1988 Rugby League World Cup
| 1985–1988 World Cup | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 5 |
| Winner |
 Australia (6th title)
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| Matches played | 18 |
| Attendance | 218,246 (12,125 per match) |
| Points scored | 769 (42.72 per match) |
| Top scorer |
Michael O'Connor (74) |
| Top try scorer |
Michael O'Connor (6) |
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< 1977
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The 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup was the ninth Rugby League World Cup tournament held and saw yet another change of format with competition stretched to cover almost three years (1985 to 1988). The national rugby league teams of Australia, France, Great Britain, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea played each other on a home and away basis. These matches were fitted into the normal international programme of three-match test series between the nations, with a pre-designated match from each series counting as the world cup fixture.
The competition was further altered by the addition of a new nation, Papua New Guinea. The Kumuls performed creditably, particularly when playing in the front of their fiercely patriotic home crowd. Conversely, France were unable to fulfil their 1987 tour of Australasia due to financial difficulties, and had to forfeit away fixtures against Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
At the end of four years, Australia finished top of the table, and, through a victory over Great Britain in Christchurch, the Kiwis qualified to join them in the final which Australia had won the right to host, but due to declining international attendances in Australia largely due to the Kangaroo's dominance since the mid-late 1970s (since 1974, they had only lost one test series to France in 1978) and allowed the New Zealand Rugby League to host the World Cup Final at the Eden Park ground in Auckland. Unfortunately for them, home advantage with a record New Zealand attendance of over 47,000 was not enough for the Kiwis who went down 25–12 to the seemingly invincible Australians.
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