Rugby League
History
Rugby League has a fascinating history in Aotearoa. John Coffey and Bernie Wood’s book 100 years: Māori Rugby League, 1908-2008 provides a comprehensive account of Maori league and is well worth a read. Also an online article titled Rugby League Football from Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand provides an interesting history and tells the tale of a touring team that left New Zealand before the game was played in this country. A good selection of rugby league resources can also be found in our libraries.
The Rugby League World Cup was first contested in 1954, and has changed format several times over the years. More details are available on the Official Rugby League World Cup website.
Rugby League has been played for more than 100 years in New Zealand, and as with many sports, the World Cup is a coveted trophy.
The Kiwis are the world champions after they won the 2008 World Cup, beating arch-rivals Australia 32-20. It is the first time since 1975 that any team other than Autralia have won the competition. View the match statistics from the official website. New Zealand will hold the cup until 2013 when the next tournament takes place.
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was contested by ten teams. Australia, England, France, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand were given automatic entry. The other five countries Fiji, Ireland, Samoa, Scotland and Tonga qualified.
The 18-game competition ran from 25 October to 22 November, with the final being decided at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. The ten teams were divided into three pools with the aim of avoiding the one-sided contests that occurred at the 2000 World Cup. The three pools are:
- Group A: Australia, England, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea
- Group B: Fiji, France, Scotland
- Group C: Ireland, Samoa, Tonga
It was the 13th Rugby League World Cup.
We recommend: Rugby League resources
Our online resources:
- If you are interested in learning to play rugby league in Christchurch, local clubs can be found on CINCH, our community information directory. Canterbury Rugby League would also help you out with more information.
- Other sports pages
- Photo: The All Blacks league team which toured in 1911
Our Internet Gateway recommends:
- Rugby League World Cup 2008 Official Website Includes information about all the playing nations, venues, results and merchandise
- New Zealand Herald League Get the latest Kiwi rugby league news from the World Cup
- TVNZ Updates of rugby league news and results
- TV3 Provides latest rugby league news
- Stuff.co.nz Latest rugby league news including World Cup draw and team profiles
- Rugby League in New Zealand Scoreboard, forums and news website
- New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) Official New Zealand Rugby League website
- NZ City: Rugby League in New Zealand Updates of the latest New Zealand rugby league news
Other rugby league news websites can be found on our Internet gateway- Sky Sport will be screening all World Cup games live across New Zealand
- Rugby League Football from Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
- Canterbury Rugby League
Browse the resources in our libraries:
- Rugby league titles
- Baring My Soul – Monty Betham biography
- Rugby league football players
- Rugby league football coaches
- Matches
- Magazines and other periodicals

