1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup
The 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (sometimes shortened to 1988 Rugby League World Cup) was the ninth Rugby League World Cup tournament held and saw yet another change of format with competition stretched to cover almost three years (1985 to 1988). The national rugby league teams of Australia, France, Great Britain, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea played each other on a home and away basis. These matches were fitted into the normal international programme of three-match test series between the nations, with a pre-designated match from each series counting as the world cup fixture. The tournament culminated in the 1988 Rugby League World Cup final.
| 1985–1988 World Cup | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 5 |
| Winner | Australia (6th title) |
| Matches played | 18 |
| Attendance | 218,246 (12,125 per match) |
| Points scored | 769 (42.72 per match) |
| Top scorer | Michael O'Connor (100) |
| Top try scorer | Michael O'Connor (8) |
Tournaments | |
The competition was further altered by the addition of a new nation, Papua New Guinea. The Kumuls performed creditably, particularly when playing in the front of their fiercely patriotic home crowd, while France were unable to fulfil their 1987 tour of Australasia due to financial difficulties, and had to forfeit away fixtures against Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
At the end of four years, Australia finished top of the table, and, through a victory over Great Britain in Christchurch, the Kiwis qualified to join them in the final.
Despite finishing top of the table, poor international attendances since the mid-1970s (since 1974, the Kangaroos had only lost one test series, to France in 1978) meant the Australians declined to host the final, and asked New Zealand Rugby League to host the World Cup final at Eden Park in Auckland; Cup organisers and New Zealand officials accepted this request.
In front of a record New Zealand attendance of over 47,000 the Kiwis lost 25–12 to the Australians.