Rugby League World Cup
| Rugby League World Cup | |
|---|---|
Current season or competition:: 2017 Rugby League World Cup
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| Sport | Rugby league |
| Instituted | 1954 |
| Number of teams | 14 (Finals) |
| Region | Worldwide (RLIF) |
| Holders |
 Australia (2013)
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| Most titles |
Australia (10 titles)
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| Website | www.rlwc2017.com/ |
| Related competition | Women's World Cup |
| Tournaments | |
|---|---|
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league tournament, contested by national teams of the Rugby League International Federation, which was first held in France in 1954, the first World Cup in either rugby code. The idea of a rugby league world cup tournament was first mooted in the 1930s with the French proposing holding a tournament in 1931, and again in 1951. The fourteen tournaments held to date have been at intervals ranging from two to eight years, and have featured a number of different formats. So far three nations have won the competition (Australia ten times, Great Britain three times and New Zealand once). Australia, France and New Zealand are the only teams to have played in all tournaments (Great Britain has been split into England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland since 1995, while England and Wales had previously competed as separate teams in the 1975 World Cup). Since 2000, the RLIF has also organised World Cups for women, students and other categories. The 2013 Rugby League World Cup was held in England and Wales and won by Australia.
The Rugby League World Cup was an initiative of the French who had been campaigning for a competition since 1935. The idea was raised in 1951 by Paul Barrière, the President of the French Rugby League. In 1952, Rugby Football League secretary Bill Fallowfield persuaded the Rugby League Council to support the concept. At a meeting in Blackpool, England in 1953, the International Board accepted Paul Barrière’s proposal that France should be the nation to host the first tournament to be officially known as the "Rugby World Cup". In addition to the hosts, the tournament featured teams from Britain, Australia and New Zealand. The 1954 Rugby League World Cup was won by Great Britain who defeated France in Paris on 13 November to claim the title.
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