2004 Rugby League Tri-Nations
| 2004 Tri-Nations | |
|---|---|
| 2004 Tri-Nations logo | |
| Number of teams | 3 |
| Host country | File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom |
| Winner | File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia (2nd title) |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Attendance | 182,288 (26,041 per match) |
| Tries scored | 47 (6.71 per match) |
| Top scorer | Australia Darren Lockyer[1] (28) |
| Top try scorer | Australia Luke Rooney[1] (6) |
< 1999 2005 > | |
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The second Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament (known as the Gillette Tri-Nations due to sponsorship[2]) was contested between 16 October and 27 November of 2004. The format of the competition differed from the previous event in that the teams played each other twice, rather than once, prior to the final.
The tournament final of the tournament was predicted by some to be a close affair, with the British team heralded as slight favourites after finishing at the top of the league table. Instead, it was a one-sided match as Australia produced their best performance of the tournament. The game was effectively over by half-time when Australia led by 38–0.
Participating teams
[edit | edit source]Each team was to play the other three twice during the round robin tournament. The top two finishing teams would then contest the final.
| Team | Nickname | Coach | Captain | RLIF Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia Australia | The Kangaroos | Wayne Bennett | Darren Lockyer | 1 |
| New Zealand New Zealand | The Kiwis | Daniel Anderson | Ruben Wiki | 2 |
| United Kingdom Great Britain | The Lions | Brian Noble | Andy Farrell | 3 |
Officials
[edit | edit source]One referee from each participating nation was appointed to control matches in the Tri-Nations:
- Australia Tim Mander (2 matches)
- England Russell Smith (3 matches)
- New Zealand Glen Black (2 matches)
Venues
[edit | edit source]The games were played at the following venues in New Zealand and England.
| Auckland | London | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| North Harbour Stadium | Loftus Road | City of Manchester Stadium |
| Capacity: 25,000 | Capacity: 18,439 | Capacity: 47,726 |
| File:North harbour stadium.JPG | File:Loftus Road 5.jpg | File:City of Manchester Stadium East Stand.jpg |
| Huddersfield | Wigan | Hull |
| Galpharm Stadium | JJB Stadium | KC Stadium |
| Capacity: 24,500 | Capacity: 25,138 | Capacity: 25,400 |
| File:Huddersfield the-john-smiths-stadium.jpg | File:Wigan athletics dw stadium.jpg | File:KC Stadium before Hull v Burnley.jpg |
Final
[edit | edit source]The tournament final was played in Leeds.
| Leeds |
|---|
| Elland Road |
| Capacity: 37,890 |
| File:Elland Road 2023 cropped.jpg |
Results
[edit | edit source]Tournament matches
[edit | edit source]| 16 October |
| North Harbour Stadium, Auckland Attendance: 19,118[1] Referee: Russel Smith England |
| 23 October |
| Loftus Road, London Attendance: 16,725[1] Referee: Russel Smith England |
| 30 October |
| Great Britain File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg | 8–12 | File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia |
| Tries: Martin Gleeson Brian Carney Goals: Andy Farrell (0/2) | Report | Tries: Willie Mason Luke Rooney (2) Goals: Brett Kimmorley (0/3) |
| City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester Attendance: 38,572[1] Referee: Glen Black New Zealand |
| 6 November |
| Great Britain File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg | 22–12 | File:Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand |
| Tries: Terry Newton Stuart Reardon (2) Goals: Andy Farrell (2/2) Iestyn Harris (2/2) Paul Sculthorpe (1/3) | Report | Tries: Ali Lauiti'iti Sonny Bill Williams Goals: Brent Webb (2/2) |
| Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield Attendance: 20,372[1] Referee: Tim Mander Australia |
| 13 November |
| JJB Stadium, Wigan Attendance: 25,004[1] Referee: Glen Black New Zealand |
| 20 November |
| KC Stadium, Hull Attendance: 23,377 [1] Referee: Tim Mander Australia |
Tournament standings
[edit | edit source]| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 80 | 60 | +20 | 6 |
| File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 72 | 60 | +12 | 5 |
| File:Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 64 | 95 | −32 | 1 |
Final
[edit | edit source]27 November
|
| Great Britain File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg | 4–44 | File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Stuart Reardon Goals: Andy Farrell (0/1) |
Report |
Tries: Anthony Minichiello (2) Willie Tonga (2) Matt Sing Darren Lockyer Willie Mason Goals: Darren Lockyer (6/6) Craig Fitzgibbon (2/2) |
Elland Road, Leeds
Attendance: 39,120[3] Referee: Russell Smith England Player of the Match: Darren Lockyer |
Player statistics
[edit | edit source]
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Non-series Tests
[edit | edit source]During the series, Australia and New Zealand both played an additional test match against France.
| 2004-11-12 |
| France File:Flag of France.svg | 20–24 | File:Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand |
| Stade d'Albert Domec, Carcassonne Attendance: 8000 |
| 2004-11-21 |
| France File:Flag of France.svg | 30–52 | File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia |
| Stade Ernest Wellon, Toulouse Attendance: 10,000 |
Additional Matches
[edit | edit source]A one-off match was also played between an ANZAC side made up of touring Australian and New Zealand players and a Cumbria side.[4][5][6]
On their way back to Australia just four days after the Tri-Nations Final, the Kangaroos played a match, known as the Liberty Bell Cup against the USA at the Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Played in quarters instead of halves, and on a synthetic field that was the size of a Grid iron field, the American's shocked the Australians by racing to an 18–0 lead nearing half time and actually went into the long break with a 24–6 lead. They managed to keep their lead until late in the game when the fitness of the Australians, who had bombed numerous try scoring opportunities through the game, told and the Kangaroos overhauled the home team to win 36–24.[7]
| 2004-12-1 |
| United States File:Flag of the United States.svg | 24–36 | File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia |
| Franklin Field, Philadelphia Attendance: 4,500 |
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c d e f g h Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Three-Try Heroes Whitehaven News, 29 October 2004. Accessed 2009-08-14. Archived 2009-08-16.
- ^ Fans to meet Anzacs players Allerdale Borough Council, 6 October 2004. Accessed 2009-08-14. Archived 2009-08-16.
- ^ Kimmorley to captain Anzac team AAP, 26 October 2004
- ^ USA vs Australia 1st half