Australia 32–12 New Zealand — World Cup Table, 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup
29 Jul 1986 · Lang Park, Brisbane, Australia · Attendance: 22,811
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
World Cup Table, 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup: Australia 32–12 New Zealand, at Lang Park, Brisbane, Australia on 29 Jul 1986.
Scorers
| Australia | Tries: Kenny (2); Lewis; Miles; O'Connor; Sterling Goals: O'Connor (4/7) |
| New Zealand | Tries: D. Williams (2) Goals: Filipaina (2/3) |
Teams
| Australia | New Zealand | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garry Jack | Fullback | Gary Kemble | 1 |
| 2 | Les Kiss | Wing | Darrell Williams | 2 |
| 3 | Gene Miles | Centre | Joe Ropati | 3 |
| 4 | Brett Kenny | Centre | Gary Prohm | 4 |
| 5 | Michael O'Connor | Wing | Dane O'Hara | 5 |
| 6 | Wally Lewis (c) | Stand off/Five eighth | Olsen Filipaina | 6 |
| 7 | Peter Sterling | Scrum half/Half back | Gary Freeman | 7 |
| 8 | Steve Roach | Prop forward | Brent Todd | 8 |
| 9 | Royce Simmons | Hooker | Barry Harvey | 9 |
| 10 | Peter Tunks | Prop forward | Kurt Sorensen | 10 |
| 11 | Noel Cleal | Second row | Mark Graham (c) | 11 |
| 12 | Steve Folkes | Second row | Hugh McGahan | 12 |
| 13 | Wayne Pearce | Loose forward/Lock forward | Ron O'Regan | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Terry Lamb | Shane Cooper | 14 | |
| 15 | Bryan Niebling | Owen Wright | 15 | |
| Don Furner | Coach | Graham Lowe | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Robin Whitfield (England) |
| Player of the match | Wally Lewis (Australia) |
Match report
The third and final meeting between Australia and New Zealand in the 1986 phase of the World Cup, played at Lang Park, Brisbane. Under new Kangaroos coach Don Furner, Australia produced a dominant, high-quality performance, scoring six tries to two. Captain Wally Lewis was outstanding and named player of the match, with halves partner Peter Sterling also central to Australia's fluent attacking play. Brett Kenny scored twice, while Wally Lewis, Gene Miles, Michael O'Connor and Peter Sterling also crossed. Australia led 14-6 at halftime before pulling away in the second half.
New Zealand's response came through winger Darrell Williams, who scored both of the Kiwis' tries, with five-eighth Olsen Filipaina kicking the conversions. In the broader World Cup context, this result was a significant statement of Australian dominance; Australia went on to top the pool standings en route to the eventual 1988 World Cup title.
Previous World Cup meetings
- 1954 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 34–15 New Zealand
- 1957 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 25–5 New Zealand
- 1960 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 21–15 New Zealand
- 1968 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 31–12 New Zealand
- 1970 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 47–11 New Zealand
- 1972 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 9–5 New Zealand
- 1975 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 36–8 New Zealand
- 1975 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 8–24 Australia
- 1977 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 12–27 Australia
- 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 18–0 Australia
- 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (Final): Australia 25–12 New Zealand
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 14–22 Australia
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Australia 40–12 New Zealand
- 1995 Rugby League World Cup (Semi-final): Australia 30–20 New Zealand
- 2000 Rugby League World Cup (Final): Australia 40–12 New Zealand
- 2008 Rugby League World Cup (Group A): Australia 30–6 New Zealand
- 2008 Rugby League World Cup (Final): New Zealand 34–20 Australia
- 2013 Rugby League World Cup (Final): Australia 34–2 New Zealand
- 2021 Rugby League World Cup (Semi-final): Australia 16–14 New Zealand