Tonga 18–20 England — Semi-final, 2017 Rugby League World Cup
25 Nov 2017 · Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand · Attendance: 30,003
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Semi-final, 2017 Rugby League World Cup: Tonga 18–20 England, at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand on 25 Nov 2017.
Scoring timeline
| 11′ | England — try, McGillvary · Widdop kicked |
| 16′ | England — try, Widdop · Widdop kicked |
| 68′ | England — try, Bateman · Widdop kicked |
| 73′ | Tonga — try, Pangai Junior · Taukeiaho kicked |
| 76′ | Tonga — try, Havili · Taukeiaho kicked |
| 77′ | Tonga — try, Lolohea · Taukeiaho kicked |
Tries in order scored, with the conversion kicked/missed alongside each one where our source data lets us match a kicker to that specific try. Sources don't record exact minutes for missed kicks, so misses are matched by elimination (attempts left over once every made kick is accounted for), not sequenced by time. Standalone penalty goals are shown separately below, not attached to a try.
Scorers
| Tonga | Tries: Pangai Junior 73'; Havili 76'; Lolohea 77' Goals: Taukeiaho (3/3) 73', 76', 77' |
| England | Tries: McGillvary 11'; Widdop 16'; Bateman 68' Goals: Widdop (4/4) 12', 17', 50' pen, 69' |
This result sent England into the Final against Australia.
Teams
| Tonga | England | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Hopoate | Fullback | Gareth Widdop | 1 |
| 2 | Daniel Tupou | Wing | Jermaine McGillvary | 2 |
| 3 | Michael Jennings | Centre | Kallum Watkins | 3 |
| 4 | Konrad Hurrell | Centre | John Bateman | 4 |
| 5 | David Fusitu'a | Wing | Ryan Hall | 5 |
| 6 | Tuimoala Lolohea | Stand off/Five eighth | Kevin Brown | 6 |
| 7 | Mafoa'aeata Hingano | Scrum half/Half back | Luke Gale | 7 |
| 8 | Andrew Fifita | Prop forward | Chris Hill | 8 |
| 9 | Siliva Havili | Hooker | Josh Hodgson | 9 |
| 10 | Siosiua Taukeiaho | Prop forward | James Graham | 10 |
| 11 | Manu Ma'u | Second row | Sam Burgess | 11 |
| 12 | Sika Manu | Second row | Elliott Whitehead | 12 |
| 13 | Jason Taumalolo | Loose forward/Lock forward | Sean O'Loughlin (c) | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Sione Katoa | Alex Walmsley | 14 | |
| 15 | Peni Terepo | Thomas Burgess | 15 | |
| 16 | Tevita Pangai Junior | Ben Currie | 16 | |
| 17 | Ben Murdoch-Masila | James Roby | 17 | |
| Kristian Woolf | Coach | Wayne Bennett | ||
Match officials
| Kick-off | 18:00 NZDT (UTC+13:00) |
| Referee | Matt Cecchin (Australia) |
| Touch judges | Robert Hicks (England), Chris Butler (Australia) |
| Player of the match | Gareth Widdop (England) |
Sources
- 2017 Rugby League World Cup final — Wikipedia
- Rugby League World Cup: Australia beat England 6-0 to retain trophy — BBC Sport
- Famous Fixtures: Australia v England | 2017 Rugby League World Cup Final — rugby-league.com
- Australia 6-0 England: Kangaroos win Rugby League World Cup — Sky Sports
- 2017 Rugby League World Cup Final Team Lists & Officials — League Unlimited
- 2017 Rugby League World Cup — Wikipedia (full group/knockout results)