The Junior Kiwis side represents New Zealand in the sport of rugby league . They are commonly known as the Junior Kiwis , after the native bird of that name .
110-673: Since 2010, they are an under-20s side, with players selected from the NRL , Intrust Super Cup , Intrust Super Premiership , Jersey Flegg Cup and Hastings Deering Colts . They are administered by the New Zealand Rugby League . Prior to 2010, the Junior Kiwis consisted of the best New Zealand players aged 18 years or younger and would represent the country against the likes of the Australian Schoolboys ,
220-636: A Super League Australia team, drawing on players from that year's Super League competition. Rugby football has been played in Australia since the 1860s. In 1863, Sydney University became the first rugby club to be formed in Sydney, and played games amongst themselves or against the crews of visiting British ships. The Sydney Football Club (1865) and the Wallaroos (1870) followed, and inter-club competition commenced. By 1880, there were 100 clubs across
330-685: A 14–4 victory thus achieving their second premiership and claiming some vengeance for the stripped premierships. The 2013 season saw the resurgence of foundation clubs the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs with both clubs finishing first and second place respectively. The NRL was also left with a black eye after the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks were caught using performance-enhancing substances by ASADA dating back to 2011. The 2013 Grand Final
440-600: A 23–6 win in the third test at Headingley . However, the Australians were defeated by the French team in both tests played at the end of the 1978 tour. This was the last defeat of the Kangaroos in a series until 2005. The 1980s was the decade in which Australia began to truly dominate world rugby league. Along with the emergence of State of Origin football came a new crop of superstar players who led Australia throughout
550-624: A British team. By 1907, Sydney club rugby games were attracting up to 20,000 people, with all profits going to the Southern Rugby Football Union , as the sport was officially an amateur one. This caused discontent among players, and in 1908 the New South Wales Rugby Football League and Queensland Rugby League were formed. An Australian national rugby league team was first formed during the first season of rugby league in Australia ,
660-649: A Kangaroo Tour since Tom Gorman in 1929/30. Australia crashed to a defeat on Tuesday 21 July 1987, when the Kangaroo dominance of the international game suffered a setback. New Zealand were their opponents in a match at Lang Park in Brisbane , which had been arranged to fill the gap created by the non-appearance of France. New Zealand won the game 13–6. The next four internationals between Australia and New Zealand were all staged in New Zealand, and all were won by
770-525: A Test against the Lions until 11 November 1911 under captain Chris McKivat . Australia did not win a series at home against Great Britain until 1920 or abroad until 1958. Since 1908, the team has been nicknamed the Kangaroos . Initially only used when touring Great Britain and later France , this has been the official nickname of the team since 7 July 1994. In 1997 Australia was also represented by
880-529: A bad start for the Kangaroos when Great Britain shocked Australia to win the first test 19–12 at Wembley Stadium in front of a new record home crowd of 54,567. The second test at Old Trafford in Manchester was a tight, thrilling affair that saw two of the most famous tries scored in test match football. Debutante 5/8 Cliff Lyons second half try came after the Kangaroos kept the ball alive through 13 sets of hands before winger Andrew Ettingshausen raced down
990-577: A cold night in Parkes with Mal Meninga taking over the captaincy from Wally Lewis who was unavailable with a broken arm. They then played a single test against New Zealand in Wellington , winning 24–6. With Wally Lewis controversially ruled unfit for the 1990 Kangaroo tour , his Queensland teammate Mal Meninga, making his 3rd Kangaroo Tour, retained the Australian captaincy. The Ashes got off to
1100-647: A curtain raiser to the Papua New Guinea - Fiji Melanesian Cup match and the Samoa - Tonga Polynesian Cup match. Head coach Played as a curtain raiser to the 2017 Anzac Test . Head coach Updated: 4 May 2017 Source(s): [2] Played as a curtain raiser to the Australia - New Zealand end of year Test match. Head coach National Rugby League The National Rugby League (known as
1210-582: A famous 49-year drought by a score of 14–12. Following the success generated by the 2017 Women's Rugby League World Cup , a national women's league was established, and the first season commenced in September 2018 comprising four clubs aligned to existing NRL clubs. On 22 March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic , the NRL became one of the last major sports in the world to continue playing games. Following
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#17327904717461320-584: A game of rugby league. 107,999 spectators saw the Melbourne Storm defeat the newly created St. George Illawarra Dragons in the decider at Stadium Australia . Balmain and Western Suburbs formed the joint-venture club, the Wests Tigers at the end of 1999, while North Sydney and Manly Warringah created the ill-fated Northern Eagles . As part of another image makeover, a number of teams also released new club logos. The most notable of these
1430-523: A good working relationship with Wally Lewis and the players. The now harmonious Australians swept New Zealand 3–0 in a mid-season test series played in Australia. During the 1986 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France a then record northern hemisphere crowd of 50,383 attended the first test of the Ashes series at Old Trafford with the Walle Lewis led Australians winning 38–16. On 16 December 1986
1540-555: A late Laurie Daley field goal. Daley had captained Australia for the first time in the match following a two-game suspension to Mal Meninga. The Kangaroos then won the second test 16–8 at the very wet Palmerston North Showgrounds before wrapping up the series with a 16–4 win at Lang Park in Brisbane. On 4 July 1994, Australia defeated France 58–0 at the Parramatta Stadium in Sydney, their only test on home soil for
1650-421: A row, and winning the 2010 series by a scoreline of 3–0, their first Origin whitewash since 1995. In 2010 the NRL set a record total season average attendance of 17,367 per game and a record total season aggregate attendance of 3,490,778. During the 2010 finals series, the second qualifying match between the Wests Tigers and Sydney Roosters became the first McIntyre system final to go into extra time, with
1760-671: A special Heritage round held in mid-April, coinciding with the first round of competition played in 1908. At a Gala event on 17 April 2008 the Team of the Century was announced, being: For the second year in a row, the grand final was played between the Melbourne Storm and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, in the NRL's first ever twilight decider. The Manly club took out the premiership game 40–0, setting
1870-487: A tour match against a New Zealand XIII at Huntly . Australia lost the 1972 World Cup Final to Great Britain in controversial circumstances. Australian captain Graeme Langlands was denied what seemed a fair try by being ruled offside by the French referee after catching a kick put up by halfback Dennis Ward . Television footage of the try showed Langlands was approximately a metre behind Ward when he kicked
1980-559: A year of turmoil and disgrace at the aftermath of the alleged rape scandal to hold aloft the NRL trophy and give the club their first premiership since 1995. In 2005, a record national audience of 4.1 million tuned in to watch the grand final between the Wests Tigers and the North Queensland Cowboys . The 2006 Grand Final was won by the Brisbane Broncos over the Melbourne Storm , 15–8. The matchup
2090-527: Is the most successful in Rugby League World Cup history, having won the competition 12 times, and contested 15 of the 16 finals, only failing to reach the final in the 1954 inaugural tournament . Only five nations (along with NZ Maori ) have beaten Australia in test matches, and Australia has an overall win percentage of 69%. Dating back to 1908, Australia is the fourth oldest national side after England , New Zealand and Wales . The team
2200-538: The 1908 NSWRFL Premiership season. The team, which was made of players from the NSWRFL with a few Queensland rugby rebels added, first played against the "professional All Blacks" on the return leg of their tour of Australia and Great Britain . Later that year, the Australian team arranged to go on a tour of its own. The first Kangaroos arrived in England on 27 September 1908, and played their first-ever test against
2310-487: The 1957 World Cup . For the 1959–60 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain, the home nation retained the Ashes by winning the Test series 2–1 by the following results. This was the last British Ashes win on home soil. For the 1960 World Cup no final was held. Still, the last game, which was between the previously undefeated Great Britain and Australia sides, made it the tournament decider. Great Britain won 10–3. Harry Bath
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#17327904717462420-410: The 1978 Kangaroo tour , Great Britain defeated Australia in the second test at Bradford, 18–14, before a crowd of 26,447. It took ten years, and fifteen consecutive test defeats before Britain could defeat the Kangaroos again, starting with Australia's 3–0 whitewash of the Lions during their 1979 Australasian tour. The Kangaroos had already won the first test 15–9 at Wigan and wrapped up the series with
2530-648: The 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australasia , the British lost the first test 22–6 in Sydney before stunning the Australians when they easily won the 2nd Ashes test 33–10 at Princes Park in Melbourne, but lost the 3rd test 16–10 in Brisbane. The 1992 Rugby League World Cup final at Wembley Stadium set a then international attendance record for a rugby league international of 73,631. The Bob Fulton coached, Mal Meninga captained Australians defeat Great Britain 10–6 to win their 7th Rugby League World Cup title. The WCF
2640-591: The Herb Steinohrt led Australians 8–6. On the 1933–34 tour New South Wales winger Dave Brown played in 32 matches, including all 3 Tests, scoring 285 points, at the time the greatest number ever attained by an Australian player on tour. An exhibition match between Australia and Great Britain at Paris' Stade Pershing in December 1933 inspired the beginnings of rugby league in France . Albert Johnston
2750-605: The Melbourne Storm , who were created by Super League for their 1998 season. Clubs on both sides of the war were shut down. Super League decided to close the Hunter Mariners and the financially ruined Perth Reds , who were $ 10 million in debt at the end of 1997, while the ARL decided to close down the South Queensland Crushers , who were also in severe financial trouble. Additionally, at the end of 1998
2860-709: The NRL Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship) is a professional rugby league competition in Australasia which contains clubs from New South Wales , Queensland , Victoria , the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand . Tracing its origins back to the New South Wales Rugby League , which formed in 1908, rugby league competition in Australia had gone through numerous iterations, including
2970-649: The National Youth Competition , the Junior Kiwis was switched to an under 20s team and played in a two Test series against the Junior Kangaroos . From 2011 to 2018, the Junior Kiwis faced the Junior Kangaroos at the end of each season in a one-off Test match, usually as a curtain raiser to a senior level Australia-New Zealand Test match. In 2019, the side faced the Australian Schoolboys . The side reverted to an under-19 side for
3080-537: The New South Wales Under 18 side and the England Under 18 side , sometimes as curtain raisers to the senior Kiwi games. Players such as Adam Blair , Thomas Leuluai , Issac Luke , Simon Mannering , Jerome Ropati , Manu Vatuvei and Sonny Bill Williams represented the Junior Kiwis early in their careers and went on to play at the senior level for New Zealand. In 2010, with the advent of
3190-423: The North Queensland Cowboys going from 11th position in 2003 to third in 2004, narrowly missing out on a maiden Grand Final berth. Crowd average records were broken in 2003, 2004 and 2005. In 2005, the NRL reached record levels of popularity for its competition. Total crowds for the competition season almost reached the figures for the last year of the competition conducted by the ARL competition of 1995, prior to
3300-698: The Northern Union in December in London. It finished at 22 in front of a crowd of 2,000. The second test in Newcastle in January 1909 attracted a crowd of 22,000, and the Northern Union won 15–5. The third test was played at Villa Park , Birmingham, the Northern Union winning again 6–5 before a crowd of 9,000. The Australians suggested that the series be named 'The Ashes' after the cricket series of
3410-746: The Trans-Tasman Test series played in Australia. As they were for the World Cup, only ARL loyal players were selected for Australia which saw several players, including Steve Menzies , Mark Coyne , Terry Hill , Gary Larson , Trevor Gillmeister and Jason Smith make their test debuts during the New Zealand series. Despite having what many described as a second string side without players such as Laurie Daley, Allan Langer , Andrew Ettingshausen , Brett Mullins , Glenn Lazarus , Bradley Clyde , Ian Roberts , Ricky Stuart and Steve Walters , Bob Fulton's Kangaroos won their 8th World Cup (and 5th in
Junior Kiwis - Misplaced Pages Continue
3520-474: The 1928 series in Australia and New Zealand by two tests to one. They were presented with the Ashes Trophy by the Australians, which the two countries have competed for ever since. The 1929–30 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain was the fourth Kangaroo tour, and took the Australian team all around England and also into Wales. The tour also featured the ninth Ashes series which comprised four Test matches and
3630-422: The 1968 World Cup but at the time tests and World Cup games were classed differently). Harry Bath again coached Australia to victory in the 1970 World Cup final in a brutal game that became known as the "Battle of Headingley". Bath also coached the team on a tour of New Zealand in 1971. On that tour Geoff Starling became the youngest player to ever represent Australia. He was 18 years and 181 days old when playing
3740-521: The 1980s. Players such as Peter Sterling , Mal Meninga , Wayne Pearce , Brett Kenny , Eric Grothe and Wally Lewis came to prominence on the 1982 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France . Australia's performance was taken into a new dimension by the tourists, also known as ' the Invincibles ', when they became the first team to win every game of the tour (fifteen games) including the first test by 40–4 at Hull in front of 26,771 spectators. After
3850-741: The 1990s Super League war , by the time the NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership between the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and the News Corporation -controlled Super League . The partnership was dissolved in 2012, with control of the NRL going to the re-constituted ARL, which was re-structured with an independent board of directors and renamed the Australian Rugby League Commission. The season typically runs from March to October, with each team playing 24 matches. The first-placed team at
3960-587: The 20 man squad after Queensland's second straight 3-0 State of Origin series win over New South Wales. Don Furner had retired from coaching after the 1988 World Cup final with Manly-Warringah 1987 Sydney Rugby League premiership winning coach and 1978 Kangaroo tour captain Bob Fulton taking over from 1989. Fulton's first series in charge of the Australian team saw them sweep New Zealand 3–0 during their 1989 tour. The Bob Fulton coached Kangaroos played two mid-season tests in 1990. They defeated France 34–2 on
4070-412: The 2015 Grand Final. The 2015 Grand Final is considered by many to be the greatest grand final of all time as a high intensity match ended in dramatic circumstances when North Queensland scored as the full-time siren sounded. Johnathan Thurston would miss the conversion from the sideline as the ball hit the post thus sending the match into golden point, the first golden point grand final. Ben Hunt would drop
4180-653: The Aboriginal community. The first match saw the Indigenous All Stars beat the NRL All Stars 16–12. The success of this event has seen it become a recurring fixture on the rugby league calendar with Queensland awarded the hosting rights for the next three years. The 29th State of Origin series was also played featuring the world's first live free-to-air 3D TV broadcast. Queensland later made further history by winning an unprecedented fifth series in
4290-492: The Ashes that had been lost in 1920. They did not lose again until 1950. The Australian national team first wore green and gold in a hooped design on Saturday, 23 June 1928, when they met Great Britain in the first Test at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground . Britain led 10-2 after 25 minutes, 13-7 at half time, and, after a nervous second half, eventually claimed the Test 15–12. The England team won both
4400-538: The Australian Rugby League and News Corporation agreed upon a constitutional framework paving the way for the establishment of a new and independent commission to govern the sport in Australia. The negotiations of such a framework became drawn out over establishing details, primarily of sponsorship, media rights, funding of state bodies, funding of the Melbourne Storm , debate over News Ltd private ownership of clubs, and also of individual appointments to
4510-659: The Australian Rugby League gathered at the Sydney Football Stadium to decide whether to accept News Limited's offer of a settlement – eventually voting in favour by 36 votes to 4. As a result, in the following months the National Rugby League, jointly owned by the ARL and News Limited, was formed. It was announced that the inaugural National Rugby League (NRL) season of 1998 would have 20 teams competing, 19 remaining Super League and ARL teams plus
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4620-685: The Australian team after Frank Stanton had stood down following the Kangaroo Tour. Although Australia won the first test against New Zealand at Carlaw Park in Auckland , the Kiwis shocked by winning the return match 19–12 at Lang Park in Brisbane . When the Lions toured in 1984, The Kangaroos again swept The Ashes series 3–0 under new team captain Wally Lewis, the first Queenslander to captain Australia since Arthur Beetson in 1974. Beetson
4730-635: The Greater Sydney area (including one that also represents the Illawarra region south of Sydney), another in regional New South Wales , four in Queensland , and one each in Victoria , the Australian Capital Territory , and New Zealand. The league operates on a single group system, with no divisions or conferences and no relegation or promotion . A total of twenty-three clubs have played in
4840-412: The Kangaroos set a new record for largest-ever winning margin in a Test match at 52–0 against France . In their two Tests against France, the Australians ran in 96 points and conceded just a single penalty goal. After suffering such heavy losses, France decided to call off their proposed 1987 tour of Australia. This became the second consecutive tour of Europe in which Australia had won all their games. By
4950-400: The Kangaroos. During the 1988 Great Britain Lions tour the Ashes were successfully retained by Australia by winning the first two Tests, however Great Britain won the third test 26–12 at the Sydney Football Stadium , ending a 15-game winning streak between the two teams that stretched back to the third Ashes test of 1978. Later that month, Australia's 62-point win over Papua New Guinea in
5060-555: The NRL agreement was exclusionary, intended to unfairly exclude South Sydney, and breached the Trade Practices Act. Justice Paul Finn ruled that the agreement did not specifically exclude any club and dismissed the Rabbitohs' claims for re-instatement into the national competition. Souths appealed this decision and were re-admitted into the competition in 2002. The Auckland Warriors experienced much financial hardship in
5170-647: The NRL and the ARLC announced that the competition would expand to 17 teams, with the admission of the Dolphins , based out of the suburb of Redcliffe in greater Brisbane, for the 2023 season. Since the NRL commenced in 1998 there have been six CEOs , they are: Since the Australian Rugby League Commission was inaugurated in 2012, there have been three chairmen: The NRL currently consists of seventeen clubs. Nine clubs are based within
5280-727: The NRL decided to close down former Super League club, the Adelaide Rams and former ARL club, the Gold Coast Chargers , despite the Gold Coast franchise being one of the few clubs to make a profit during the Super League war. One condition of the peace agreement between the ARL and News Limited was that there would be a 14-team competition in 2000. The 20 clubs that played in 1998 would be assessed on various items such as sponsorship, crowds, on-field success and
5390-433: The NRL returned to having a club based on the Gold Coast , Queensland with the inclusion of the Gold Coast Titans . The Titans were the first professional sporting team to occupy the Gold Coast since 1998, when the Gold Coast Chargers were one of the teams removed during the NRL's rationalisation process between the end of the Super League war and the 2000 season. The 2007 season saw the return of Monday Night Football and
5500-467: The NRL since its first season in 1998. Eleven clubs have been members for every season. Two of the clubs currently in the NRL were founded in 1908, the first year of rugby league competition in Australia: the Sydney Roosters (founded as 'Eastern Suburbs') and the South Sydney Rabbitohs . The Wests Tigers are a merger of two other foundation clubs: The Western Suburbs Magpies and the Balmain Tigers . Penrith Stadium (22,500) Original franchise
5610-467: The NRL to continue without crowds. The competition ended up kicking off on that date, with the Parramatta Eels defeating the Brisbane Broncos 34–6 at Lang Park behind closed doors. The match drew the highest TV ratings for a regular season game since 2014. The NRL returned a full two weeks before any other sport in Australia, and were the first sport to return to play worldwide that actually ceased play. In October 2021, after months of speculation,
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#17327904717465720-417: The NSW country town of Wagga Wagga set a new record for largest winning margin in international rugby league. Australian dual international winger Michael O'Connor also set a new record for most points scored by an individual in international rugby league (30 points – 4 tries, 7 goals). Also in 1988, as part of the bicentenary celebrations , Australia played a one-off test match against Rest Of The World at
5830-416: The National Rugby League was born, incorporating the traditional Sydney clubs, successfully coompelling the Sydney market to follow the newly created national competition. The prospect of a truly national rugby league competition in addition to the introduction of pay television in Australia attracted the attention of global media organisation, News Corporation , and it followed that professional rugby league
5940-458: The One Hundred Minute Epic described in media circles as one of the greatest of the modern era. The 2010 grand final was played between the St. George Illawarra Dragons and the Sydney Roosters . St. George Illawarra won 32–8. This was the first premiership won by the club in its eleven-year existence and the first time in 31 years for the St. George part of the joint venture. After several years of preparation and build up, on 14 December 2010
6050-400: The Super League war. The average attendance record remained until 2010. From 2004 to 2005, there was a 39% increase in sponsorship, a 41% increase in merchandise royalties, and a 12% increase in playing participation. In 2005, Business Review Weekly ranked the NRL 497 in revenue of Australian private companies, with revenue of A$ 66.1m (+7%) with 35 employees. In 2004, Canterbury-Bankstown put
6160-430: The Sydney Football Stadium, winning the one-off test 22–10. The 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup culminated in the World Cup final against New Zealand at Auckland's Eden Park ground (the home of NZ rugby union). Australia won a brutal World Cup final 25–12 in front of 47,363. Captain Wally Lewis broke his arm during the game. In 1989 the Kangaroos toured New Zealand , taking a record-breaking twelve Queenslanders in
6270-496: The allegations. After the second test win Fearnley made 4 changes to the test team for the third and final test at Carlaw Park with all four players were omitted being Queenslanders. The changes proved disastrous and NZ ran out easy 18–0 winners. Following the tour, the Australian Rugby League decided that from then on the Kangaroos coach could not also double as the incumbent coach of either NSW or Qld. Former Kangaroo Don Furner became Australian coach in 1986 and immediately formed
6380-437: The ball on the kick-off and hand the North Queensland side the chance to win which was converted as Johnathan Thurston successfully kicked a field goal to win the match 17–16. The 2016 season saw the Melbourne Storm return to the minor premiership position while the Canberra Raiders returned to the top four for the first time since the 2003. The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and reigning premiers North Queensland would fill out
6490-476: The ball. The French referee Georges Jameau's alleged reason for not awarding the try was that he did not believe anyone could have scored it from an onside position. The World Cup final was tied at 10–10 after full-time and was still locked after extra time. Great Britain were awarded the victory due to a higher points table placing after the pool rounds of the competition. The Final was also highlighted by an 80-metre try to Lions captain, winger Clive Sullivan . On
6600-450: The beginning of the National Rugby League in 1998. The Manly Warringah Rugby League Football Club took over the NRL licence from the Northern Eagles franchise, after the financial bankruptcy of the North Sydney faction made the joint-venture untenable. The Penrith Panthers rose from the bottom of the table to win the Premiership, while the Brisbane club returned to Lang Park mid-year. Season 2004 proved even more successful than 2003, with
6710-487: The competition statewide in New South Wales , it would spell the beginning of the demise of some of the traditional Sydney-based clubs as well as having a negative effect on the Brisbane Rugby League premiership . Following the 1983 season, Sydney foundation club Newtown Jets were ultimately forced to withdraw from the competition because of financial difficulties. Further expansion of the league followed in 1988 , with another three teams based outside Sydney introduced to
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#17327904717466820-417: The competition's name becoming the NRL Telstra Premiership, while in 2002 David Gallop took over the CEO role from David Moffett , and the competition has become more and more popular each season. In 2001 the NRL Grand Final started to be played on Sunday nights, a shift from the traditional Sunday afternoon slot used for over a decade prior. The 2003 season was widely regarded as the most successful since
6930-517: The competition; the Newcastle Knights and the first two Queensland teams, the Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast-Tweed Giants . The Brisbane and Newcastle sides proved to be successful and popular and paved the way towards a push for a truly national competition. This was attempted in 1995 with control of the premiership passing from the NSWRFL to the Australian Rugby League (ARL), who invited four more teams from outside NSW to participate in 1995. Ultimately this competition failed, but in its demise
7040-407: The country, and rugby quickly became the dominant winter sport for Sydney. In 1888, an English team visited Australasia , playing rugby rules in Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand, and Australian rules football in Victoria and South Australia. In 1899, an Australian team was formed using players from Queensland and New South Wales for the first time. They played a series of Tests against
7150-404: The early part of the decade, ultimately collapsing before being resurrected as the New Zealand Warriors for the 2001 season. They made the grand final in 2002 and then again in 2011, losing both encounters to the Sydney Roosters and the re-instated Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, respectively. In 2001, Australia's largest telecommunications provider Telstra became naming rights sponsor of the NRL, with
7260-502: The end of the regular season awarded the minor premiership . This is followed by a finals series contested between the eight highest-placed teams from the regular season. The season culminates in the premiership-deciding grand final . The winners compete in the World Club Challenge against the champions of the English Super League . The reigning premiers are the Penrith Panthers , having won their sixth premiership, and fourth consecutive, in 2024. The New South Wales Rugby League ran
7370-401: The end of the tour, Terry Lamb had become the first player to appear in every match on a Kangaroo Tour. For this tour Wally Lewis, Greg Dowling , Bob Lindner , Gene Miles ( Wynnum Manly ) and Bryan Neibling ( Redcliffe ) became the last players selected to tour from the Brisbane Rugby League competition. By being named as tour captain, Wally Lewis became the first Queenslander to captain
7480-399: The extremely poor showing during their 1979 Australasian tour, the Kangaroos rammed home just how far behind British football had fallen at Boothferry Park . The score was only 10–4 at half time, but after the break Australia's superior fitness showed and ran in six unanswered tries to leave the crowd and British football stunned. In 1983, Arthur Beetson became the first Aboriginal to coach
7590-414: The first test 24–8 in Melbourne in front of 26,900 fans, however a new look Australian side came back to win the second test 44–0 in Sydney and the third test 40–12 in Brisbane. At the end of the 1991 NSWRL season , the Kangaroos embarked on their first (and as of 2017 only) tour of Papua New Guinea , winning all five games on tour including easily both tests against the Papua New Guinea Kumuls. During
7700-442: The first test in Sydney against Australia 27–20 in front of 42,000. They then won the second test in Brisbane 22–17. In Auckland , on 30 July, they defeated New Zealand 52–20. The 1910 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand was the first-ever, and Australia were beaten by the Ashes in two tests, faring slightly better than " Australasia " with two Kiwis added to their squad. The 1911–12 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain
7810-415: The fixture. Played as a curtain raiser to the New Zealand - England Four Nations match. Head coach Played as a curtain raiser to the New Zealand - Papua New Guinea Four Nations match. Head coach Played as a curtain raiser to the Australia - New Zealand pre- Four Nations tournament match. Both coaches agreed to allow an 18th man be used during
7920-516: The game, replacing former state based boards and assuming full control of the NRL from the NRL partnership (comprising the previous ARL board and News Limited ). The current Chairman is Peter V'landys AM. The 2012 Grand Final involved the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Melbourne Storm , this was the first time since 2008 that the first and second placed teams contested the grand final. The Melbourne Storm recorded
8030-520: The grand final contested between Manly and Melbourne. Melbourne won the title 34–8 and the grand final achieved the honour of being the most watched television show in Australia in 2007. Throughout 2008, the NRL celebrated 100 years since rugby league was introduced into Australia, with several initiatives to recognise the important milestone, including an extensive marketing campaign called the 'Centenary of Rugby League'. The competition began in March, with
8140-448: The imposition of the first COVID-19 restrictions, the NRL initially announced it would be moving forward with the season. The decision prompted a wave of condemnation online, including from Australian personalities and sport people. The following day after Queensland closed its borders, the NRL announced that the season would have to be suspended indefinitely. It was feared that some teams would not survive this period without income, as it
8250-419: The inclusion of two Friday night games. Both of which turned out to be ratings successes. Another change from the previous seasons was a reduction in the number of byes per team in the season. With an odd number of teams contesting between 2002 and 2006, the draw meant that at least one team would have to have a bye each weekend. With the inclusion of the 16th team for the 2007 season, the National Rugby League had
8360-487: The like. It was also announced that clubs that merged would receive a large sum of money, as well as a guaranteed position in the 2000 NRL Competition. The St. George Dragons and the Illawarra Steelers were the first clubs to take up the offer, forming the joint-venture St. George Illawarra Dragons at the end of the 1998 season. The 1999 Grand Final brought about a new official world record attendance for
8470-639: The major rugby league competition of New South Wales from its inception in 1908 until 1994 . Following the introduction of a new format for interstate rugby league, the State of Origin series in 1980, the decade of the 1980s brought about expansion of the NSWRL premiership , with the introduction of commercial sponsorship, the Winfield Cup , and the addition of non-Sydney-based teams, Canberra and Illawarra in 1982. Although this move brought more interest in
8580-413: The match. Head coach Played as a curtain raiser to the Australia - New Zealand end of year Test match. Head coach Head coach Head coach Played as a curtain raiser to the Papua New Guinea - Fiji Melanesian Cup match and the Samoa - Tonga Polynesian Cup match. Head coach Played as
8690-559: The name 'Kangaroos' for the July test against France, since then the team has been officially known by this name. The 1994 Kangaroo tour was also the first (and only) time that the traditional Australian test kit was only worn during test matches. For the tour games, including the friendly against Wales in Cardiff (the first time Australia had played Wales in 12 years), the Kangaroos wore jumpers that had increasing thickness gold hoops underneath
8800-637: The new body. The 2011 grand final was contested between the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the New Zealand Warriors . This was the second grand final involving the New Zealand Warriors. Manly recorded a 24–10 win claiming their second premiership under head coach Des Hasler . On 10 February 2012, the independent commission, known as the Australian Rugby League Commission assumed control of all levels of
8910-439: The option of reverting to back to the system used between 2000 and 2001 where every team played each round. That system was not used however, with teams were given just a single bye during the year, grouped in periods that will assist clubs around representative fixtures. The opening round saw two matches at Brisbane's Lang Park , the first featuring reigning champions Brisbane against fellow Queensland side North Queensland, while
9020-440: The powerful French team inspired by their freakish goal kicking fullback Puig Aubert . The 1954 Rugby League World Cup was the first tournament held in either rugby code. Australia failed to reach the final. For the 1956–57 Kangaroo tour a record eleven Queenslanders were selected in the touring squad. Great Britain defeated Australia 19–0 at Station Road , Swinton , to take the Ashes series 2–1. Australia hosted and won
9130-432: The record for the highest winning margin in a grand final (although the club formerly known as St. George Dragons were beaten 38–0 in 1975 and using the modern point scale of 4-point tries, this would amount to 46–0.) Furthermore, it was the first time a team had been kept scoreless in a Grand Final since 1978. The 2009 season marked the beginning of the second century of rugby league in Australia. The grand final that year
9240-618: The same name. In 1909, when the new " Northern Union " code was still in its infancy in Australia, a match between the Kangaroos and the Wallabies was played before a crowd of around 20,000, with the Rugby League side winning 29–26. The first British tour of the Southern Hemisphere began on 4 June 1910, when the Northern Union played New South Wales in front of 33,000 spectators in Sydney, losing 28–14. But they won
9350-789: The second Test at Carlaw Park , Auckland . The Test was a 20,000 sell-out, with all tickets accounted for weeks before the match. The Kiwis dominated long periods of the game but ninety seconds from time the Kiwis lost possession close to half way. John Ribot scored a try and Australia won 10–6. The tour ended in acrimony as tensions between coach Fearley and the Qld players, led by team captain Wally Lewis, reached boiling point with Lewis publicly stating that he had caught Fearnley and team vice-captain Wayne Pearce going over team selections in Fearnley's hotel room. However, both Fearnley and Pearce denied
9460-405: The second match featured the new club, the Gold Coast, playing St. George Illawarra. The weather during the middle of the season was less than ideal, with cyclonic conditions severely affecting many NRL games played in Sydney and Newcastle. The 2007 finals series saw the South Sydney Rabbitohs return to finals football for the first time in decades. The season culminated on 30 September 2007, with
9570-496: The series 2–1 in Australia. Out of 24 games played Great Britain won 22, drew one and lost one – making them the most successful British tourists so far. The 1970 Lions contained a galaxy of stars including captain Frank Myler , Roger Millward , Cliff Watson and Mal Reilly . Future Kangaroo Tour captain and later coach Bob Fulton made his test debut in the 1970 Ashes series (Fulton had actually played 3 games for Australia in
9680-567: The series in the famous decider, the "Rorke's Drift Test". Australia also went on a tour of New Zealand in 1919. The 1920 Great Britain Lions tour saw Australia win the Ashes for the first time on home soil. Crowds were massive, including nearly 70,000 at the first Tour match versus Sydney. The 1921–22 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain also included a New Zealander and was ostensibly an Australasian side . In January 1922, an "England" side defeated Australia 6–0 at The Willows , Salford , to win back
9790-559: The third Australian (after Ken Irvine in 1962 and 1963–64, and Sam Backo in 1988) to score a try in each test of an Ashes series. Australia faced New Zealand in a three-game mid-season Test series in 1991. The first test, played at the Olympic Park Stadium in Melbourne (the first rugby league test played in Australia outside of NSW or Qld) saw the Kiwis again defeat Australia after a successful Kangaroo tour. NZ won
9900-466: The third test at Headingley, legendary winger Ken Irvine became the first Australian player to score a try in each test of an Ashes series. The Kangaroos have not lost a series in Britain since. Harry Bath coached the national side to World Cup glory in the 1968 World Cup . He also coached the team on a tour of New Zealand in 1969. The last time that Great Britain won the Ashes was in 1970. They won
10010-539: The top four. The season continued a trend of the minor premiership not being decided to the final round, the fourth consecutive year. The 2016 Grand Final was contested between the Melbourne Storm and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks , it was the Cronulla's fourth grand final appearance while it was the seventh for the Melbourne club. The match was a tight affair and was not settled until after the siren had sounded. The Cronulla-Sutherland claimed their first premiership ending
10120-445: The traditional clubs that had moved to the Super League competition back into a re-unified competition. Following a period of negotiation with News Corporation, on 23 September 1997 the ARL announced that it was forming a new company to conduct the competition in 1998. On 7 October News' Manaaki Ranginui announced that he was confident that there would be a single competition in 1998. On 19 December, representatives of clubs affiliated with
10230-475: The twin gold chevrons. The Australian team that contested and won the 1995 Rugby League World Cup consisted only of players from clubs that remained loyal to the Australian Rugby League during the Super League war . This meant several Super League-aligned clubs that were already well-established internationals were not selected for the World Cup squad. During 1995, the Kangaroos defeated New Zealand 3–0 in
10340-492: The wing and centre kicked for Lyons to score. With the scores tied at 10-all going into injury time and the Kangaroos pinned just 15 metres from their line, Ricky Stuart set off on a 75-metre run before passing to Meninga winning try only seconds from full-time to give Australia a 14–10 win. The Kangaroos then wrapped up The Ashes with a comprehensive 14–0 win in the third test at Elland Road in Leeds. Meninga as captain became just
10450-555: The year. The 1994 Kangaroo Tour was the last time the Australian national team played matches against British provincial teams, in addition to the Tests. Australia continued its dominance, winning both Test series against Great Britain and France, suffering only one loss (again, against Great Britain in the First Test at Wembley), and remained undefeated against British club outfits in a streak stretching back to 1978. Australia adopted
10560-456: Was a national selector in 1946 and coach of the national side for the 1946 first post-WWII Anglo-Australian series. Australia's 1948-49 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France was their seventh tour to the UK. They played the Ashes series against a side officially called Great Britain. During the 1951 French rugby league tour of Australia and New Zealand , Australia lost the three-Test series to
10670-500: Was a significant milestone in the history of the NRL, as two interstate teams (teams not from New South Wales, the "heartland" of the NRL) contested the grand final for the first time. In the city of Melbourne, whose team was playing in their second grand final, the game's television ratings were higher than in Sydney where the game was played. Crowds were down on 2005, however were better than any other year prior to that. In its tenth season
10780-522: Was a tight game with the Lions leading 6–4 with less than 20 minutes remaining before an on debut Steve Renouf crossed for the only try of the game and along with Meninga's sideline conversion gave the Kangaroos a famous victory. Australia again played a mid-season test series against New Zealand in 1993. The first test at the Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland ended in a 14-all draw thanks to
10890-461: Was contested by the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs . This was South Sydney's first grand final appearance since 1971. South Sydney would break their 43-year premiership drought with a 30–6 victory. The 2015 season saw the return of the Queensland juggernauts, The North Queensland Cowboys and the Brisbane Broncos who would finish inside the top four and contest
11000-519: Was established in 1947. Australia national rugby league team The Australian national rugby league team , the Kangaroos , have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competitions since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League Commission , the Kangaroos are ranked first in the IRL Men's World Rankings . The team
11110-428: Was first assembled in 1908 for a tour of Great Britain . The majority of the Kangaroos' games since then have been played against Great Britain and New Zealand. In the first half of the 20th century, Australia's international competition came from alternating tours to Great Britain and New Zealand. Australia played host to these teams in non-tour years. Great Britain dominated in the early years, and Australia did not win
11220-478: Was foreseen as a financial catastrophe. On 9 April 2020, ARL Commissioner Wayne Pearce announced the NRL would return on 28 May. The announcement came under heavy criticism from the Government of New South Wales and health officials, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian saying she had not approved a return. However, the NRL released documents signed by NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller, showing approval for
11330-611: Was played between the Parramatta Eels and once again Melbourne Storm . Melbourne defeated Parramatta 23 – 16 to win the premiership to make it two premierships out of the last four grand finals for the Melbourne side. In 2010 the Inaugural All Stars Match was held on 13 February, in conjunction with the Sorry Day reconciliation anniversary to promote rugby league's long association and involvement with
11440-600: Was played between the Sydney Roosters and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles with the Roosters recording a 26–18 victory. The 2014 season started with the introduction of the Auckland Nines and was marred by the handing down of a million dollar fine to the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks for their role in the ASADA scandal while head coach Shane Flanagan was suspended for the entirety of the 2014 season. The 2014 Grand Final
11550-536: Was replaced as coach in 1984 by a returning Frank Stanton. In 1985, Australia made a six-match tour of New Zealand under the coaching of Terry Fearnley who before the tour had coached NSW to its first ever Origin series win over Qld (the tour actually took place between games 2 and 3 of the Origin series). The Kangaroos won five of those matches, and the Test series 2–1. Australia won the first Test in Brisbane 26–20. On Sunday 30 June 1985, Australia met New Zealand in
11660-473: Was selected manager, coach and as the sole selector for the Australian national team's 1962 Ashes series. After ten previous tours of Britain, the 1963–64 Kangaroo tour saw Australia's first ever Ashes victory on British soil. The Arthur Summons coached Kangaroos won the first test at Wembley Stadium before rampaging to a famous 50–12 win in the second test at Station Road in Swinton . Although they lost
11770-660: Was shaken to its very foundations in the mid-1990s with the advent of the Super League war . Initially a conflict over broadcasting rights, it became a dispute as to who controlled the sport and which traditional clubs would survive into the new national era, as News Limited formed their own Super League and admitted some former ARL clubs, poaching players from the original ARL league with high salaries. With twenty-two teams of highly varying quality playing in two competitions that year, crowd attendances and corporate sponsorships were spread very thinly, and many teams found themselves in financial difficulty. The ARL undertook moves to invite
11880-580: Was the Sydney Roosters, dropping the City section of their name for the 2000 season and beyond. Souths were controversially axed from the competition at the end of 1999 for failing to meet the criteria. This move was highly controversial and on 12 November 2000 about 80,000 marched in protest at their continued exclusion. South Sydney challenged the decision in the Federal Court claiming that
11990-402: Was undertaken by an ' Australasian ' squad that included four New Zealanders. They won the Ashes for the first time, and for the next half century, no other touring team did do so on British soil. The 1914 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand was the second time the British toured down under. The Australians, captained by Sid Deane for all three tests, got one victory but lost
12100-511: Was won by Great Britain. The first test of the 1932 Ashes series between Australia and Great Britain drew a world record international rugby league attendance of 70,204 to the Sydney Cricket Ground . This attendance stood as the world record until the 1992 World Cup final played at Wembley Stadium , and as of 2013 remains the record attendance for a rugby league test played in Australia. The Jim Sullivan led Lions triumphed over
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