The 2017 Rugby League World Cup Final was a
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
match to determine the winner of the
2017 Rugby League World Cup
The 2017 Rugby League World Cup was the fifteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup tournament and took place in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea between 27 October and 2 December 2017. The tournament featured the national teams ...
, played between reigning champions
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and their rivals
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
on 2 December 2017 at
Brisbane Stadium in Brisbane, immediately after the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
of the
concurrent women's competition.
Background
Australia became the winners of the Rugby League World Cup for a record eleventh time, beating England 6–0 to retain the
Paul Barrière Trophy
The Paul Barrière Trophy serves as the Rugby League World Cup, being awarded to the victorious team of each tournament's final. It is named after Paul Barrière, president of the Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII from 1947 to 1955.
Histor ...
and become the first team since 1977 to win the World Cup on home soil.
This match saw a new equal record low for tries in a Rugby League World Cup Final with only one try scored, equaling the one try scored in the
1992 final. It also saw the lowest combined score for a final of 6, which was also previously held by the 1992 final where only 16 points was scored. It was the first time in 22 years since England had played in a World Cup final, when they lost to Australia 8–16 in the
1995 Rugby League World Cup Final
The 1995 Rugby League World Cup final was the conclusive game of the 1995 Centenary World Cup tournament and was played between England and Australia on 28 October 1995 at the Wembley Stadium in London, England. Australia won the final by 16 poi ...
at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
.
Venue
![Suncorp_Stadium](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Suncorp_Stadium.jpg)
On 19 February 2014, it was announced that the joint bid from Australia and New Zealand had won hosting rights for the World Cup and that
Brisbane Stadium, commonly known as Lang Park, would host the final.
The ground comprises a three-tiered rectangular sporting stadium with a capacity of 52,500 people.
and is commonly known as the traditional home of
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
in Brisbane. The stadium is also used for
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
and
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
and has a rectangular
playing field
Play is a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other higher-functio ...
of .
2017 was the second time the stadium had hosted the World Cup final, with Brisbane previously hosting the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
of the
2008 tournament, in which
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
defeated hosts Australia 34–20.
Route to the final
Summary
Australia
![Valentine Holmes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Valentine_Holmes.jpg)
Australia's road to the final began on October 27 at
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, known as AAMI Park for sponsorship reasons, is an outdoor sports stadium on the site of Edwin Flack Field in the Sports and Entertainment Precinct in the Melbourne central business district.
When completed ...
in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, where they played
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. After conceding the first try Australia didn't concede for the rest of the match and went on the win 18–4.
Australia's next game was in
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Australia jumped out to an early 12–0 lead through a
Wade Graham
Wade Graham (born 25 October 1990) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a er for and captains the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL. He has played for at international level.
Graham previously played for the Penrith Pan ...
double before French fullback
Mark Kheirallah
Mark Kheirallah (Arabic: مارك خير الله; born 15 February 1990), also known by the nickname of "Killer", is a France international rugby league footballer who plays as a or for Featherstone Rovers in the Betfred Championship.
He pr ...
fielded an Australian kick and ran 80 meters to score under the posts and make it 12–6.
Wade Graham
Wade Graham (born 25 October 1990) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a er for and captains the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL. He has played for at international level.
Graham previously played for the Penrith Pan ...
went on to score 4 tries as Australia ran out 52–6 winners.
The Kangaroos' final group match was in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
against
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
. Australia put on a very controlled and professional performance to win comfortably, 34–0.
Australia would face the win-less
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
in the first test match in
Darwin to open the
quarter-finals
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
. Australian winger
Valentine Holmes
Valentine Holmes (born 24 July 1995) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays across the backline as a or er for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL and Australia at international level.
He began his career with the ...
became the first ever player to score 5 tries in a World Cup match as Australia won 46–0.
Australia then moved on to
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
to play an undefeated
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
in the
first semi-final. Australian winger
Valentine Holmes
Valentine Holmes (born 24 July 1995) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays across the backline as a or er for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL and Australia at international level.
He began his career with the ...
this time scored 6 tries and broke his own record for the most tries in a World Cup match, and also took his tournament tally to 12 thus becoming the highest tally in a single World Cup. Australia went on to beat Fiji 54–6 and qualified for their 12th World Cup final.
England
![Jermaine McGillvary](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Jermaine_McGillvary.jpg)
England began their World Cup campaign against
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
on October 27 at
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, known as AAMI Park for sponsorship reasons, is an outdoor sports stadium on the site of Edwin Flack Field in the Sports and Entertainment Precinct in the Melbourne central business district.
When completed ...
in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. England opened the scoring with winger
Jermaine McGillvary
Jermaine McGillvary (born 16 May 1988) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays on the for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League. He has played for the England Knights, England and Great Britain at international level. ...
crossing in the 5th minute, taking an early 4–0 lead. England then conceded two tries to trail 4–10 at half time. The second half was very evenly matched with both teams having chances to score, until a
Cameron Smith Cameron Smith may refer to:
* Cameron Smith (rugby league, born 1983), Australian rugby league footballer
* Cameron Smith (rugby league, born 1998), English rugby league footballer
* Cameron Smith (golfer) (born 1993), Australian golfer
* Cammy Smi ...
penalty goal in the 76th minute extended Australia's lead over a converted try, and conceding a 79th minute intercept try to
Josh Dugan
Joshua Dugan (born 10 May 1990) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a and for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL and Australia at international level.
He previously played for the Canberra R ...
sealed an England's first defeat of the tournament, going down 4–18.
England's second match of the tournament came against
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
. A first half blitz saw England take a 22–6 half time lead, with tries to
Kallum Watkins
Kallum Paul Watkins (born 12 March 1991) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or forward for the Salford Red Devils in the Betfred Super League and England at international level.
He previously played for the Lee ...
, Jermaine McGillvary,
Ryan Hall and
Ben Currie
Ben Currie (born 15 July 1994) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Warrington Wolves in the Super League. He has played for the England Knights, Ireland& England at international level.
Currie has s ...
. A more conservative second half saw England only score and conceded one try, and seal a 29–10 victory with a last minute field goal by
Gareth Widdop
Gareth Widdop (born 12 March 1989) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Castleford Tigers in the Betfred Super League, and England and Great Britain at international level.
Widdop previously played the ...
. Much controversy surrounded an incident in the second half where Lebanon captain
Robbie Farah
Robert Peter Farah ( ar, روبي فرح) (born 23 January 1984) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international, Lebanese international and captain of New South Wales Blues te ...
accused England's Jermaine McGillvary of biting during a tackle. McGillvary was not suspended due to no evidence that he bit Farah.
England's final group match came against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
. England got off to a fast start, scoring 3 tries in the first nine minutes, taking a 26–6 half time lead. Much alike their previous group match against Lebanon, England took their foot off the pedal in the second half, only scoring two more tries, going out victorious 36–6 and booking their place in the
knockout stage
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
.
England faced the winners of
Group C
Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for touring cars and ''Group B'' for GTs.
It was designed to replace both Group 5 special production cars (closed top touri ...
,
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
in their quarter final clash in Melbourne. Much a-like their group stage matches, England were the first team to score, taking a 14–0 lead into half time. A Ben Currie try in the 56th minute almost certainly booked England a semi final berth until
Garry Lo
Garry Lo (born 1 November 1993) is a Papua New Guinean rugby league footballer who plays for the Waghi Tumbe in the Digicel Cup. Lo plays as a winger. He is also a Papua New Guinea international.
He represented Papua New Guinea in the 2017 Ru ...
got PNG's first try and set up an exciting last 20 minutes, until 3 tries in the last 12 minutes saw England run out 36–6 victors.
England then face a passionate
Tongan team in the semi-finals in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
. England opened the scoring through a try to winger Jermaine McGillvary, scoring his seventh of the tournament. Five minutes later Gareth Widdop took the lead out to 12–0, a lead which England took into half time. A 50th-minute penalty goal took England out past a 2 converted try lead and a 68th minute try to
John Bateman all but looked to seal England's first World Cup final berth since 1995, but three tries in 4 minutes to Tonga closed England's lead to two points with 3 minutes left. The ending of the match was very controversial, with Tonga's
Andrew Fafita
Andrew Fifita ( to, ʻAnitelū Fifita) (born 28 June 1989) is a retired professional rugby league footballer who played as a . He has played for Tonga and Australia at international level.
Fifita previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland S ...
crossing the line in the dying seconds for referee
Matt Cecchin
Matt Cecchin is an Australian former rugby league referee who officiated in the NRL between 2001 and 2021. Cecchin has officiated international matches at the 2011 Four Nations and 2017 World Cup, and domestic representative matches in all th ...
to rule a knock-on against the Tongans. Replays showed that the knock-on may have been a result due to a strip from England, but Cecchin failed to review the possible try and thus awarding England a 20–18 semi final win, and advancing to the final to face Australia, who they faced in their opening group match.
Pre-match
Officating
Gerard Sutton was named to officate the match with
Chris Kendall
Chris Kendall (born 3 June 1992) is an English rugby league referee. He has been a match official at the Rugby League World Cup and took the lead at multiple Super League Grand Finals.
Career
Kendall played rugby league for the Newsome Panthers a ...
from the
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league in England, and until 1995 for the whole British Isles. The name Rugby Football League previously also referred to the main league competition run by the organisati ...
and Chris Butler to be the touch judges.
Ben Thaler
Ben Thaler (born 30 August 1981) is a professional rugby league referee and one of the Rugby Football League's Full Time Match Officials. He officiates in the Super League.
Background
Thaler was born in Normanton, West Yorkshire, England.
C ...
was the video referee, and
Matt Cecchin
Matt Cecchin is an Australian former rugby league referee who officiated in the NRL between 2001 and 2021. Cecchin has officiated international matches at the 2011 Four Nations and 2017 World Cup, and domestic representative matches in all th ...
and Robert Hicks were the standy-by referee and touch judges respectively.
Team selection
Sean O'Loughlin
Sean O'Loughlin (born 24 November 1982) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a loose forward for and captained the Wigan Warriors in the Super League, and has also played for Great Britain and England at int ...
was originally selected to play for England but withdrew due to a quad injury. He was replaced by
Sam Burgess
Samuel Burgess (born 14 December 1988) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a or forward in the 2000s and 2010s.
He played in England for the Bradford Bulls in the Super League and in Australia for the Sout ...
whilst
Ben Currie
Ben Currie (born 15 July 1994) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Warrington Wolves in the Super League. He has played for the England Knights, Ireland& England at international level.
Currie has s ...
filled Burgess's spot in the second row, and
Jonny Lomax
}
Jonathan Lomax (born 4 September 1990) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays for St Helens in the Super League, and England and Great Britain at international level. A versatile player, Lomax is primarily a but is equ ...
filled Currie's spot on the bench.
Australia was unchanged for the final from their semi-final victory over Fiji.
Women's final
The match was played as a double-header with the
women's final between
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. Australia won 23–16, retaining their 2013 title and their second overall.
Entertainment
Injured Australian five-eighth
Johnathan Thurston
Johnathan Dean Thurston (born 25 April 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the National Rugby League (NRL). Thurston was an Australian international, Queensland State of Origin and Indigenous All ...
and English rugby league icon
Kevin Sinfield
Kevin Sinfield (born 12 September 1980) is the defence coach for the England national rugby union team. He is a former professional rugby league footballer, captain and director of rugby for the Leeds Rhinos. Sinfield also represented England ...
presented the teams onto the field. Amber Dawn-Finch sang
God Save the Queen
"God Save the King" is the national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, bu ...
for the English, and tenor Scott Muller sang
Advance Australia Fair
"Advance Australia Fair" is the national anthem of Australia. Written by Scottish people, Scottish-born composer Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, sung in Australia as a patriotic song. It first replaced "God Save the ...
for the Australians.
Match
First half
Boyd Cordner
Boyd Cordner (born 9 June 1992) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a forward for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL and Australia at international level.
He has played for Country Origin and New South Wales ...
scored the first try in the 15th minute for Australia, and
Cameron Smith Cameron Smith may refer to:
* Cameron Smith (rugby league, born 1983), Australian rugby league footballer
* Cameron Smith (rugby league, born 1998), English rugby league footballer
* Cameron Smith (golfer) (born 1993), Australian golfer
* Cammy Smi ...
converted.
After the first 40 minutes, Australia went into half-time with a 6–0 lead.
Second half
In the 47th minute,
Michael Morgan appeared to have scored a try, but was ruled no try when referred to the video referee due to ruled interference, resulting in a penalty to England.
In the 65th minute, English centre
Kallum Watkins
Kallum Paul Watkins (born 12 March 1991) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or forward for the Salford Red Devils in the Betfred Super League and England at international level.
He previously played for the Lee ...
broke the Australian line causing an 2-on-1 overlap with
Elliott Whitehead
Elliott Whitehead (born 4 September 1989) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a forward for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL, and England and Great Britain at international level.
He previously played for the Bradf ...
unmarked, but was
ankle-tapped by Australia's
Josh Dugan
Joshua Dugan (born 10 May 1990) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a and for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL and Australia at international level.
He previously played for the Canberra R ...
which ended up being a match-winning moment for the Kangaroos.
The second half ended up being a scorless affair for both sides; after 80 minutes Australia retaining the World Cup with a 6–0 victory.
Details
Notes:
* Australia became the first team to win the Rugby League World Cup title eleven times.
* This was the first time a team won the World Cup on home soil since 1977.
* The aggregate 6 points scored was the least in a Rugby League World Cup final.
* This match saw a new equal record low for tries in a Rugby League World Cup final with only one try scored.
Statistics
Australia:
* Most runs: 25 –
Dane Gagai
Dane Gagai () (born 3 January 1991) is a professional rugby league footballer and boxer who plays as a and er for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League, NRL. He has played for Australia national rugby league team, Australia and th ...
* Most running metres: 238 –
Dane Gagai
Dane Gagai () (born 3 January 1991) is a professional rugby league footballer and boxer who plays as a and er for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League, NRL. He has played for Australia national rugby league team, Australia and th ...
* Most tackles: 43 –
Cameron Smith Cameron Smith may refer to:
* Cameron Smith (rugby league, born 1983), Australian rugby league footballer
* Cameron Smith (rugby league, born 1998), English rugby league footballer
* Cameron Smith (golfer) (born 1993), Australian golfer
* Cammy Smi ...
* Most missed tackles: 5 –
**
Will Chambers
William Chambers (born 26 May 1988) is an Australian professional rugby union footballer who previously played for the LA Giltinis in Major League Rugby (MLR) in the United States. After winning two titles with the Melbourne Storm, he retired ...
**
Josh Dugan
Joshua Dugan (born 10 May 1990) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a and for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL and Australia at international level.
He previously played for the Canberra R ...
* Most line breaks: 1 –
**
Cooper Cronk
Cooper Patrick Cronk (born 5 December 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An n international and Queensland State of Origin representative , he played most of his club career for ...
**
Boyd Cordner
Boyd Cordner (born 9 June 1992) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a forward for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL and Australia at international level.
He has played for Country Origin and New South Wales ...
**
Matt Gillett
Matthew Gillett (born 12 August 1988) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a forward in the 2010s.
He played for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL and Australia at international level. Gillett also play ...
England:
* Most runs: 20 –
**
Jermaine McGillvary
Jermaine McGillvary (born 16 May 1988) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays on the for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League. He has played for the England Knights, England and Great Britain at international level. ...
**
Ryan Hall
* Most running metres: 227 –
Jermaine McGillvary
Jermaine McGillvary (born 16 May 1988) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays on the for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League. He has played for the England Knights, England and Great Britain at international level. ...
* Most tackles: 56 –
James Roby
James William Mark Roby (born 22 November 1985) is an English professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a for St Helens in the Super League, and for Great Britain and England at international level.
He has played his ent ...
* Most missed tackles: 5 –
**
Ben Currie
Ben Currie (born 15 July 1994) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Warrington Wolves in the Super League. He has played for the England Knights, Ireland& England at international level.
Currie has s ...
**
Elliott Whitehead
Elliott Whitehead (born 4 September 1989) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a forward for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL, and England and Great Britain at international level.
He previously played for the Bradf ...
* Most line breaks: 1 –
**
Jermaine McGillvary
Jermaine McGillvary (born 16 May 1988) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays on the for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League. He has played for the England Knights, England and Great Britain at international level. ...
**
Kallum Watkins
Kallum Paul Watkins (born 12 March 1991) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or forward for the Salford Red Devils in the Betfred Super League and England at international level.
He previously played for the Lee ...
**
Ryan Hall
Post-match
Australia won their 11th World Cup final with the victory.
Boyd Cordner
Boyd Cordner (born 9 June 1992) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a forward for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL and Australia at international level.
He has played for Country Origin and New South Wales ...
was named man of the match, and
Billy Slater
William Slater (born 18 June 1983), is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international and one-time captain of the Queensland State of Origin team, he played his entire ...
was named player of the tournament.
At the subsequent
2017 Rugby League World Cup
The 2017 Rugby League World Cup was the fifteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup tournament and took place in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea between 27 October and 2 December 2017. The tournament featured the national teams ...
tournament, held in 2022 and hosted by England, saw the host nation eliminated in the semi-finals to
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
, whereas Australia qualified for their 12th consecutive World Cup final.
Broadcasting and viewership
In Australia, 842,000 viewers watched the match on
Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
. This figure was higher than second test match of the
2017–18 Ashes series
The 2017–18 Ashes series (named Magellan Ashes Series for sponsorship reasons) was a series of Test cricket matches contested between England and Australia for The Ashes. The series was played at five venues across Australia between 23 Novembe ...
, which was on the same evening.
[https://mumbrella.com.au/nine-ashes-dominate-saturday-television-beating-rugby-league-world-cup-final-seven-487536]
References
{{2017 in rugby league
Rugby League World Cup finals
World
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
World
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
Rugby league in Brisbane
December 2017 sports events in Australia