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The 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (sometimes shortened to 1992 Rugby League World Cup) was the tenth staging of the
Rugby League World Cup The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by senior men's national teams who each represent member nations of the International Rugby League who run and administer the tournament. The tournament has be ...
, and continued to use the three-year format, stretching across the years 1989 to 1992. As with the 1985–1988 World Cup, teams played each other on a home-and-away basis. These matches were fitted into the normal international programme of three-match test series between the nations, with a pre-designated match from each series counting as the World Cup fixture. The tournament culminated in the 1992 Rugby League World Cup final. The matches went strictly to form, with
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
undefeated and certain to claim a world cup final berth as early as 1991.
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
were uncompetitive, leading to a straight fight between
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
for the right to meet the Kangaroos in the final. In the event the Lions were able to just edge out the Kiwis on points difference. As they had done in
1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
, Australia had won the right to host the World Cup final. However, with the potential for a much larger attendance, the
Australian Rugby League The Australian Rugby League Commission Limited (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League Limited known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australi ...
agreed to allow Great Britain to host the game at the 82,000 capacity
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The final was a surprisingly close affair, with Great Britain leading with only 12 minutes to go. The game's only try was then scored by centre
Steve Renouf Steven Renouf (born 8 June 1970) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Nicknamed 'the Pearl', he was known as one of the sport's greatest s. Renouf set numerous records for the ...
in his international debut for the Kangaroos and Australia were able to claim their fourth consecutive World Cup title before a world record international rugby league attendance of 73,631.


Venues


Final

The World Cup final was played at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.


Matches


Group stage


1989

The first match of the 1989–1992 World Cup was also the 3rd test of the 1989 Trans-Tasman Test series which was won 3–0 by Australia


1990

This match was also the 3rd and deciding test of the
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
Ashes series The Ashes is a Test cricket series played biennially between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, ''The Sporting Times'', immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, i ...
.


1991

This match was also the 3rd and deciding test of the 1991 Trans-Tasman series. Australian winger
Willie Carne William Carne (born 23 January 1969) is a former Australian rugby footballer who played rugby league for the Brisbane Broncos from 1990 to 1996, as well as representing both Queensland and Australia and rugby union for the Queensland Reds. An at ...
crossed for a hat trick of tries in Port Moresby.


1992

In addition to being an allocated World Cup match, this was the third, deciding test of the
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
Ashes series The Ashes is a Test cricket series played biennially between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, ''The Sporting Times'', immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, i ...
. This six-point margin of defeat meant that New Zealand would need to beat Papua New Guinea by 109 points in the following match to prevent a Great Britain-Australia World Cup final in October.


Final

This match set a new world record attendance for a rugby league international of 73,631, beating the previous record of 70,204 set at the
Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in the Moore Park, New South Wales, Moore Park suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australi ...
during the 1932 Ashes series. As they had done in
1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
, Australia won the right to host the World Cup final. However, in the interests of rugby league, and the potential for a much larger attendance since at the time
Lang Park Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rectangular sporting st ...
in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
could only hold 33,000, and the
Sydney Football Stadium Sydney Football Stadium may refer to: * Sydney Football Stadium (1988), the original stadium which was demolished in 2019. * Sydney Football Stadium (2022) Sydney Football Stadium, currently known as Allianz Stadium for sponsorship reasons, i ...
could only seat 42,000, the
ARL ARL may refer to: Military * A US Navy hull classification symbol: Landing craft repair ship (ARL) * Admiralty Research Laboratory, UK * United States Army Research Laboratory * ARL 44, a WWII French tank Organizations * Aero Research Limited, ...
agreed to Great Britain hosting the final at the 82,000 capacity Wembley. Unlike 1988 when Australia had agreed to let New Zealand host the Final at
Eden Park Eden Park is a sports venue in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located three kilometres southwest of the Auckland CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. The main stadium has a nominal capacity of 50,000, and is s ...
in
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
due to dwindling international attendances in Australia, the international game had become popular again over the next four years (mainly due to much improved performances by Great Britain and New Zealand) and there was a good chance of sell-out crowd in either Brisbane or
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
for the game. However, the potential for an attendance at Wembley that would be almost or more than double the size that could be seen in Australia, and the potential exposure from playing the game at one of the world's most iconic stadiums, could not be ignored. Both coaches picked experienced teams, with only Australian's Tim Brasher (fullback) and Steve Renouf (centre) making their international debut in the game. With incumbent fullback
Andrew Ettingshausen Andrew "ET" Ettingshausen (born 29 October 1965) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. He played his first grade Australian club football for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks ...
unavailable through injury, Australian coach Bob Fulton preferred utility outside back Brasher over
Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league team based in Newcastle, New South Wales that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, the Knights joined the top-tier competition in New ...
fullback Brad Godden due to Brasher's previous big game experience having played in Balmain's 1989 Grand Final loss as well as making his State of Origin debut earlier in the year. Fulton also chose seven members from the
Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
Winfield Cup The Winfield Cup was an Australian rugby league trophy awarded to the winner of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership (NSWRL) Grand Final from 1982 to 1994, and then to the winner of the newly-founded Australian Rugby League (ARL) Grand Fi ...
premiership winning team including exciting centre Renouf. Lions coach Mal Reilly chose to retain Garry Schofield as captain despite the presence of Ellery Hanley in the team. He also went with pace on the wings with Martin Offiah and St. Helens flyer Alan Hunte. The hard-fought final was a one-try affair, with Great Britain leading 6–4 with only 12 minutes remaining. The only try of the match was then set up by Australian replacement back Kevin Walters, who, with a clever cut-out pass, put his Broncos teammate Steve Renouf into a gap not covered by replacement Lions centre John Devereux. Renouf, in his debut test for Australia, then raced 20 metres to score in the corner. Otherwise, the two teams' kickers (Mal Meninga and Deryck Fox) were called upon to score most of the points, including Meninga's pressure sideline conversion of Renouf's try. The rain started pouring in the second half and Australia was able to hold Great Britain out and maintain their lead until the final siren. Australia's triumph saw them win their fourth World Cup in a row after winning the previous cups in
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
,
1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
and
1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
. It also ended a mini-hoodoo for the Kangaroos at London's Wembley Stadium. Australia had previously left the arena 21–12 losers in 1973, and the 1990 Kangaroos were outplayed by Great Britain 19–12, but when it mattered most this time around Australia proved themselves as worthy World Cup champions. The match was telecast live late at night throughout Australia on the
Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
, with commentary provided by
Ray Warren Raymond Warren (born 11 June 1943) is an Australian retired sports commentator, known for his coverage of televised professional rugby league matches on the Nine Network. He is known as the "Voice of Rugby League", and called 99 State of Ori ...
, Peter Sterling and
Paul Vautin Paul Vautin (born 21 July 1959), nicknamed Fatty, is a former Australian rugby commentator and former professional rugby league player, captain and coach. He has provided commentary for the Nine Network's coverage of rugby league since joining ...
, with sideline comments from
Chris Bombolas Chris Bombolas (born 12 May 1960) (often known as ''Bomber'') is a communications and media specialist, and a television and radio presenter. A former sports reporter for 21 years with the Nine Network in Brisbane. A former Australian politicia ...
. The game broke Australia's midnight-to-dawn television ratings record which was set a year earlier by the
rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
's 1991 Rugby World Cup final.


Try scorers

;7 *
Mal Meninga Malcolm Norman Meninga (; born 8 July 1960) is an Australian professional rugby league coach and a former professional rugby league footballer. Meninga is widely regarded as one of the finest players in the game's history. He enjoyed a long ca ...
;5 *
Willie Carne William Carne (born 23 January 1969) is a former Australian rugby footballer who played rugby league for the Brisbane Broncos from 1990 to 1996, as well as representing both Queensland and Australia and rugby union for the Queensland Reds. An at ...
* Brad Mackay *
Martin Offiah Martin Nwokocha Offiah MBE ( (''original pronunciation''), (''commonly used'')); born 29 December 1965) is an English former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Offiah was inducted ...
*
Garry Schofield Garry Edward Schofield OBE (born 1 July 1965) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and is a member of the British Rugby League Hall of Fame. At the time of his retirement he was the most- ...
*
Richie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English lead guitarist. He was a founding member and the guitarist of Deep Purple, one of the pioneering bands of hard rock. After leaving Deep Purple in 1975, Blackmore formed the band Rainbow ...
*
Dave Watson David Watson (born 20 November 1961) is an English football manager and former professional player. As a player, he was a centre-back from 1980 to 2001. He played his entire career for Norwich City and Everton. With the Toffees he played in ...
;4 *
Laurie Daley Laurie William Daley AM (born 20 October 1969), also known by the nicknames of "Lozza" and "Loz", is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and a former player who played as a and in the late 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. ...
*
Andrew Ettingshausen Andrew "ET" Ettingshausen (born 29 October 1965) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. He played his first grade Australian club football for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks ...
;3 * Bradley Clyde *
Dale Shearer Dale Shearer (born 25 July 1965), also known by the nickname of "Rowdy", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representativ ...
*
Tony Kemp Anthony Kemp may refer to: * Anthony Fenn Kemp (1763–1868), Australian soldier, merchant and judge * Anthony Kemp (historian) (1939–2018), English historian * Tony Kemp (rugby league) (born 1968), New Zealand rugby league footballer * Tony Kemp ...
;2 *
Graham Mackay Graham Mackay (born 12 October 1968) is a former international and state representative rugby league footballer whose club career spanned ten Australian and English clubs, including Western Suburbs, Penrith Panthers, South Queensland Crushers ...
* Mark McGaw *
Rod Wishart Rod Wishart (born 15 October 1968) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played the 1980s and 1990s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative goal-kicking winger, he played club ...
* Jean-Marc Garcia * Cyril Pons *
Denis Betts Denis Charles Betts (born 14 September 1969) is an English rugby league coach and former player. He is the head-coach of Wigan Warriors Women and a former assistant coach of the England national team. A , Betts played in the 1980s, 1990s and ...
*
Paul Eastwood Paul Eastwood (born 3 December 1965) is an English former rugby league footballer who played as a winger for Hull FC and Hull Kingston Rovers between 1984 and 1996. He was also capped 13 times by Great Britain between 1990 and 1992. Backgroun ...
*
Shaun Edwards Shaun Edwards, OBE (born 17 October 1966) is an English rugby union coach and former rugby league player, who is the defence coach for the France national team. A or , Edwards is the most decorated player in rugby league history, with 37 win ...
* Carl Gibson *
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
* Paul Moriarty *
Andy Platt Andrew Platt (born 9 October 1963) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a and forward in the 1980s and 1990s. A Great Britain international representative , he played for English clubs St Helens, Wigan, W ...
*
Daryl Powell Daryl A. Powell (born 21 July 1965) is an English rugby league coach and former professional rugby league footballer. He is the head coach of Wakefield Trinity who play in the Super League. He played as a in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s for t ...
* Dean Clark *
Sam Panapa Samuel Lameko Panapa is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He represented three countries in his career: Tokelau, New Zealand and Western Samoa. Panapa played his club football in Aucklan ...
*
Kelly Shelford Kelly Shelford (born 4 May 1966) is a New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand, including in Test matches that counted towards the 1992 World Cup. Playing career Shelford was a Manukau Magpies junior and played for the clu ...
* Stanley Haru * Jack Uradok ;1 *
Greg Alexander Gregory Peter Stephen Alexander (born 4 March 1965), also known by the nickname "Brandy", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, who has since become a radio, television commentator and ...
* Gary Belcher *
Ben Elias Ben Elias (Arabic: بن الياس; also known as Back Door Benny born 15 November 1963 in Tripoli, Lebanon) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played primarily as a for Balmain in the New S ...
*
Brad Fittler Bradley Scott Fittler (born 5 February 1972), also known by the nickname of "Freddy", is an Australian rugby league commentator, television presenter, and former player. Fittler captained both New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales ...
*
Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...
* Chris Johns * Michael O'Connor *
Steve Renouf Steven Renouf (born 8 June 1970) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Nicknamed 'the Pearl', he was known as one of the sport's greatest s. Renouf set numerous records for the ...
* Steve Roach * Mark Sargent *
Steve Walters Steve Walters (born 28 August 1965), also known by the nickname of "Boxhead", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s who at the peak of his career was considered the best in the game. An ...
* Christophe Auroy * Denis Biénès * Christophe Bonnafous * Patrick Entat * David Despin * Daniel Divet *
Gilles Dumas Gilles Dumas is a French rugby league football coach and former player. He is the coach of French Elite One Championship club, Saint-Gaudens Bears and previously Toulouse Olympique. He previously coached the French national team while coaching ...
* David Fraisse * Daniel Verdès *
Martin Dermott Martin Dermott (born 25 September 1967) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a in the 1980s and 1990s, and was capped 11 times for Great Britain. He played for Wigan and the Warrington Wolves. Background Ma ...
* Paul Dixon *
Karl Fairbank Karl Fairbank (born 1 June 1963) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, and at club level for Bradford ...
* Deryck Fox *
Bobbie Goulding Robert Dennis "Bobbie" Goulding (born 4 February 1972), also known by the nickname of "Bobbie Dazzler", is an English former professional rugby league footballer, and coach, who played in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, and has coached in ...
* Les Holliday *
Alan Hunte Alan Christopher Hunte (born 11 July 1970) is an English former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played between 1989 and 2003. He played rugby league (RL) at representative level for Great Britain national rugby league ...
*
Paul Newlove Paul Newlove (born 10 August 1971) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. A Great Britain and England international representative, he competed in the Super League competition, featur ...
* Roy Powell * Anthony Sullivan *
Alan Tait Alan Victor Tait (born 2 November 1964) is a former Scottish dual-code rugby footballer, and now coach. He is a defence coach at the Super 6 side Southern Knights. He was previously head coach at Newcastle Falcons and a former rugby union an ...
* Dean Bell * Mark Elia * Gary Freeman * Clayton Friend * Gavin Hill *
Sean Hoppe Sean "Shoppe" Edward Hoppe (born 19 January 1971) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand. Early years As a junior, he played for the Glen Innes Falcons, a feeder club to Ellerslie during the 1 ...
*
Kevin Iro Kevin Leslie Iro (born 24 May 1968), also known by the nickname of '"The Beast", is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and coached in the 2000s. He played at representative level for New Zeal ...
*
Mike Kuiti Michael James Kuiti (born 18 March 1963 in Foxton, New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby league player who played professionally in England and represented New Zealand, including in test matches that counted towards the 1992 World Cup. Currently ...
*
Dean Lonergan Dean Robert Lonergan is a former New Zealand boxing promoter and rugby league player. With Duco founder David Higgins (event promoter), David Higgins, Lonergan had success promoting world champion boxers Joseph Parker and Jeff Horn. With hi ...
* Duane Mann *
Jarrod McCracken Jarrod McCracken (born 27 March 1970) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He is a former captain of the New Zealand national rugby league team and is the son of New Zealand rugby league internation ...
*
Gary Mercer Gary Ivan Mercer (born 22 June 1966) is a New Zealand rugby league and rugby union coach and former professional rugby league footballer. A New Zealand international representative player, he has spent most of his career in Britain both playing ...
*
Tawera Nikau Tawera Nuieia Nikau (born 1 January 1967) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative forward, he played club football at a number of different club ...
*
Matthew Ridge Matthew John Ridge (born 27 August 1968) is a New Zealand television presenter, and a former rugby union and rugby league footballer. A fullback in both codes, Ridge played rugby union for Auckland and became an All Black, but never won an ...
* Brent Stuart * Darrell Williams *
Sauna Babago A sauna (, ) is a room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a sauna is used to meas ...
*
Aquila Emil Aquila Emil (died 4 February 2011) was a Papua New Guinean rugby league player who represented Papua New Guinea . Playing career Emil played for Port Moresby's Brothers rugby league club during the 1980s. He was selected for the Papua New Guin ...
*
Paul Gela Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo P ...
* Chris Itam * August Joseph * James Naipo * Gigmai Ongugo * Opoe Soga * Goie Waine


References


External links


1989–1992 World Cup at rlhalloffame.org.uk1989–1992 World Cup at rlwc08.com1989–1992 World Cup at 188-rugby-league.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:1989-1992 Rugby League World Cup