User:Tiburon/Sandbox/1995 Rugby League World Cup

The eleventh Rugby League World Cup was badged the Centenary World Cup, reflecting the fact that 1995 marked the 100th birthday of the sport. The competition was envisaged as a celebration of rugby league, and the size of the competition was doubled with five additional teams qualifying for the tournament. In addition, an Emerging Nations Tournament was held alongside the main event, giving teams that had failed to qualify a chance of silverware.

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 pick players who had signed for the rival competition.

In the event, the fears proved unfounded, and the cup was acclaimed a great success. Although many early matches did prove as one-sided as feared, fans still flocked to see "exotic" nations such as Fiji, Tonga and South Africa, mainly for the novelty value of such encounters. Large home crowds for the group involving Wales proved particularly encouraging.

The final between Australia and England drew a crowd of 66,540 to Wembley Stadium.

Venues
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Squads
Squads for the 2006 World Cup consisted of 25 players, same as the previous edition in 2002. Each national association had to confirm its 23-player squad in May 2006.

Results

 * October 7: England 20 - 16 Australia (Wembley Stadium, London)
 * October 8: Fiji 52 - 6 South Africa (Cougar Park, Keighley)
 * October 10: Australia 86 - 6 South Africa (Gateshead International Stadium, Gateshead)
 * October 11: England 46 - 0 Fiji (Central Park, Wigan)
 * October 14: Australia 66 - 0 Fiji (McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield)
 * October 14: England 46 - 0 South Africa (Headingley, Leeds)

Results

 * October 8: New Zealand 25 - 24 Tonga (Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington)
 * October 10: Papua New Guinea 28 - 28 Tonga (The Boulevard, Hull)
 * October 13: New Zealand 22 - 6 Papua New Guinea (Knowsley Road, St Helens)

Results

 * October 9: Wales 28 - 6 France (Ninian Park, Cardiff)
 * October 12: France 10 - 56 Western Samoa (Ninian Park, Cardiff)
 * October 15: Wales 22 - 10 Western Samoa (Vetch Field, Swansea)

Semi-Finals

 * October 21: England 25 - 10 Wales (Old Trafford, Manchester)
 * October 22: Australia 20 - 20 (ET: 30 - 20) New Zealand (McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield)

Final

 * October 28: England 8 - 16 Australia (Wembley Stadium, London)

Team of the Tournament
The "team of the tournament" is a team consisting of the thirteen most impressive players at the 19995 World Cup based on performances of the teams throughout the cup which is decided by votes from selected journalists and national coaches.