1995 Rugby League World Cup
| 1995 Rugby League World Cup | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Host country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Winner |
 Australia (8th title)
|
|
|
|
| Matches played | 15 |
| Attendance | 265,609 (17,707 per match) |
| Points scored | 718 (47.87 per match) |
| Top scorer |
Andrew Johns (62) |
| Top try scorer |
Steven Menzies (6) |
|
2000 >
|
|
The 1995 Rugby League World Cup was held during October in the United Kingdom. It was the eleventh staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was marketed as the Halifax Centenary World Cup, reflecting the tournament's sponsorship and the fact that 1995 marked the 100th birthday of the sport. Envisaged as a celebration of rugby league football, the size of the competition was doubled, with four additional teams invited and Great Britain split into England and Wales. (Scotland and Ireland took part in the Emerging Nations Tournament that was held alongside the World Cup.)
The tournament had been preceded by doubts and pessimism; many feared that it would produce one-sided-matches that would be unattractive to supporters. The forthcoming Super League war hung over the tournament, with the Australian Rugby League refusing to select players who had signed for the rival competition.
In the event, the fears proved unfounded, and the tournament was acclaimed a great success. Although many early matches did prove as one-sided as feared, fans still flocked to see newer rugby league nations such as Fiji, Tonga and South Africa. Large home crowds for the group involving Wales proved particularly encouraging for the sport.
For the 1995 tournament by a £10,000 cup was made by Tiffanys to celebrate the centenary of the game.
The final between Australia and England drew a crowd of 66,540 to Wembley Stadium. Australia won the tournament, their eighth World Cup win and fifth in succession.
Ten teams competed in the Centenary World Cup: Australia, England, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Tonga, Wales and Western Samoa. It was the first time since the 1975 World Series that the Great Britain team was split into England and Wales. Fiji, South Africa, Tonga and Western Samoa were all making their World Cup débuts. Australia were missing a large portion of their best players due to the Super League war. Australia's win in the end was seen as a blow to the rebel Super League organisation, with which every other nation was aligned.
...
Wikipedia