1985 to 1988 RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP OVERVIEW
Host Nation – World Wide (England, France, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand)
Number of Teams – 5
Highest Crowd – 47,363 Auckland, New Zealand (Record crowd for WC game in NZ)
Average Crowd – 14,106
Total Crowd – 253,931
1985 to 1988 World Cup Snapshot – The 1985 – 1988 World Cup saw Papua New Guinea play in the World Cup for the first time. The tournament also had a new format with games played on a home and away basis over four years. In the end the World Cup Final was played at Eden Park, Auckland in front 47,363 spectators. The crowd was a record for league in New Zealand. New Zealand were playing in a World Cup final for the first time. The game itself broke out into brawls throughout the match. The Australian’s lead by captain Wally Lewis proved to strong beating New Zealand 25 – 12.
1985 to 1988 Rugby League World Cup Pool Rounds
Game 1: Jul 7th 1985 New Zealand 18 – Australia 0, Location – Auckland, New Zealand, Crowd – 19,000
Game 2: Nov 9th 1985 New Zealand 6 – Great Britain 6, Location – Leeds, England, Crowd – 22,209
Game 3: Dec 7th 1985 New Zealand 22 – France 0, Location – Perpignan, France, Crowd – 5,000
Game 4: Feb 16th 1986 France 10 – Great Britain 10, Location – Avignon, France, Crowd – 5,000
Game 5: Jul 29th 1986 Australia 32 – New Zealand 12, Location – Brisbane, Australia, Crowd – 22,811
Game 6: Aug 17th 1986 Papua New Guinea 24 – New Zealand 22, Location – Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Crowd – 15,000
Game 7: Oct 5th 1986 Australia 62 – Papua New Guinea 12, Location – Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Crowd – 17,000
Game 8: Nov 22nd 1986 Australia 24 – Great Britain 15, Location – Wigan, England, Crowd – 20,169
Game 9: Dec 13th 1986 Australia 52 – France 0, Location – Carcassonne, France, Crowd – 3,000
Game 10: Jan 14th 1987 Great Britain 52 – France 4, Location – Leeds, England, Crowd – 6,567
Game 11: Oct 24th 1987 Great Britain 42 – Papua New Guinea 0, Location – Wigan, England, Crowd – 9,121
Game 12: Nov 15th 1987 France 21 – Papua New Guinea 4, Location – Carcassonne, France, Crowd – 5,000
Game 13: May 22nd 1988 Great Britain 42 – Papua New Guinea 22, Location – Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Crowd – 12,077
Game 14: Jul 9th 1988 Great Britain 26 – Australia 12, Location – Sydney, Australia, Crowd – 15,994
Game 15: Jul 10th 1988 New Zealand 66 – Papua New Guinea 14, Location – Auckland, New Zealand, Crowd – 8,392
Game 16: Jul 17th 1988 Australia 70 – Papua New Guinea 8, Location – Wagga Wagga, Australia, Crowd – 11,685
Game 17: Jul 20th 1988 New Zealand 12 – Great Britain 10, Location – Christchurch, New Zealand, Crowd – 8,525
Final Table
|
Team
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
F
|
A
|
PTS
|
|
Australia |
7
|
5
|
0
|
2
|
252
|
91
|
12*
|
|
New Zealand
|
7
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
158
|
86
|
11*
|
|
Great Britain
|
8
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
203
|
90
|
10
|
|
Papua New Guinea
|
7
|
1
|
0
|
6
|
84
|
325
|
4*
|
|
France
|
5
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
35
|
140
|
3
|
* 2 points awarded as France did not play scheduled game.
1988 Rugby League World Cup Final
Oct 9th 1988 Australia 25 – New Zealand 12, Location – Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand, Crowd – 47,363 (Record crowd for WC game in NZ)
1988 Rugby League World Cup Champions: Australia
