count them – tries off the bench were the highlight of the hosts’ barnstorming 22-try performance. 

A semi-final stunner (Australia men v New Zealand)

If there has been a more intense, pulsating game of international sport in the last decade, we’ve not seen it (unless maybe you’re making a case for the 2017 RLWC final). With the stakes high, the quality was even higher in an incredible 80 minutes which saw both of the game’s traditional giants turn in easily their most complete performances of the tournament. The Kiwis somehow hung on in a high-pressure second half to give themselves late hope but their 16-14 defeat will go down as one of the World Cup’s all-time great contests. 

Stephen Crichton’s history-making drop-goal (Samoa men v England)

Few expected Samoa to be such a dramatic no-show for the opening game but by the time they faced England once more in the semi-final they were looking as sharp as ever. And they led the way for most of the Emirates Stadium contest, only for the hosts to peg them back on four different occasions. Even when Stephen Crichton raced away to score an interception try to put them 26-20 up with five minutes left, England still had time to level. But Crichton’s huge drop-goal – the first of his career – from 30 yards out in the fourth minute of golden-point extra-time will go down in history, with Samoa heading to the final for the first time ever.

*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change