The 2021 Rugby League World Cup knockout stage took place after the group stages of the 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup, and ended with the Final, at Old Trafford. The quarter-finals comprised eight teams; the top two teams from each group; Group A, Group B, Group C and Group D. All quarter-finalists automatically qualified for the 2025 Rugby League World Cup.[1]
Bracket edit
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 5 November – Wigan | ||||||||||
 England
| 46 | |||||||||
| 12 November – London | ||||||||||
 Papua New Guinea
| 6 | |||||||||
| England
| 26 | |||||||||
| 6 November – Warrington | ||||||||||
 Samoa (g.p.)
| 27 | |||||||||
 Tonga
| 18 | |||||||||
| 19 November – Manchester | ||||||||||
| Samoa
| 20 | |||||||||
| Samoa
| 10 | |||||||||
| 4 November – Huddersfield | ||||||||||
 Australia
| 30 | |||||||||
| Australia
| 48 | |||||||||
| 11 November – Leeds | ||||||||||
 Lebanon
| 4 | |||||||||
| Australia
| 16 | |||||||||
| 5 November – Hull | ||||||||||
 New Zealand
| 14 | |||||||||
| New Zealand
| 24 | |||||||||
 Fiji
| 18 | |||||||||
Quarter-finals edit
Quarter-final 1: Australia vs Lebanon edit
| Australia
|
48–4 | Lebanon
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Addo-Carr (5) 5', 16', 19', 45', 59' Mitchell 24' Murray (2) 30', 33' Martin 69' Goals: Cleary (6/9) 17', 31', 34', 46', 60', 70' |
Report |
Tries: Mansour 52' Goals: Moses (0/1) |
John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield
Attendance: 8,206 Referee: Chris Kendall (England) Touch judges: Wyatt Raymond (Australia), Warren Turley (England) Player of the Match: Josh Addo-Carr (Australia) |
| Australia | Position | Lebanon | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number | Number | Name | |
| James Tedesco | 1 | Fullback | 1 | Jacob Kiraz |
| Valentine Holmes | 4 | Wing | 2 | Josh Mansour |
| Jack Wighton | 10 | Centre | 4 | Brad Morkos |
| Latrell Mitchell | 8 | Centre | 16 | Reece Robinson |
| Josh Addo-Carr | 9 | Wing | 5 | Abbas Miski |
| Cameron Munster | 7 | Stand off/Five eighth | 6 | Adam Doueihi |
| Nathan Cleary | 14 | Scrum half/Half back | 7 | Mitchell Moses |
| Jake Trbojevic | 5 | Prop forward | 13 | James Roumanos |
| Harry Grant | 20 | Hooker | 14 | Anthony Layoun |
| Tino Fa'asuamaleaui | 18 | Prop forward | 19 | Khalil Rahme |
| Angus Crichton | 17 | Second row | 11 | Elie El-Zakhem |
| Liam Martin | 21 | Second row | 12 | Charbel Tasipale |
| Isaah Yeo | 24 | Loose forward/Lock forward | 15 | Andrew Kazzi |
| Daly Cherry-Evans | 2 | Interchange | 9 | Michael Tannous |
| Patrick Carrigan | 13 | Interchange | 18 | Khaled Rajab |
| Cameron Murray | 11 | Interchange | 17 | Jalal Bazzaz |
| Lindsay Collins | 15 | Interchange | 20 | Jaxson Rahme |
| Mal Meninga | Coach | Michael Cheika | ||
| Rugby League Project | ||||
Quarter-final 2: England vs Papua New Guinea edit
Catherine, Princess of Wales attended this match in her capacity as patron of the Rugby Football League.[2][3]
| England
|
46–6 | Papua New Guinea
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Burgess 6' Makinson (5) 9', 18', 27', 58', 75' Young 14' Williams 21' Watkins 24' Goals: Makinson (5/9) 7', 20', 22', 26, 28' |
Report |
Tries: Ngutlik 70' Goals: Martin (1/1) 71' |
DW Stadium, Wigan
Attendance: 23,179 Referee: Liam Moore (England) Touch judges: Darian Furner (Australia), Jack Smith (England) Player of the Match: Tommy Makinson (England) |
| England | Position | Papua New Guinea | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number | Number | Name | |
| Sam Tomkins | 1 | Fullback | 1 | Alex Johnston |
| Dom Young | 14 | Wing | 20 | Rodrick Tai |
| Kallum Watkins | 3 | Centre | 3 | Nene Macdonald |
| Herbie Farnworth | 4 | Centre | 4 | Justin Olam |
| Tommy Makinson | 2 | Wing | 19 | Jimmy Ngutlik |
| Jack Welsby | 6 | Stand off/Five eighth | 6 | Kyle Laybutt |
| George Williams | 7 | Scrum half/Half back | 7 | Lachlan Lam |
| Tom Burgess | 8 | Prop forward | 8 | Wellington Albert |
| Michael McIlorum | 9 | Hooker | 9 | Edwin Ipape |
| Chris Hill | 18 | Prop forward | 10 | Sylvester Namo |
| Elliott Whitehead | 11 | Second row | 11 | Nixon Putt |
| John Bateman | 12 | Second row | 12 | Rhyse Martin |
| Victor Radley | 13 | Loose forward/Lock forward | 13 | Jacob Alick |
| Morgan Knowles | 15 | Interchange | 23 | Watson Boas |
| Matty Lees | 16 | Interchange | 15 | Dan Russell |
| Mike Cooper | 17 | Interchange | 16 | McKenzie Yei |
| Mike McMeeken | 20 | Interchange | 22 | Jeremiah Simbiken |
| Shaun Wane | Coach | Stanley Tepend | ||
| Rugby League Project | ||||
Quarter-final 3: New Zealand vs Fiji edit
| New Zealand
|
24–18 | Fiji
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Mulitalo 25' Nikora 48' Manu 62' Rapana 78' Goals: Rapana (4/5) 27', 49', 64', 71' pen |
Report |
Tries: Sivo 11' Naiqama (2) 17', 43' Goals: Wakeham (3/3) 12', 19', 44' |
MKM Stadium, Hull
Attendance: 7,080 Referee: Gerard Sutton (Australia) Touch judges: Belinda Sharpe (Australia), Marcus Griffiths (England) Player of the Match: Joseph Manu (New Zealand) |
| New Zealand | Position | Fiji | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number | Number | Name | |
| Joseph Manu | 1 | Fullback | 1 | Sunia Turuva |
| Jordan Rapana | 5 | Wing | 24 | Vuate Karawalevu |
| Peta Hiku | 4 | Centre | 4 | Kevin Naiqama |
| Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | 21 | Centre | 19 | Semi Valemei |
| Ronaldo Mulitalo | 2 | Wing | 2 | Maika Sivo |
| Dylan Brown | 6 | Stand off/Five eighth | 9 | Apisai Koroisau |
| Jahrome Hughes | 7 | Scrum half/Half back | 7 | Brandon Wakeham |
| Jesse Bromwich | 8 | Prop forward | 3 | Korbin Sims |
| Brandon Smith | 9 | Hooker | 14 | Penioni Tagituimua |
| James Fisher-Harris | 10 | Prop forward | 13 | Tui Kamikamica |
| Kenneath Bromwich | 12 | Second row | 22 | Siua Wong |
| Nelson Asofa-Solomona | 16 | Second row | 12 | Viliame Kikau |
| Joseph Tapine | 13 | Loose forward/Lock forward | 11 | Taniela Sadrugu |
| Isaiah Papali'i | 11 | Interchange | 20 | Henry Raiwalui |
| Kieran Foran | 14 | Interchange | 16 | Lamar Manuel-Liolevave |
| Briton Nikora | 17 | Interchange | 10 | Ben Nakubuwai |
| Isaac Liu | 20 | Interchange | 17 | King Vuniyayawa |
| Michael Maguire | Coach | Wise Kativerata | ||
| Rugby League Project | ||||
Quarter-final 4: Tonga vs Samoa edit
| Tonga
|
18–20 | Samoa
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Tupou 7' Taukeiaho 32' S. Katoa 70' Goals: I. Katoa (3/4) 33', 49' pen, 71' |
Report |
Tries: Su'a 4' Luai 16' To'o 58' Goals: Crichton (4/4) 5', 18', 56' pen, 59' |
Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington
Attendance: 12,674 Referee: Ashley Klein (Australia) Touch judges: Robert Hicks (England), Kasey Badger (Australia) Player of the Match: Anthony Milford (Samoa) |
| Tonga | Position | Samoa | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number | Number | Name | |
| Will Hopoate | 1 | Fullback | 1 | Joseph Sua'ali'i |
| Daniel Tupou | 2 | Wing | 5 | Brian To'o |
| Mosese Suli | 19 | Centre | 4 | Stephen Crichton |
| Will Penisini | 4 | Centre | 25 | Tim Lafai |
| Sione Katoa | 5 | Wing | 2 | Taylan May |
| Isaiya Katoa | 24 | Stand off/Five eighth | 6 | Jarome Luai |
| Tuimoala Lolohea | 7 | Scrum half/Half back | 7 | Anthony Milford |
| Addin Fonua-Blake | 8 | Prop forward | 15 | Royce Hunt |
| Siliva Havili | 9 | Hooker | 9 | Danny Levi |
| Moeaki Fotuaika | 17 | Prop forward | 10 | Junior Paulo |
| Felise Kaufusi | 11 | Second row | 11 | Ligi Sao |
| Keaon Koloamatangi | 12 | Second row | 12 | Jaydn Su'a |
| Jason Taumalolo | 13 | Loose forward/Lock forward | 23 | Oregon Kaufusi |
| Soni Luke | 14 | Interchange | 20 | Chanel Harris-Tavita |
| Siosiua Taukeiaho | 10 | Interchange | 8 | Josh Papali'i |
| David Fifita | 18 | Interchange | 22 | Kelma Tuilagi |
| Ben Murdoch-Masila | 21 | Interchange | 17 | Martin Taupau |
| Kristian Woolf | Coach | Matt Parish | ||
| Rugby League Project | ||||
Semi-finals edit
Semi-final 1: Australia vs New Zealand edit
| Australia
|
16–14 | New Zealand
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Addo-Carr 16' Holmes 30' Murray 53' Goals: Cleary (2/3) 18', 55' |
Report |
Tries: Hughes 11' Brown 37' Goals: Rapana (3/3) 13', 26' pen, 39' |
Elland Road, Leeds
Attendance: 28,113 Referee: Ashley Klein (Australia) Touch judges: Warren Turley (England), Wyatt Raymond (Australia) Player of the Match: Liam Martin (Australia) |
| Australia | Position | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number | Number | Name | |
| James Tedesco (c) | 1 | Fullback | 1 | Joseph Manu |
| Valentine Holmes | 4 | Wing | 2 | Ronaldo Mulitalo |
| Latrell Mitchell | 8 | Centre | 4 | Peta Hiku |
| Jack Wighton | 10 | Centre | 21 | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad |
| Josh Addo-Carr | 9 | Wing | 5 | Jordan Rapana |
| Cameron Munster | 7 | Stand off/Five eighth | 6 | Dylan Brown |
| Nathan Cleary | 14 | Scrum half/Half back | 7 | Jahrome Hughes |
| Jake Trbojevic | 5 | Prop forward | 8 | Jesse Bromwich (c) |
| Ben Hunt | 3 | Hooker | 9 | Brandon Smith |
| Regan Campbell-Gillard | 6 | Prop forward | 10 | James Fisher-Harris |
| Angus Crichton | 17 | Second row | 11 | Isaiah Papali'i |
| Liam Martin | 21 | Second row | 17 | Briton Nikora |
| Isaah Yeo | 24 | Loose forward/Lock forward | 13 | Joseph Tapine |
| Harry Grant | 20 | Interchange | 14 | Kieran Foran |
| Patrick Carrigan | 13 | Interchange | 15 | Moses Leota |
| Cameron Murray | 11 | Interchange | 16 | Nelson Asofa-Solomona |
| Tino Fa'asuamaleaui | 18 | Interchange | 20 | Isaac Liu |
| Mal Meninga | Coach | Michael Maguire | ||
| Rugby League Project | ||||
Semi-final 2: England vs Samoa edit
Samoa faced England in the semi-final at the Emirates Stadium in London. Tim Lafai scored the first try of the game in the sixth minute to give Samoa a 4–0 lead, and for the first time in the tournament, England conceded first. Five minutes later, Junior Paulo was shown a yellow card, and also put on report, for a dangerous tackle on George Williams. Elliott Whitehead scored England's first try on 25 minutes, with Tommy Makinson successful with the conversion, to give England a 6–4 lead. Five minutes later, Samoa scored again, this time from Ligi Sao to retake the lead 8–4; Stephen Crichton was successful with the conversion to give Samoa a 10–4 lead at half-time.
Five minutes into the second half, England scored again, this time through John Bateman, and Makinson was once again successful with the conversion to make it 10–10. Two tries in seven minutes saw Samoa take a 20–12 lead, with England now needing at least two tries to draw level. Herbie Farnworth broke clear on 65 minutes, to race away and touch down near the posts, giving Makinson an easy conversion. From the kick-off, England were awarded a penalty, after Sam Tomkins was tackled in the air. Samoa used the captain's challenge, and after a quick review, the video referee agreed with the decision to award the penalty, meaning the challenge was unsuccessful. Makinson opted to kick the penalty and was successful, levelling the scores at 20–20 with just over 12 minutes remaining. Stephen Crichton looked to have won it for Samoa with sven minutes to go, as he intercepted a Dom Young pass to touch down under the posts, converting his own try. There was more drama to come, as Farnworth got his second try of the game with two minutes remaining, Makinson once again converting to take the game to extra time.
Samoa attempted to score the golden point with a drop goal early in extra time, but it was charged down by England. Samoa eventually won the match after a forward pass from Sam Tomkins gave them possession 35 metres out. Crichton kicked the winning drop goal to send Samoa to their first World Cup final, making them the first team other than England, Australia or New Zealand to reach the final in 50 years.
The peak TV audience for the match was approximately 2.5 million views, which is the highest for any international rugby league match.[4]
| England
|
26–27 (g.p.) | Samoa
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Whitehead 24' Bateman 44' Farnworth (2) 63', 77' Goals: Makinson (5/5) 25', 45', 63', 67' pen, 78' |
Report |
Tries: Lafai 6' Sao (2) 30', 56' Crichton (2) 48', 72' Goals: Crichton (3/5) 32', 49', 74' Drop goals: Milford (0/1) Crichton (1/1) 83' |
Emirates Stadium, London
Attendance: 40,489 Referee: Gerard Sutton (Australia) Touch judges: Darian Furner (Australia), Jack Smith (England) Player of the Match: Jarome Luai (Samoa) |
| England | Position | Samoa | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number | Number | Name | |
| Sam Tomkins | 1 | Fullback | 1 | Joseph Suaalii |
| Dom Young | 14 | Wing | 5 | Brian To'o |
| Kallum Watkins | 3 | Centre | 4 | Stephen Crichton |
| Herbie Farnworth | 4 | Centre | 25 | Tim Lafai |
| Tommy Makinson | 2 | Wing | 2 | Taylan May |
| Jack Welsby | 6 | Stand off/Five eighth | 6 | Jarome Luai |
| George Williams | 7 | Scrum half/Half back | 7 | Anthony Milford |
| Tom Burgess | 8 | Prop forward | 15 | Royce Hunt |
| Michael McIlorum | 9 | Hooker | 21 | Fa'amanu Brown |
| Chris Hill | 18 | Prop forward | 10 | Junior Paulo |
| Elliot Whitehead | 11 | Second row | 11 | Ligi Sao |
| John Bateman | 12 | Second row | 12 | Jaydn Su'a |
| Victor Radley | 13 | Loose forward/Lock forward | 23 | Oregon Kaufusi |
| Mike McMeeken | 20 | Interchange | 20 | Chanel Harris-Tavita |
| Morgan Knowles | 15 | Interchange | 8 | Josh Papalii |
| Luke Thompson | 10 | Interchange | 16 | Spencer Leniu |
| Mike Cooper | 17 | Interchange | 22 | Kelma Tuilagi |
| Shaun Wane | Coach | Matt Parish | ||
| Rugby League Project | ||||
Final: Australia vs Samoa edit
| Australia
|
30–10 | Samoa
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Mitchell (2) 14', 80' Tedesco (2) 18', 69' Martin 30' Murray 53' Goals: Cleary (3/5) 19', 55', 70' Addo-Carr (0/1) |
Report |
Tries: To'o 61' Crichton 71' Goals: Crichton (1/2) 63' |
Old Trafford, Manchester
Attendance: 67,502 Referee: Ashley Klein (Australia) Touch judges: Jack Smith (England), Warren Turley (England) Player of the Match: James Tedesco (Australia) |
| Australia | Position | Samoa | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number | Number | Name | |
| 1 | Fullback | 1 | ||
| 2 | Wing | 2 | ||
| 3 | Centre | 3 | ||
| 4 | Centre | 4 | ||
| 5 | Wing | 5 | ||
| 6 | Stand off/Five eighth | 6 | ||
| 7 | Scrum half/Half back | 7 | ||
| 8 | Prop forward | 8 | ||
| 9 | Hooker | 9 | ||
| 10 | Prop forward | 10 | ||
| 11 | Second row | 11 | ||
| 12 | Second row | 12 | ||
| 13 | Loose forward/Lock forward | 13 | ||
| Interchange | ||||
| Interchange | ||||
| Interchange | ||||
| Interchange | ||||
| Rugby League Project | ||||
References edit
- ^ "Rugby League World Cup to feature 16 teams in 2021". Sky Sports. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ "Princess Kate in red for Rugby League World Cup Quarter Final 2022". Kate's Closet. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ^ "The Duchess of Cambridge becomes Patron of the Rugby Football League". www.rlwc2021.com. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ^ "BBC Radio 5 Live - 5 Live Rugby League World Cup Podcast, Flat whites, wheelchair warriors and visiting the kids". BBC. Retrieved 22 November 2022.