The twelfth
Rugby League World Cup was held in Great Britain and France in
2000. Building on the previous successful competition, it was decided to expand the format further, with the number of teams rising from 10 to 16. As before, an Emerging Nations Tournament was held alongside the main event.
The 2000 World Cup was not a success. There were too many mismatches in the early stages, and some of the teams lacked credibility. Notably the inclusion of a side representing New Zealand’s
Māori population alongside the full New Zealand squad, and a Lebanon side consisting entirely of Australians of Lebanese origin, led to derisory comments in the media. Due these reasons crowds at the tournament were low; also torrential rainstorms and the crisis on Britain’s railways following the Hatfield rail crash did not help encourage spectators.
The tournament accumulated a mere £2m, and the RFL went into debt from which it did not recover until 2004. There were however some positives: The French performed creditably, and attendance for the games held in France was encouraging. The much derided Lebanon team also proved the catalyst for domestic competition in that country.
Group 1
Results
*October 28: Australia 22 - 2 England (Twickenham,
London)
*October 29: Fiji 38 - 12 Russia (Craven Park,
Barrow-in-Furness)
*November 1: Australia 66 - 8 Fiji (Gateshead International Stadium,
Gateshead)
*November 1: England 76 - 4 Russia (Knowsley Road, St Helens)
*November 4: England 66 - 10 Fiji (Headingley,
Leeds)
*November 4: Australia 110 - 4 Russia (The Boulevard, Kingston-upon-Hull)
Final standings
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost
| For | Against | Difference | Points |
| 33px Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 198 | 14 | 184 | 6 |
| 33px England | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 144 | 36 | 108 | 4 |
| 33px Fiji | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 144 | -88 | 2 |
| 33px Russia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 224 | -204 | 0 |
Group 2
Results
*October 29: New Zealand 64 - 0 Lebanon (Kingsholm,
Gloucester)
*October 29: Wales 38 - 6 Cook Islands (Racecourse Ground,
Wrexham)
*November 2: New Zealand 84 - 10 Cook Islands (Madejski Stadium, Reading)
*November 2: Wales 24 - 22 Lebanon (Stradey Park,
Llanelli)
*November 5: Cook Islands 22 - 22 Lebanon (Millennium Stadium,
Cardiff)
*November 5: Wales 18 - 58 New Zealand (Millennium Stadium,
Cardiff)
Final standings
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost
| For | Against | Difference | Points |
| 33px New Zealand | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 206 | 28 | 178 | 6 |
| 33px Wales | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 80 | 86 | -6 | 4 |
| 33px Cook Islands | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 44 | 110 | -66 | 1 |
| 33px Lebanon | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 38 | 144 | -106 | 1 |
Group 3
Results
*October 28: Papua New Guinea 23 - 20 France (Charlety Stadium,
Paris)
*October 28: Tonga 66 - 18 South Africa (Charlety Stadium,
Paris)
*November 1: France 28 - 8 Tonga (Stade d'Albert Domec,
Carcassonne)
*November 2: Papua New Guinea 16 - 0 South Africa (
Toulouse)
*November 5: France 56 - 6 South Africa (
Albi)
*November 6: Papua New Guinea 30 - 22 Tonga (
Perpignan)
Final standings
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost
| For | Against | Difference | Points |
| 33px Papua New Guinea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 42 | 27 | 6 |
| 33px France | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 104 | 37 | 67 | 4 |
| 33px Tonga | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 96 | 76 | 20 | 2 |
| 33px South Africa | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 138 | -114 | 0 |
Group 4
Results
*October 28: Ireland 30 - 16 Samoa (Windsor Park,
Belfast)
*October 29: New Zealand Māoris 17 - 16 Scotland (Firhill,
Glasgow)
*November 1: Ireland 18 - 6 Scotland (Tolka Park,
Dublin)
*November 1: Samoa 21 - 16 New Zealand Māoris (Derwent Park,
Workington)
*November 4: Ireland 30 - 16 New Zealand Māoris (Tolka Park,
Dublin)
*November 5: Scotland 12 - 20 Samoa (Tynecastle,
Edinburgh)
Final standings
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost
| For | Against | Difference | Points |
| 33px Ireland | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 38 | 40 | 6 |
| 33px Samoa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 57 | 58 | -1 | 4 |
| 33px New Zealand Māoris | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 49 | 67 | -18 | 2 |
| 33px Scotland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 34 | 55 | -21 | 0 |
Quarter-Finals
*November 11: Australia 66 - 10 Samoa (Vicarage Road,
Watford)
*November 11: England 26 - 16 Ireland (Headingley,
Leeds)
*November 12: New Zealand 54 - 6 France (The Jungle,
Castleford)
*November 12: Wales 22 - 8 Papua New Guinea (Auto Quest Stadium,
Widnes)
Semi-Finals
*November 18: New Zealand 49 - 6 England (Reebok Stadium,
Bolton)
*November 19: Australia 46 - 22 Wales (McAlpine Stadium,
Huddersfield)
Final
*November 25: Australia 40 - 12 New Zealand (Old Trafford,
Manchester)
Rugby League World Cup
Category:Rugby League World Cup
