2017 Rugby League World Cup

Data last verified: 11 August 2026.

2017 Rugby League World Cup ▾

2017 Rugby League World Cup result: Australia won the title, beating England 6–0 in the final. Hosted by Australia, New Zealand & Papua New Guinea.

Full match archive (28 games)

Groups

Group A

TeamPWDLPFPADiffPtsForm
Australia330010410+946WWW
England32016934+354LWW
Lebanon31023981-422WLL
France300330117-870LLL
DateResultVenueAttendance
27 Oct 2017Australia 18–4 EnglandAAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia22,724
29 Oct 2017France 18–29 LebanonCanberra Stadium, Canberra, Australia5,492
3 Nov 2017Australia 52–6 FranceCanberra Stadium, Canberra, Australia12,293
4 Nov 2017England 29–10 LebanonSydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia10,237
11 Nov 2017Australia 34–0 LebanonSydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia21,127
12 Nov 2017England 36–6 FrancePerth Rectangular Stadium, Perth, Australia14,744

Group B

TeamPWDLPFPADiffPtsForm
Tonga330011044+666WWW
New Zealand320113442+924WWL
Samoa30124084-441LLD
Scotland301224138-1141LLD
DateResultVenueAttendance
28 Oct 2017New Zealand 38–8 SamoaMt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand17,857
29 Oct 2017Scotland 4–50 TongaBarlow Park, Cairns, Australia9,216
4 Nov 2017New Zealand 74–6 ScotlandChristchurch Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand12,130
4 Nov 2017Samoa 18–32 TongaWaikato Stadium, Hamilton, New Zealand18,156
11 Nov 2017New Zealand 22–28 TongaWaikato Stadium, Hamilton, New Zealand24,041
11 Nov 2017Samoa 14–14 ScotlandBarlow Park, Cairns, Australia4,309

Group C

TeamPWDLPFPADiffPtsForm
Papua New Guinea22006412+524WW
Ireland21014020+202LW
Wales20021284-720LL
DateResultVenueAttendance
28 Oct 2017Papua New Guinea 50–6 WalesNational Football Stadium, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea14,800
5 Nov 2017Papua New Guinea 14–6 IrelandNational Football Stadium, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea14,800
12 Nov 2017Wales 6–34 IrelandPerth Rectangular Stadium, Perth, Australia14,744

Group D

TeamPWDLPFPADiffPtsForm
Fiji22009622+744WW
Italy21015638+182WL
United States200212104-920LL
DateResultVenueAttendance
28 Oct 2017Fiji 58–12 United StatesTownsville Stadium, Townsville, Australia5,103
5 Nov 2017Italy 46–0 United StatesTownsville Stadium, Townsville, Australia7,732
10 Nov 2017Fiji 38–10 ItalyCanberra Stadium, Canberra, Australia6,733

Knockout stage

Inter-group

DateResultVenueAttendance
29 Oct 2017Ireland 36–12 ItalyBarlow Park, Cairns, Australia9,216
5 Nov 2017Fiji 72–6 WalesTownsville Stadium, Townsville, Australia7,732
12 Nov 2017Papua New Guinea 64–0 United StatesNational Football Stadium, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea14,800

Quarter-final

DateResultVenueAttendance
17 Nov 2017Australia 46–0 SamoaDarwin Stadium, Darwin, Australia13,473
18 Nov 2017Tonga 24–22 LebanonChristchurch Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand8,309
18 Nov 2017New Zealand 2–4 FijiWellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand12,713
19 Nov 2017England 36–6 Papua New GuineaAAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia10,563

Semi-final

DateResultVenueAttendance
24 Nov 2017Australia 54–6 FijiSuncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia22,073
25 Nov 2017Tonga 18–20 EnglandMt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand30,003

Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
2 Dec 2017Australia 6–0 EnglandSuncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia40,033

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Tournament facts

HostAustralia, New Zealand & Papua New Guinea
Dates27 October – 2 December 2017
Teams14
Games played28
Players used318
Average crowd14,715

Teams (14)

Australia, New Zealand, England, Fiji, France, Samoa, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Lebanon, United States, Italy, Ireland, Wales

Context

The second three-nation co-hosted World Cup — matches in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Townsville and Darwin (Australia), Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch (New Zealand), and Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea).

Australia made it to their 14th consecutive World Cup final as defending champions and shut out England 6-0 at Brisbane's Lang Park, a low-scoring, tightly defensive decider in contrast to many of the tournament's blowout pool matches. Tonga's run to the semi-finals, drawing large and passionate expatriate crowds in both Australia and New Zealand, was widely seen as the tournament's breakout story and a preview of the Pacific nations' growing competitiveness on the international stage — a trend that would be confirmed in spectacular fashion when Tonga beat New Zealand outright in this same tournament's group stage, and again when Samoa reached the final of the very next World Cup in 2021/2022. Papua New Guinea's status as co-host meant automatic qualification and three group-stage matches staged at the National Stadium in Port Moresby, though crowds there — roughly 5,100 to 7,700 per match — were far smaller than the big Australian and New Zealand venues. The tournament wasn't without its organisational problems: fan violence before the Samoa-Tonga match in Hamilton forced a visible tightening of security for the rest of the event, and the near-total absence of matches in New South Wales, rugby league's traditional Australian heartland, drew criticism after the state government there declined to bid for host fixtures.

Sources

← 2013 Rugby League World Cup2021 Rugby League World Cup →

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