2008 Rugby League World Cup Final
| 2008 Rugby League World Cup Final | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 22 November 2008 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Lang Park | ||||||||||||
| Location | Brisbane, Queensland | ||||||||||||
| Man of the Match |
Darren Lockyer 
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| New Zealand National Anthem | Geoff Sewell | ||||||||||||
| Referees | Ashley Klein (England) | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 50,599 | ||||||||||||
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The 2008 Rugby League World Cup final was the conclusive and world championship-deciding game of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup tournament. Played between New Zealand and Australia on 22 November 2008 at Australia's second-largest rectangular ground, Brisbane's Lang Park, the match was a re-play of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup final and its outcome determined who would become World Cup-holders for the following five years.
Australia went into the final as favourites, having not only won every game of the tournament so far, but each with margins ranging from 24 to 52 points. It was Australia's 10th consecutive World Cup Final having played in each one since the second-ever in 1957, and New Zealand's 3rd. In what was one of the biggest rugby league upsets of all time, New Zealand beat Australia by 34-20 after trailing by four points at half time.
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since its inauguration in 1954, and the first since the 2000 tournament. The tournament was held in Australia from 26 October, culminating in the final between Australia and New Zealand on 22 November. The two teams had played each other once already at this World Cup in the opening ceremony where Australia ran out easy winners.
Australia were undefeated going into the final.
Australia went into the match as clear favorites. They had won 9 of the previous 12 Rugby League world cup's including the last six consecutively. Australia had also not lost since 2006. New Zealand had won the Tri nations in 2005 but had lost to Australia eight times in a row since that victory. The TAB offered odds of more than 20 to one on a Kiwi win by more than 13 points and New Zealand were paying $6.25 to win at many outlets. Suncorp Stadium was sold out months in advance for the final. The captains of both teams, Nathan Cayless and Darren Lockyer, were the only players in this match who had also played in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup final.
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