| 2011 Four Nations | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Host countries | England Wales |
| Winner | Australia |
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| Matches played | 7 |
| Attendance | 128,065 (18,295 per match) |
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The 2011 Rugby League Four Nations tournament (also known as the 2011 Gillette Rugby League Four Nations due to sponsorship by Gillette) was the third staging of the Rugby League Four Nations tournament and was played in England and Wales during October and November 2011. The series was contested by regular contestants Australia, England and New Zealand, in addition to Wales, who had qualified for their first Four Nations by winning the 2010 European Cup.[1] The tournament saw the return of international rugby league to London's Wembley Stadium for the first time since 1997, with a double-header played on 5 November 2011. Australia won the tournament, defeating England in the final at Elland Road, Leeds, on 19 November 2011. The match was the last of the 17-year professional career of Australia's captain Darren Lockyer.
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The 2011 tournament was the third of three Four Nations series planned before the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, with the venues rotating between Europe and the South Pacific. There will be no Four Nations in 2012 due to teams preparing for the World Cup.[2][3]
In addition to automatic inclusions Australia, England and New Zealand, Wales qualified for the tournament by defeating France in the final of the 2010 European Cup.
| Team | Coach | Captain | RLIF Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Tim Sheens | Darren Lockyer | 1 |
| England | Steve McNamara | Jamie Peacock | 3 |
| New Zealand | Stephen Kearney | Benji Marshall | 2 |
| Wales | Iestyn Harris | Lee Briers | 7 |
The touring squad was announced on 3 October:[5]
1 Glenn Stewart was selected in the squad, however withdrew for compasionate reasons. He was replaced by Beau Scott.[6]
2 Brett Stewart was selected in the squad, however withdrew due to injury. He was replaced by Willie Tonga.
3 David Taylor was selected in the squad, however withdrew due to injury. He was replaced by Josh Morris.
The England squad for the 2011 Four Nations:[7]
The Kiwis announced their 23-man touring squad on 4 October.[8]
1 Steve Matai was originally selected but withdrew due to injury. He was replaced by Krisnan Inu.[9] Inu later withdrew for family reasons and was replaced by Bill Tupou.[10]
2 Manu Vatuvei was originally selected but withdrew due to injury. He was replaced by Kalifa Faifai Loa.[9]
3 Shaun Johnson was originally selected but withdrew due to injury. He was replaced by Elijah Taylor.[9]
The Welsh training squad was named on 14 September.[11]
Australia and New Zealand opened the tournament in Warrington, less than two weeks after Australia defeated New Zealand in a warm-up Test in Newcastle, Australia, 42–6. Australia fielded the same line-up. Australia's usual left-side centre, Greg Inglis, had been named on an extended bench but failed to make the final squad for the match, due to suffering from a knee injury.[13] New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney brought Ben Matulino and Sika Manu into his starting line-up, replacing the suspended Russell Packer and Alex Glenn, who returned to the bench.[14]
Australia dominated the first half of the match, taking a 16–0 lead. Prop Matthew Scott scored the opening try, his first in international rugby league, barging over the try line from close range. Substitute forward Tony Williams scored Australia's second try, also his first for the Kangaroos, before an exchange of passes between him and Johnathan Thurston set Thurston up for Australia's third. After half-time, New Zealand pulled their way back into the match with tries to Jason Nightingale and Kalifa Faifai Loa but Australia secured victory with late tries to Darius Boyd and Akuila Uate.[15]
| 28 October 2011 8:00pm (BST) |
Australia | 26 – 12 | New Zealand | Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington, England [16] Attendance: 12,491 Referee/s: Phil Bentham Man of the Match: Sam Thaiday[17] |
| Tries Scott (3') 1 Williams (29') 1 Thurston (37') 1 Boyd (65') 1 Uate (77') 1 Goals Thurston 3/5 (4', 30', 66') |
Tries 1 (48') Nightingale 1 (56') Faifai Loa Goals 2/2 (49', 52') Marshall |
Teams
AUSTRALIA: 1. Billy Slater 2. Akuila Uate 3. Willie Tonga 4. Chris Lawrence 5. Darius Boyd 6. Darren Lockyer (c) 7. Johnathan Thurston 8. Paul Gallen 9. Cameron Smith 10. Matthew Scott 11. Luke Lewis 12. Sam Thaiday 13. Anthony Watmough 14. Cooper Cronk 15. Keith Galloway 16. David Shillington 17. Tony Williams
NEW ZEALAND: 1. Kevin Locke 2. Kalifa Faifai Loa 3. Lewis Brown 4. Gerard Beale 5. Jason Nightingale 6. Benji Marshall (c) 7. Kieran Foran 8. Ben Matulino 9. Issac Luke 10. Sam McKendry 11. Sika Manu 12. Simon Mannering 13. Jeremy Smith 14. Thomas Leuluai 15. Fuifui Moimoi 16. Alex Glenn 17. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
England and Wales opened their tournament campaigns in a match in Leigh, the day after the match between Australia and New Zealand. Wales entered the tournament as underdogs, naming eight semi-professional players in their 17-man squad. As expected, England dominated the match, winning 42–4 and scoring eight tries to one. England fullback Sam Tomkins scored four tries, including one in the opening minute of the match, although England's coach Steve McNamara singled out stand-off Kevin Sinfield for his creative performance.[18]
| 29 October 2011 2:30pm (BST) |
England | 42 – 4 | Wales | Leigh Sports Village, Leigh, England [16] Attendance: 10,377 Referee/s: Henry Perenara Man of the Match: Sam Tomkins[19] |
| Tries Tomkins 4 (1', 16', 50', 59') Yeaman (22') 1 Reed (54') 1 Heighington (76') 1 Widdop (80') 1 Goals 5/8 Sinfield (17', 51', 60', 77', 80') |
Tries 1 (66') Kear (66') Goals |
Teams
ENGLAND: 1. Sam Tomkins 2. Ryan Hall 3. Jack Reed 4. Kirk Yeaman 5. Tom Briscoe 6. Kevin Sinfield 7. Rangi Chase 8. James Graham 9. James Roby 10. Jamie Peacock (c) 11. Gareth Ellis 12. Ben Westwood 13. Chris Heighington 14. Gareth Widdop 15. Adrian Morley 16. Jamie Jones-Buchanan 17. Jon Wilkin
WALES: 1. Danny Jones 2. Elliot Kear 3. Ian Webster 4. Christiaan Roets 5. Rhys Williams 6. Lee Briers (c) 7. Matt Seamark 8. Jordan James 9. Neil Budworth 10. Gil Dudson 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Andy Bracek 13. Ben Flower 14. Ian Watson 15. Ross Divorty 16. Aled James 17. Craig Kopczak
This round consisted of a double header at Wembley Stadium, featuring England vs Australia and Wales vs New Zealand.[20] The two matches would be the first internationals played at Wembley since 1997, thus making the matches the first Tests held at the reconstructed stadium.[21]
New Zealand made a series of changes to their side following their defeat by Australia in the tournament's opening match. After receiving criticism in the media for a "cannonball tackle" (where the tackler deliberately throws his body into the legs of a standing ball-player) in that match, Issac Luke was removed from the team and replaced as the starting hooker by Thomas Leuluai. Adam Blair returned to the starting line-up having served a five-match suspension arising from the National Rugby League season, while 21-year-old Elijah Taylor was selected to make his international debut from the substitute's bench.[22]
Reflecting on the comparative experience of the Wales side, The Guardian commented after the match that "[t]here was never any doubt that New Zealand would win". The Kiwis won 36–0, scoring seven tries.[23] Wales' coach Iestyn Harris praised his side for their "physical" performance and said that he did not believe the score "reflected the difference between the two sides".[24]
| 5 November 2011 1:00pm (GMT) |
Wales | 0 – 36 | New Zealand | Wembley Stadium, London, England [16] Attendance: 42,344 Referee/s: Matt Cecchin Man of the Match: Thomas Leuluai[25] |
| Tries 2 (20', 32') Manu 2 (39', 62') Beale 1 (5') Nightingale 1 (13') Locke 1 (75') Fien Goals 4/7 Marshall (21', 33', 40', 77') |
Teams
WALES: 1. Danny Jones 2. Elliot Kear 3. Ian Webster 4. Christiaan Roets 5. Rhys Williams 6. Lee Briers (c) 7. Lloyd White 8. Jordan James 9. Neil Budworth 10. Gil Dudson 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Chris Beasley 13. Ben Flower 14. Ian Watson 15. Andy Bracek 16. Ross Divorty 17. Craig Kopczak
NEW ZEALAND: 1. Kevin Locke 2. Gerard Beale 3. Lewis Brown 4. Alex Glenn 5. Jason Nightingale 6. Benji Marshall (c) 7. Kieran Foran 8. Sam McKendry 9. Thomas Leuluai 10. Ben Matulino 11. Sika Manu 12. Adam Blair 13. Jeremy Smith 14. Nathan Fien 15. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 16. Fuifui Moimoi 17. Elijah Taylor
England's coach Steve McNamara made no changes to the team that defeated Wales in the opening round of the tournament.[26] Centre Willie Tonga was ruled out of the Australian team with injury; he was replaced by Greg Inglis, who returned to fitness following surgery to his knee at the end of the National Rugby League season.[27]
It was the first international rugby league match played at Wembley since the opener of the Super League Test series between Great Britain and Australia. In that match England coach Steve McNamara was a substitute and Australian captain Darren Lockyer was making his British debut as a young fullback.
| 5 November 2011 3:30pm (GMT) |
England | 20 – 36 | Australia | Wembley Stadium, London, England [16] Attendance: 42,344 Referee/s: Henry Perenara Man of the Match: Johnathan Thurston[28] |
| Tries Hall (11', 40') 2 Reed (60') 1 Heighington (77') 1 Goals Sinfield 2/4 (62', 77') |
Tries 1 (17') Lewis 1 (30') Williams 1 (44') Inglis 1 (53') Gallen 1 (73') Boyd 1 (79') Lawrence Goals 6/6 Thurston (19', 32', 45', 55', 74', 80') |
Teams
ENGLAND: 1. Sam Tomkins 2. Ryan Hall 3. Jack Reed 4. Kirk Yeaman 5. Tom Briscoe 6. Kevin Sinfield 7. Rangi Chase 8. James Graham 9. James Roby 10. Jamie Peacock (c) 11. Gareth Ellis 12. Ben Westwood 13. Chris Heighington 14. Gareth Widdop 15. Adrian Morley 16. Jamie Jones-Buchanan 17. Jon Wilkin
AUSTRALIA: 1. Billy Slater 2. Akuila Uate 3. Chris Lawrence 4. Greg Inglis 5. Darius Boyd 6. Darren Lockyer (c) 7. Johnathan Thurston 8. Paul Gallen 9. Cameron Smith 10. Matthew Scott 11. Luke Lewis 12. Sam Thaiday 13. Anthony Watmough 14. Cooper Cronk 15. Keith Galloway 16. David Shillington 17. Tony Williams
England winger Ryan Hall scored the match's opening try. For Australia, the try cost more than four points: fullback Billy Slater broke his collarbone trying to shoulder-charge Hall as he dived over the line, ruling him out of the rest of the tournament just days after he was named the Rugby League International Federation's player of the year. Australia quickly took the lead with a converted try to makeshift winger Luke Lewis, and took an eight point lead when substitute forward Tony Williams barged over the try line. A second try to Hall just before half-time ensured England went into the break only four points behind. However, tries to Greg Inglis and Paul Gallen extended Australia's lead early in the second half, and the Kangaroos won the match 36–20 to qualify for the tournament's final regardless of the outcome of their third round match against Wales.[29]
England and New Zealand clashed on 12 November in Hull to determine who would qualify for the tournament's final against Australia. England half-back Rangi Chase played against the country of his birth for the first time, and alleged after the match that he was subjected to verbal abuse by New Zealand players over his decision to represent England.[30]
England dominated the match, winning 28–6. It took them 28 minutes to score, through winger Tom Briscoe, and they took an 8–0 lead into half-time after Kevin Sinfield converted Briscoe's try and kicked a penalty goal. Early in the second half, England's other winger Ryan Hall scored his third try of the tournament, giving England a 14–0 lead. While New Zealand reduced England's lead through a try to Jason Nightingale, England secured victory and a place in the tournament's final with another Sinfield penalty goal and a converted try to James Graham.[31]
| 12 November 2011 06.00pm (GMT) |
England | 28 – 6 | New Zealand | KC Stadium, Hull, England [16] Attendance: 23,447[32] Man of the Match: Kevin Sinfield[33] |
| Tries Briscoe Hall Graham Tomkins Goals Sinfield 6/6 |
Tries Nightingale Goals Marshall 1/1 |
Teams
ENGLAND: 1. Sam Tomkins 2. Ryan Hall 3. Jack Reed 4. Kirk Yeaman 5. Tom Briscoe 6. Kevin Sinfield 7. Rangi Chase 8. James Graham 9. James Roby 10. Jamie Peacock (c) 11. Jon Wilkin 12. Ben Westwood 13. Chris Heighington 14. Gareth Widdop 15. Adrian Morley 16. Jamie Jones-Buchanan 17. Gareth Carvell
NEW ZEALAND: 1. Kevin Locke 2. Gerard Beale 3. Lewis Brown 4. Simon Mannering 5. Jason Nightingale 6. Benji Marshall (c) 7. Kieran Foran 8. Ben Matulino 9. Thomas Leuluai 17. Russell Packer 11. Sika Manu 10. Adam Blair 13. Jeremy Smith 12. Alex Glenn 14. Issac Luke 16. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 18. Elijah Taylor
The final match of the group stage was a dead rubber, with Australia already having qualified for the tournament's final and Wales having no chance of joining them. That being the case, Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens made significant changes to the Australian side, bringing backup members of the touring squad into the starting lineup and allowing some first-team players to rest. Cameron Smith captained the side; Corey Parker, Beau Scott and Daly Cherry-Evans were given their Test debuts. For Wales, captain Lee Briers would make his final Test appearance, having announced before the match that he would retire from international rugby league.[34]
Wales shocked Australia by taking an early 8–0 lead through tries to Rhys Williams and Elliot Kear. It took the Kangaroos until just before half-time to recover the deficit with one try to Cameron Smith and a quick double to stand-in five-eighth Cooper Cronk. Cronk completed his hat-trick in the second half as Australia scored seven tries to nil, winning the match 56–14.[34]
| 13 November 2011 5:45pm (GMT) |
Wales | 14 – 56 | Australia | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales [16] Attendance: 5,233 Man of the Match: Darius Boyd[34] |
| Tries Williams (10') 1 Kear (14') 1 James (49') 1 Goals Briers 1/3 (51') |
Tries 3 (38', 40', 69') Cronk 1 (25') Smith 1 (41') Cherry-Evans 1 (45') Boyd 1 (59') Thurston 1 (63') Inglis 1 (66') Yow Yeh 1 (73') Morris Goals 8/9 (26', 39', 40', 42', 47', 60', 64', 70') Thurston |
Teams
WALES: 1. Danny Jones 2. Elliot Kear 3. Ian Webster 4. Christiaan Roets 5. Rhys Williams 6. Lee Briers (c) 7. Lloyd White 8. Jordan James 9. Neil Budworth 10. Craig Kopczak 11. Chris Beasley 12. Andy Bracek 13. Ben Flower 14. Mark Lennon 15. Ross Divorty 16. Aled James 17. Gil Dudson
AUSTRALIA: 1. Darius Boyd 2. Josh Morris 3. Greg Inglis 4. Chris Lawrence 5. Jharal Yow Yeh 6. Cooper Cronk 7. Johnathan Thurston 8. Keith Galloway 9. Cameron Smith (c) 10. David Shillington 15. Anthony Watmough 12. Beau Scott 13. Corey Parker 14. Daly Cherry-Evans 16. Paul Gallen 17. Matthew Scott 18. Sam Thaiday
The tournament's final was held at Elland Road, Leeds on 19 November 2011, between Australia and England. Australian Matt Cecchin was appointed to referee the match, which caused England's coach Steve McNamara to question the method by which referees were selected for such matches.[35]
The match would mark the end of the career of Australia's captain Darren Lockyer, making his 59th international appearance over 15 years.[36] England was seeking to defeat Australia in a tournament final for the first time since 1972, when Great Britain won the World Cup.[37]
A tight first half of the match ended with Australia taking an 8–6 lead. Sam Thaiday had scored Australia's first try, while Ryan Hall equalised for England, being awarded a penalty try. Australia's Johnathan Thurston kicked a penalty goal just before half-time to lead by two points. It was not until the 57th minute that Australia scored the match's next try, through Jharal Yow Yeh. Then the floodgates opened for Australia: tries to Thurston, Greg Inglis and, in the final minute of the match, Lockyer, secured a 30–8 win.[36]
| 19 November 2011 6:00pm (GMT) |
Australia | 30 – 8 | England | Elland Road, Leeds, England [16] Attendance: 34,174 Referee/s: Matt Cecchin Man of the Match: Johnathan Thurston[36] |
| Tries Thaiday (4') 1 Yow Yeh (57') 1 Thurston (63') 1 Inglis (69') 1 Lockyer (80') 1 Goals Thurston 5/5 (6', 40', 59', 64', 70') Lockyer 0/1 |
Tries 1 (36') Hall Goals 2/2 (38', 52') Sinfield |
Teams
AUSTRALIA: 1. Darius Boyd 2. Akuila Uate 3. Greg Inglis 4. Chris Lawrence 5. Jharal Yow Yeh 6. Darren Lockyer (c) 7. Johnathan Thurston 10. Matthew Scott 9. Cameron Smith 16. David Shillington 11. Luke Lewis 12. Sam Thaiday 8. Paul Gallen 14. Anthony Watmough 14. Cooper Cronk 15. Keith Galloway 17. Tony Williams
ENGLAND: 1. Sam Tomkins 2. Ryan Hall 3. Jack Reed 4. Kirk Yeaman 5. Tom Briscoe 6. Kevin Sinfield 7. Rangi Chase 8. James Graham 9. James Roby 10. Jamie Peacock (c) 11. Jon Wilkin 12. Gareth Ellis 13. Ben Westwood 14. Gareth Widdop 15. Adrian Morley 16. Jamie Jones-Buchanan 17. Gareth Carvell
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 118 | 46 | +72 | 6 |
| 2 | England | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 90 | 46 | +44 | 4 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Wales | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 134 | −116 | 0 |
| 2011 Four Nations top pointscorers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | T | G | FG | Pts | ||||
| 1 | Johnathan Thurston | Australia | 3 | 22 | 0 | 56 | |||
| 2 | Kevin Sinfield | England | 0 | 15 | 0 | 30 | |||
| 3 | Sam Tomkins | England | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | |||
| 4 | Ryan Hall | England | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |||
| 5 | Benji Marshall | New Zealand | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | |||
Before the series, England played a Test match against France, New Zealand and Australia played a test in Newcastle before heading to Great Britain, and Wales played Ireland in Neath.[38][39][40]
New Zealand were originally scheduled to play a Test match against the Cook Islands on 7 October, however this was called off due to the unavailability of 29 frontline players.[41][42][43][44]
| 16 October 2011 4:00pm (AEDT) |
Australia | 42 – 6 | New Zealand | Ausgrid Stadium, Newcastle, Australia Attendance: 32,890 Referee/s: Phil Bentham |
| Tries Uate (3', 7') 2 Boyd (13', 70') 2 Lawrence (20', 34') 2 Galloway (63') 1 Tonga (68') 1 Goals Thurston 4/7 (9', 15', 21, 72') C Smith (64') 1/1 |
Match details | Tries 1 (56') Locke Goals 1/1 (57') Luke |
AUSTRALIA: 1. Billy Slater 2. Akuila Uate 3. Willie Tonga 4. Chris Lawrence 5. Darius Boyd 6. Darren Lockyer (c) 7. Johnathan Thurston 8. Paul Gallen 9. Cameron Smith 10. Matthew Scott 11. Luke Lewis 12. Sam Thaiday 13. Anthony Watmough Int: 14. Cooper Cronk 15. Keith Galloway 16. David Shillington 17. Tony Williams
NEW ZEALAND: 1. Kevin Locke 2. Kalifa Faifai Loa 3. Lewis Brown 4. Gerard Beale 5. Jason Nightingale 6. Benji Marshall (c) 7. Kieran Foran 8. Russell Packer 9. Nathan Fien 10. Sam McKendry 11. Alex Glenn 12. Simon Mannering 13. Jeremy Smith Int: 14. Issac Luke 15. Fuifui Moimoi 16. Sika Manu 17. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
| 21 October 2011 8:45pm (CET) |
France | 18 – 32 | England | Parc des Sports, Avignon, France Attendance: 16,866 Referee/s: Matt Cecchin |
| Tries Elima (17') 1 Pelissier (71') 1 Duport (74') 1 Goals Bosc (17', 71', 74') 3/3 |
Match details | Tries 2 (34', 50') Briscoe 1 (2') Hall 1 (30') Yeaman 1 (39') Roby 1 (68') Reed Goals 4/6 (30', 39', 50', 68') Sinfield |
FRANCE: 1. Cyril Stacul 2. Vincent Duport 3. Jean-Philippe Baile 4. Mathias Pala 5. Frédéric Vaccari 6. Dane Chisholm 7. Thomas Bosc 8. David Ferriol 9. Gregory Mounis 10. Remi Casty 11. Olivier Elima (c) 12. Cyril Gossard 13. Jason Baitieri Int: 14. Eloi Pelissier 15. Djamel Fakir 16. Michael Simon 17. Sebastien Raguin
ENGLAND: 1. Sam Tomkins 2. Ryan Hall 3. Jack Reed 4. Kirk Yeaman 5. Tom Briscoe 6. Kevin Sinfield 7. Rangi Chase 8. Jamie Peacock (c) 9. James Roby 10. James Graham 11. Gareth Ellis 12. Ben Westwood 13. Chris Heighington 14. Gareth Widdop 15. Adrian Morley 16. Jamie Jones-Buchanan 17. Jon Wilkin
| 22 October 2011 6:00pm (GMT) |
Wales | 30 – 6 | Ireland | The Gnoll, Neath, Wales Attendance: 2,265 Referee/s: Thierry Alibert |
| Tries: Gay (2') 1 Roets (27') 1 Frizell (30') 1 Lennon (42'} 1 Kear (45') 1 James (70') 1 Goals: Webster (27', 42', 70') 3/5 White 0/1 |
Match Details | Tries: 1 (77') Bergin Goals: 1/1 (77') Finn |
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