TO: NZRL Staff, Districts and Affiliates and Board

FROM: Cushla Dawson

DATE: 25 November 2008

RE: Media Summary Saturday 15 November to Tuesday 25 November 2008

Kiwis are content to polish the silverware: KEEP your opinions to yourselves and we will keep the World Cup. The message from across the ditch was yesterday loud and clear following revelations will be investigated for verbally abusing referee the morning after the Kangaroos' disastrous defeat. general manager Peter Cordtz said were too busy enjoying the historic victory and the prestigious silverware to worry about the controversy whipped up in or Stuart's opinions.

Stuart to be investigated over abuse claims: Australian coach Ricky Stuart will be formally investigated following a complaint he abused World Cup referee Ashley Klein and a top England official after Saturday night's shock World Cup final loss to New Zealand. Rugby League International Federation chairman Colin Love confirmed the RLIF would follow-up on a complaint from England's director of referees Stuart Cummings that he and Klein were abused by Stuart in the foyer of the team's hotel the morning after the Kiwis downed the Kangaroos 34-20.

The real loss for Rugby League: I'll declare from the outset that I'm from an AFL state, . ....and while we support Storm to the hilt, the focus here is very much on the AFL. It borders on being an obsession. But you don't have to have too much of the Rugby League smarts about you to know a bunch of sore losers when you see them. The fallout from Australia's loss to New Zealand in Saturday night's final of the World Cup has been both staggering and sad.

Kangaroos point finger at ref: Australian prop has hit out at the penalty ruling which helped send New Zealand on the road to victory in Saturday night's final. Kite left no doubts as to his perceptions of video referee 's decision late in the second half of New Zealand's 34-20 win which put them eight points up with time running out.

On top of the world: Twenty-four exhausted but ecstatic Kiwis were pinching themselves in Suncorp Stadium's visitors' dressing room, coming to grips with the knowledge that they were now world champions. New Zealand had never won a rugby league World Cup, never even beaten Australia in a World Cup game. Eight games to zip the swaggering Kangaroos had won against the Kiwis since the Tri-Nations final in 2005, but the mouse had roared again in one of New Zealand sport's great upsets.

What the Aussie media are saying: For some reason, sports writers prefer to talk about cricket this morning, rather than their beloved rugby league. Funny, that. Conspiracy claims and rumours of coach Ricky Stuart's imminent departure dominated the Morning Herald's league coverage.

New World Order: So, a marvellous end to a fantastic five weeks has seen a shift in power at the top of international rugby league, and with due deference to the deposed Aussies, the significance of the final outcome cannot - and should not - be underestimated. If what had gone before, whether it be the pride of , the endeavour shown by the Irish, the historic first World Cup win for Scotland, or fantastic , all of those notable performers were put in the shade by Saturday's superb win for the Kiwis.

Physio revels in cup success: physiotherapist Karl McDonald did not sleep on Saturday night, but he was not complaining of tiredness yesterday. McDonald has been the team's physio for a year - and he revelled in the Kiwis' shock 34-20 win against Australia in the Rugby League World Cup final.

Dean Lonergan: Kiwis' success should Sparc rethink from bureaucrats: The Kiwis' win over Australia in the World Cup final is the biggest upset and the most-important result in New Zealand rugby league history. To a man, the Kiwis team were magnificent. After an up-and-down tournament where they kept producing a high mistake rate but were also managing to win, there was no one bar themselves who gave them any chance of beating what was regarded as one of the best-ever Australian sides. Myself included. No regrets with 'Kiwi' Bennett: NO REGRETS! That was the motivation behind Saturday night's shock World Cup defeat of Australia, which earned New Zealand the game's No. 1 tag. Amid euphoric scenes in the Kiwi dressing room, Wayne Bennett - the Australian coach who lost to Brian McClennan's Kiwis in the 2005 Tri- Nations final - was revealed as being responsible for the inspiring message across photos of each player that were stuck on their lockers before the game.

First-class return for surprise rugby league world champs NZ: Members of the world champion New Zealand rugby league team flew home to a heroes' welcome on Sunday, greeted by hundreds of ecstatic supporters as they arrived in with their trophy. To chants of "Kiwi" and an impromptu haka, , and Evarn Tuimavavae emerged from the arrivals hall with the cup following their shock 34-20 win over Australia in Saturday night's final in Brisbane.

Fans welcome rugby league World Cup to NZ: Hundreds of people were at Auckland Airport this evening to welcome the rugby league World Cup, along with members of the Kiwis team who won it last night. Team members Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei and Evarn Tuimavavae arrived home just after 6pm, along with manager Gordon Gibbons and several support staff. For the first time in Kiwis history the Rugby League World Cup was with them.

Aussie media slates 'Silly Billy': The Kangaroos' shock demise rather than the Kiwis' stunning triumph was the focus as Australian media digested last night's rugby league World Cup final upset in Brisbane. Australian , whose wild pass midway through the second spell was snapped up by for a try that tilted the contest New Zealand's way, was firmly in the gun, less than a week after being named International Player of the Year.

Kiwis stun Australia in rugby league World Cup final: NEW Zealand have claimed their first ever rugby league World Cup with a stunning 34-20 upset of Australia at Suncorp Stadium. Billy Slater's season of magic spontaneously combusted in a moment of madness and, combined with a penalty try, helped give the Kiwis a stunning victory before 50,599 fans. Massive underdogs heading into the match, the Kiwis pulled off the biggest upset in World Cup history - the Kangaroos surrendering their No.1 ranking to their transtasman rivals with their first loss since 2006.

League upset spurred us on, say All Blacks: New Zealand's stunning 34-20 victory over Australia in the rugby league World Cup final on Saturday helped inspire the All Blacks to a hard-fought win over Wales in a Test here. The All Blacks battled back from a 9-6 half-time deficit for a 29-9 win and both coach Graham Henry and captain Richie McCaw said the players had drawn on the passion shown by their rugby league compatriots.

Players will want Aussie mentor to stay: NEW ZEALAND league bosses will consult senior players at the end of the World Cup before deciding whether to extend coaching advisor Wayne Bennett's tenure with the Kiwis beyond 2008. But based on the polarising media coverage over the former Broncos boss last week, it's almost a given they will tell the NZRL to keep him on board.

Is this brave team the greatest?: THOSE brave Kiwi soldiers that won the World Cup for New Zealand in stunning style last night deserve to go down in history as one of the greatest teams ever to represent this country in any sport. Their extraordinary win is on the same level as the 1987 All Blacks and 1976 and 1972 Olympic hockey and rowing gold medal groups.

We are the champions!: KANGAROOS 20 KIWIS 34. over All Blacks from the class of '87. New Zealand sport has a new team of heroes after 's unfashionable Kiwis last night completed one of the biggest upsets in sport by trouncing the Kangaroos to win the Rugby League World Cup final at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Even with the dream coaching duo of Kearney and Wayne Bennett it wasn't supposed to end this way.

Workload could push Slater to rugby: THESE are the numbers that could drive the world's best player, Kangaroos fullback Billy Slater, to rugby union - and perhaps by the end of next year. Slater finally finished the most gruelling season of his career last night, the World Cup final in Brisbane taking his 2008 tally to 38 matches in eight months.

Kearney hails 'wonderful' Kiwis: Within an hour of masterminding one of the biggest upsets in rugby league history, New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney was already planning for the future. Just four weeks after being outplayed in their opening pool match by the Kangaroos, the Kiwis stunned a disbelieving 50,559 crowd at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium with a performance of passion and sheer class to wrest the World Cup from Australia's vice-like grip in a 34-20 win.

Kiwis re-write rugby league history: New Zealand have defied history, the form guide and the odds to score a sensational 34-20 victory over defending champions Australia in the rugby league World Cup final in Brisbane. The Kiwis' triumph was sealed with 10 minutes to go with a rare penalty try, after fullback was held back by winger as he chased a kick.

Kangaroos relaxed ahead of Cup decider: Captain says the Kangaroos are relaxed ahead of tonight's Rugby League World Cup final against New Zealand in Brisbane. Australia is yet to name a replacement for prop Steve Price, who has been ruled out after tearing a calf muscle at training yesterday. Lockyer says the side remains confident.

Stars of the past returning: HENRY Heke is one of the rugby league fans across New Zealand itching for this weekend. With the Rugby League World Cup final imminent, 100 years of history will culminate with the Kiwis facing off against the Kangaroos. Like Heke, the Omahu Huia rugby league chairman, Hawke's Bay rugby league fans have the perfect curtain-raiser.

Rugby league world cup's success not judged by profit and emotion: THE Rugby League World Cup will conclude tonight before a full house in Brisbane, but the post mortems have already begun. The first round of exploratory surgery was carried out on Thursday when officials hailed the World Cup a success, pointing to the wave of optimism it had created among the Pacific Island nations and $5million profit the tournament generated, in the main through television revenue.

Stuart's World Cup silence continues: Australian coach Ricky Stuart's snubbing of the media continued unabated on Friday with the embarrassing no-talk brilliantly contrasted by a candid New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney. Stuart declined the opportunity to speak on the eve of his side's World Cup final against the Kiwis, the Kangaroos mentor instead sending assistant John Cartwright to face the throng of reporters on hand for Australia's last training session.

England's plans to stage the next Rugby League World Cup are placed in doubt: England's hopes of staging the next World Cup have been hit by the success of this year's event in Australia. England were expected to host the 2013 competition but record profits of more than £2million from the current tournament, which reaches its climax with tomorrow's final between holders Australia and New Zealand in Brisbane, have put a big question mark over the venue.

Aussies prepare to 'bash' Benji Marshall: AUSTRALIA is secretly preparing a "Bash Benji" campaign for tomorrow night's World Cup final against New Zealand. The explosive threat promises to set alight the final, particularly once the full effects of the insult are properly absorbed. Kiwi strike weapon Benji Marshall took on the Australian line just three times in the World Cup opener and the Australians believe it was fear that prevented him running more often.

Mums know best at rugby league club: Traditionally rugby league has been associated as a sport for men but that is not the case at Chorley Panthers club. The club has recently broken down the barriers as all of the members of its committee are women and they've just created an open age side and young Pink Panthers team.

WC profits fund more Tests: THE Rugby League International Federation will use the $5 million in profits generated by the World Cup to fund an expanded Test calendar. And they've set their sights on matching the rise of rugby union's showpiece event with the RLIF keen to cash in on the foundations set by this year's World Cup, which will attract a sellout crowd of 52,000 to Saturday night's final in Brisbane between Australia and New Zealand.

Coaches keep tried and tested: The Kiwis and Kangaroos have kept to the sporting adage of not changing a winning combination with New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney declaring his men capable of competing with Australia in Saturday night's World Cup final if they start well and complete their sets. Kearney was always expected to retain the same 17 from the semi-final win against England but Australia coach Ricky Stuart has a few headaches for the first time.

League teams lift spirits at Qld school: Rugby league players from the Australian and New Zealand teams have lifted the spirits of children in storm-hit Brisbane. The players on Wednesday visited The Gap State High School in Brisbane's north-west, where thousands of homes were damaged in Sunday's storm. The New Zealand team performed a haka to an appreciative crowd of students from the local area, as well as from Beenleigh south-west of Brisbane. The players also presented a signed jersey.

Kangaroos wary of Kiwi challenge: Despite winning their four World Cup games by a combined margin of 180-16, despite having an 8-0 win-loss record over the Kiwis since 2005, the Kangaroos insist they are worried about relinquishing their world champion crown on Saturday night. Australia argue the Kiwis are much improved since beating them 30-6 in the tournament opener, with Nathan Fien now at halfback and at .

Kiwis fired up after award dinner 'snub': New Zealand's burning desire to spring another massive upset over Australia has been further fuelled by what the World Cup underdogs believe was a snub of their former greats at a gala awards dinner. The New Zealand camp left the Rugby League International Federation's inaugural awards dinner at Suncorp Stadium on Monday disappointed with their official involvement in rugby league's big night. While Australian greats , , and Ricky Stuart were joined on stage by former England stars Malcolm Reilly and to present awards to players voted the best in their positions, New Zealand's past champions could not get a look in.

Kiwis a chance if they stick to game plan – Wiki: The Kiwis last beat Australia in a rugby league test three years ago, when was still skipper. That victory came in one of the highlights of Wiki's long playing career, the 24-0 whitewash in the Tri-Nations final in . The two teams' next meeting will be in the World Cup final in Brisbane next Saturday, with the Kangaroos going in as hot favourites to claim the trophy for the seventh time in a row and the 10th in total.

Bronson Harrison grabs his Kiwis chance, and how: drew the short straw on Saturday night, sitting patiently in the Suncorp Stadium drug-testing room while his teammates cranked up the dressing room noise in the wake of the semifinal victory over England which propelled the Kiwis into the Rugby League World Cup final. But as he fielded congratulatory calls from home, Harrison wore a smile befitting a man that has won the lottery. In footballing terms, he has.

British league boss says Aussies have it wrong: THE boss of British rugby league has followed up England's elimination from the World Cup by saying he is concerned the Australian game is going in the wrong direction for fans. Rugby League executive chairman Richard Lewis yesterday told The Daily Telegraph the introduction of two referees in the NRL provides compelling evidence the game in Australia is getting further away from the sport fans want to watch.

Coach probes NZ game ahead of Cup final: Judging by the look on New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney's face, the rookie mentor needs all the help he can get before the Rugby League World Cup final. Which makes former New Zealand skipper 's claim that six-time premiership winning coach Wayne Bennett should be dumped from Kearney's support staff all the more surprising.

Kiwi Ferns trounce Australia to retain women's World Cup: New Zealand reinforced its standing as the dominant force in women's rugby league by pounding Australia 34-0 to retain its World Cup crown at Suncorp Stadium last night. After winning the first two women's World Cup tournaments held in 2000 and 2005 they were untroubled throughout the 2008 edition.

Kiwis stumble into World Cup final: For most people a win against old foes England and a place in the World Cup final would put smiles on the dials but the experienced Kiwis brains trust of coach Stephen Kearney and captain were far from delighted with last night's 32-22 semifinal win in Brisbane. New Zealand will now play the winner of tonight's Australia-Fiji semifinal in the final at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

Fight for the Islands says Ackland: VISIONARY league thinker John Ackland a staunch supporter of Pacific Island footy has called on international league bosses not to overlook the minnows once the World Cup finishes. Samoan coach Ackland the Warriors' assistant coach and the man widely credited with discovering both and believes and showed enough at the tournament to warrant more tests in between World Cups. Whether that happens, however, remains to be seen.

Matthew Ridge column: Time for Bennett to go: Regardless of where the Kiwis finish at this World Cup, the time has come for Wayne Bennett and the side to part ways. Don't get me wrong. I'm the first to wax lyrical about Bennett's coaching credentials and his ability to motivate players. But, and it's a big but, Bennett is not the coach of the Kiwis and it's time for Stephen Kearney to stand on his own two feet. NZRL won't stop Kearney from club job: THE NZRL won't stand in the way of Stephen Kearney if he's offered a gig as head coach at an NRL club. While Daniel Anderson is the firm favourite to replace in the vacant Parramatta job, Kiwis coach Kearney, also assistant with the , is also seen as a potential fallback option.

Captain salutes youngsters' guile: Kiwis skipper Nathan Cayless is confident the youngsters around him in the pack will handle the pressure of a rugby league World Cup semifinal in Brisbane on Saturday night. Of the forwards in the 17-strong squad for the clash with England, just prop Cayless and backrowers David Fa'alogo and Jeremy Smith are over 23.

New Zealand accuse England of disrespecting the World Cup: England were accused of disrespecting the World Cup as well as the haka as the build-up to tomorrow's first semi-final grew increasingly tetchy today. New Zealand's coach Stephen Kearney and the captain Nathan Cayless were both made available to the media while their England counterparts Tony Smith and maintained a low profile.

Kearney expects a tougher England: Kiwi coach Stephen Kearney has no doubts England will present a tougher hurdle in Saturday night's World Cup semi-final than the side who threw away a handy lead a week ago. With the Lions under attack for their below-par efforts in the tournament so far, England coach Tony Smith has steered clear of the media since Tuesday in what the British journalists regard as a sign of a siege mentality within the camp.

Kiwis are content to polish the silverware KEEP your opinions to yourselves and we will keep the World Cup.

The message from across the ditch was yesterday loud and clear following revelations Ricky Stuart will be investigated for verbally abusing referee Ashley Klein the morning after the Kangaroos' disastrous defeat.

New Zealand Rugby League general manager Peter Cordtz said New Zealanders were too busy enjoying the historic victory and the prestigious silverware to worry about the controversy whipped up in Australia or Stuart's opinions.

"Certainly back here in New Zealand, while we have seen the pieces where Ricky's stuff got a bit of air, for the most part the focus here is still very much on the team being crowned world champs," said Cordtz from his Auckland office.

"We are not getting too hung up about Ricky's stuff.

"I guess he is still struggling to come to grips with it."

To rub further salt into the Kangaroos' wounds, Cordtz said he was busy planning a trophy tour of New Zealand so the fans could get an up close and personal view of the greatest prize in league.

"We have the luxury of being able to see the silverware in our museum here," he said.

"We are just working out now how New Zealanders over the next little while will get the chance to see it in the flesh.

"Those are the things that we are focused on. It would be fair to say that New Zealanders are mature enough and astute enough students of the game to understand that Ricky Stuart's comments don't represent the views of all Australians.

"I saw a very good interview with (Australian prop) Steve Price post match and I thought he summed it all up pretty well.

"He said it was about 80 minutes and the better team won on the day.

"He wasn't trying to deflect attention anywhere other than on the result being what it was." Cordtz denied the controversy following the match had taken any gloss off New Zealand's win.

"We feel they (the players) have done nothing other than earned the right to be crowned world champs," he said.

(Source: www.goldcoast.com.au 25 November 2008)

Stuart to be investigated over abuse claims Australian coach Ricky Stuart will be formally investigated following a complaint he abused World Cup referee Ashley Klein and a top England official after Saturday night's shock World Cup final loss to New Zealand.

Rugby League International Federation chairman Colin Love confirmed the RLIF would follow-up on a complaint from England's director of referees Stuart Cummings that he and Klein were abused by Stuart in the foyer of the team's Brisbane hotel the morning after the Kiwis downed the Kangaroos 34-20.

However he said with the English officials returning home and the Australian officials on holidays it could take weeks before any conclusions are reached.

Stuart could also be asked to explain a verbal attack on (ARL) chief executive immediately after the game.

The Cronulla mentor had alleged a conspiracy by tournament organisers, claiming the result suited those behind the World Cup because the Kangaroos were such red-hot favourites.

Stuart was fuming over some of the decisions awarded by Australian-born Klein who was selected to control the final ahead of Australia's Tony Archer, who two days earlier had been named the RLIF's referee of the year.

The UK's The Guardian newspaper carried reports saying the League (RFL) would lodge an official complaint over Stuart's aggressive verbal approach to both Cummings and Klein which it said had been seen by dozens of witnesses.

Stuart offered a no comment when questioned by reporters while taking part in a charity golf event in in aid of cancer on Monday,

On Sunday Cronulla backrower said Australia had been "stitched up" in a television interview.

The Kangaroos, raging favourites to win the World Cup final, were upset over a stripping decision by Klein and also a controversial penalty try awarded to the Kiwis by English video referee Steve Ganson.

(Source: www.abc.net.au 24 November 2008)

The real loss for Rugby League I'll declare from the outset that I'm from an AFL state, Victoria.

....and while we support Melbourne Storm to the hilt, the focus here is very much on the AFL. It borders on being an obsession.

But you don't have to have too much of the Rugby League smarts about you to know a bunch of sore losers when you see them.

The fallout from Australia's loss to New Zealand in Saturday night's final of the World Cup has been both staggering and sad.

Can't the Australians just cop the fact they were beaten by a better, more committed, team on the night?

For starters, it's poor form for a team to start pointing the finger at refereeing decision for a loss.

Admittedly there were some shockers but, as they say, "what comes around goes around". Cricketers are arguably on the receiving end of poor umpiring decisions more than any others sports people in the world, yet they get on with it. They don't bleat and moan or use them as an excuse.

If nothing else it lacks class.

....and then there are reports of coach Ricky Stuart suggesting conspiracies by tournament organisers.

Please!

Even in an AFL-mad town like Melbourne we know of Ricky Stuart and know he's better than that.

In time he'll probably regret his post-match actions. Fortunately he held himself together for the media conference.

The fact that he even faced the cameras was in contrast to the stance taken by many of his players who declined to be interviewed. and Brent Kite were among the few exceptions.

The bottom line is this. As kids we're constantly taught about being gracious in defeat.

The Australians were defeated... but not gracious.

The latter might be more of a disappointment than the result itself.

(Source: Tony Jones, Nine MSN, 24 November 2008)

Kangaroos point finger at ref Australian prop Brent Kite has hit out at the penalty try ruling which helped send New Zealand on the road to victory in Saturday night's rugby league World Cup final.

Kite left no doubts as to his perceptions of video referee Steve Ganson's decision late in the second half of New Zealand's 34-20 win which put them eight points up with time running out.

Ganson made the biggest call of the night and one of the biggest in international rugby league when he awarded the Kiwis a penalty try after fullback Lance Hohaia was taken out illegally by Australian winger Joel Monaghan as he chased a Nathan Fien grubber.

Kite was adamant Australian fullback Billy Slater would have won the race to the ball even if Hohaia had stayed on his feet.

"Of course he would have, I think anybody could have seen that," Kite said.

"Even if he wasn't, there still has to be no doubt he (Hohaia) wasn't going to bobble the ball trying to score.

"How many times to do you see that? (Darren) Lockyer had one in the first half and so did (New Zealand five- eighth) Benji (Marshall). That was very disappointing.

"I thought he warranted a send-off (sin bin) but to say Billy wasn't going to get to the ball was hard to swallow.

"(But) You don't want to be seen to be making excuses. We didn't get the job done tonight.

"It's just a shame we had to lose for people to get a bit interested in the result." Fellow-Kangaroos prop , one of only a few Australian players who spoke after the game, was devastated by the result but still praised the Kiwis for their commitment.

"It's a shame because they're such a wonderful group of men and we've had a great time together and it's unfortunate when it mattered most we couldn't get it done," he said.

"We worked hard for 80 minutes but came unstuck and probably just didn't have that fluency that we'd had in previous games.

"You can't take anything away from them. They played a very tough game and they had 17 men very committed to the cause and they ended up getting it done." (Source: Otago Daily Times, 24 November 2008)

On top of the world Twenty-four exhausted but ecstatic Kiwis were pinching themselves in Suncorp Stadium's visitors' dressing room, coming to grips with the knowledge that they were now world champions.

New Zealand had never won a rugby league World Cup, never even beaten Australia in a World Cup game.

Eight games to zip the swaggering Kangaroos had won against the Kiwis since the Tri-Nations final in 2005, but the mouse had roared again in one of New Zealand sport's great upsets.

The victory was made all the more remarkable by the fact that the Kiwis had been bashed by Australia 58-0 and swept 3-0 in a series against Great Britain just last year.

"You look at us on paper compared to them, man, they're most probably better players than us, but together, the boys pulled together and did that as a team," jubilant Kiwis hooker Thomas Leuluai said, clutching a beer.

"It just takes a big team effort, and we talked all week about not letting Australia be the bigger brother, standing up to them and see how they go."

Not so well, it turned out.

The Kangaroos, hyped up during the tournament as one of the greatest league sides of all time, were suddenly put under pressure in Brisbane and were lost for answers against New Zealand's swarming, physical assault.

World player of the year Billy Slater flung the ball in-field in a moment of madness, gifting Benji Marshall the easiest, but most important, try of his career.

And so they found themselves in the sheds with a World Cup no New Zealanders had held before.

Australian coaching guru Wayne Bennett, a teetotaller, could not be tempted into having a beer, nor a chat with the media, instead shaking hands and talking to another league legend, Peter Sterling.

"Didn't Bennett say that if you win he'll do the haka?" Marshall was asked.

"I don't know. We can't even get him to have a beer, so I don't know how we're going to get him to do the haka," he said.

"It felt like he was a Kiwi. Honestly, he hasn't said a word about him being an Australian or nothing.

"You want the best people doing the job for you and I think him and [coach] Steve [Kearney] were great and very professional and went a long way to our win."

Marshall had crudely been targeted in the buildup, with word of a "Bash Benji" campaign leaking out of the Kangaroos camp. If it was supposed to scare the Whakatane wonder, it didn't work.

"I think a big driving force behind me was probably the criticism during the week, saying that I was scared and saying that I won't want to run the ball," Marshall said.

"So I took that upon myself tonight to try and run it a bit more and I did that and it paid off. I usually don't use things like that to help me play better but this week I really did."

The team sat in a circle in the dressing room, singing as reggae hits blasted out. and found the quietest corners possible to take phone calls and all around were photos of each of the 24 Kiwis in the squad, with the caption beneath every one reading: "No Regrets" - the team's theme for the tournament. "We certainly don't have any now," said Nathan Cayless, captain of New Zealand's latest world champions and newest heroes.

WINNING WORDS: What the Kiwis thought of their victory: "It's the first successful Kiwi team that I've been involved in and it's something very special, to win our first World Cup for your country. "This is what all the hard yards and all the hard work is for. You want to get to this point and for this team to do that, against what they were saying is one of the greatest Australian sides ... "No one gave us a chance but within ourselves, we knew if we just stuck together and did what we did, it would give ourselves every opportunity of winning and it all paid off." THOMAS LEULUAI "You look at us on paper compared to them, man, they're most probably better players than us but together, the boys pulled together and did that as a team. "We talked all week about not letting Australia be the bigger brother, standing up to them and see how they go." BENJI MARSHALL "I think a big driving force behind me was probably the criticism during the week, saying that I was scared and saying that I won't want to run the ball. "So I took that upon myself tonight to try and run it a bit more, and I did that and it paid off. "I usually don't use things like that to help me play better, but this week I really did." BRONSON HARRISON "This is a special moment in my life, the history of New Zealand rugby league ... I'm just over the moon. It's beyond my wildest dreams. "I was just happy to play against the All Golds for the New Zealand Maoris and to be a late inclusion, to represent my country another three times, I'm over the moon." NATHAN CAYLESS "It's been a theme of our tournament to not have any regrets. We certainly don't have any now. We deserve respect [now]. No one can take it away from us."

(Source: Sam Worthington, The Dominion Post, 24 November 2008)

What the Aussie media are saying For some reason, the Australian sports writers prefer to talk about cricket this morning, rather than their beloved rugby league.

Funny, that.

Conspiracy claims and rumours of coach Ricky Stuart's imminent departure dominated the Sydney Morning Herald's league coverage.

The paper talks of Stuart's role in overseeing "the most stunning shock defeat in rugby league's centenary year".

"Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart was so incensed by the shock loss of his team to New Zealand in Saturday night's World Cup final he verbally attacked ARL chief executive and close friend Geoff Carr, alleging a conspiracy by tournament organisers", the SMH reports.

Conspiracy?

Stuart is understood to have taken particular exception to a number of refereeing decisions that proved costly to his team. He made accusations that the Australian loss was orchestrated by the match officials because it "suited the organisers and the future of the World Cup", the paper states.

Up until the final, the tournament had been written off as a one-horse race after the Kangaroos' crushing defeats of the Kiwis, England, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

Carr said that despite the loss, Stuart would be supported if he wanted to retain the Australian coaching position.

"He has only had the one defeat and most of this campaign was very, very strong," Carr said yesterday.

The big loss, the national mourning, the rationalisation by selectors of "only the one defeat" ... rugby fans may smile at the parallels between Ricky Stuart's current situation and the clamour surrounding coach Graham Henry after a certain All Blacks match in 2007.

The SMH coverage did include publishing some comments by a leading Australian player who was feeling more gracious towards his transtasman neighbours than Stuart.

"It was the game of the year", former Broncos hard man Gordon Tallis told the paper.

"I hate seeing Australia get beaten, but sometimes the greats have got to be sacrificed for a bigger view. It was one of the biggest upsets in sporting history."

The Australia-based rugby league addicts' website www.rleague.com featured plenty of fulsome praise for the New Zealand XIII's efforts. Fuelled by reader-submitted contributing articles, the website understandably waxed lyrical about the cinderella Kiwis team's victory:

"As the final siren drew closer in an epic Rugby League World Cup final my thoughts drifted back to my father who had passed on 11 years ago and a host of other rugby league people who have fought tooth and nail for the game in New Zealand", wrote Ian Stewart.

"The hard work of so many people had finally come home to roost."

Then the article took on a definite edginess:

" ...I thought of the hard yards that were done in South Auckland to get the game going in schools. The disdain in which the way the game in New Zealand was/is treated by our opponents. Years of being scorned by other codes who enjoyed a lot more success on a year by year basis, but who still failed to win the big one despite massive amounts of money being injected into them."

The tabloid Sydney Daily Telegraph has already moved on from Saturday night's massacre in its league coverage, and is this morning talking about a League v Union spectacle between the Kangaroos and the Wallabies, pencilled in for ANZ Stadium next October.

"The prospect of watching taking on Darren Lockyer, against and the like would cause unprecedented interest among Australian sports fans", writes the Telegraph.

"The blockbuster will generate an estimated A$15 million, while promoters have promised A$2 million to a children's hospital."

The paper goes on to laud the hybrid clash as potentially "biggest event since the Sydney Olympics in 2000".

That line deserves a Tui billboard.

In another story, the Telegraph quite rightly points out the folly of the awarding of the Man of the Match award on Saturday night to Australia's Darren Lockyer.

Lockyer played up to his usual stellar level, admittedly - but the sad fact remains that his side lost.

The problem arose, says the Telegraph, because the selection panel had to make their decision at at match's 70 minute mark (10 minutes before the end of play) - and at that time, the result was still in the balance.

In the US, sports always name an 'MVP' award at the conclusion of a game - but it is, without exception, a member of the winning side.

Had the MoTM selectors adopted this policy, the paper states, Kiwis players , Nathan Cayless, , Jeremy Smith, Lance Hohaia and Nathan Fien would definitely have been among the contenders for Man of the Match.

ABC News Australia is reporting today that the Kiwis desperately want to hang on to the services of advisor - and honorary New Zealander for the night - Wayne Bennett.

"I would love to see him continue," Kiwi superstar Benji Marshall told ABC.

"He's been a great influence on the team and he commands a lot of respect."

Ex-player and media darling Matthew Ridge made headlines here last week when he called for the Kiwis management to axe Bennett as coach Stephen Kearney's assistant, claiming "we don't need an Aussie brains trust to win a World Cup".

Ridge's words are ringing pretty hollow now, especially with this story of the players' wholehearted endorsement of the involvement of the former mastermind.

Marshall credited Bennett with bringing "discipline" and "a sense of self-belief" into the Kiwis camp.

Also in the ABC article, recently retired Kiwi leader Ruben Wiki, who captained New Zealand against Bennett's Kangaroos in Australia's last major international loss in England in 2005, backed up Marshall's stance. "Wayne Bennett and Stephen Kearney make a great team", he said, noting the complementary nature of their roles in the team's build-up.

(Source: NZ Herald, 24 November 2008)

New World Order So, a marvellous end to a fantastic five weeks has seen a shift in power at the top of international rugby league, and with due deference to the deposed Aussies, the significance of the final outcome cannot - and should not - be underestimated.

If what had gone before, whether it be the pride of Papua New Guinea, the endeavour shown by the Irish, the historic first World Cup win for Scotland, or fantastic Fiji, all of those notable performers were put in the shade by Saturday's superb win for the Kiwis.

I don't care who you are, or how long you have been watching this great sport, there can hardly have been a discerning league follower who confidently predicted that Nathan Cayless would lift the trophy for New Zealand.

Ok, so three years ago at , Leeds, the men in black-and-white lifted the Tri-Nations trophy with that memorable 24 - 0 victory over the same opposition, but that was - on paper at least - a much better Kiwi team.

There had been few indications during this tournament that the current crop of players, headed up by coach Stephen Kearney, had what it took to beat an Australian team that, prior to kick-off on Saturday, were being compared to some of those legendary Kangaroo touring teams from the 1980s.

That former Aussie national coach Wayne Bennett was part of the Kiwis' plots and plans cannot have been a hindrance to the aspiring champs and as a supporter of the international game for some years the maestro will have been as pleased with the result as anyone from the Shaky Isles.

For 33 years, Australia had dominated the sport at this level. Although they have undoubtedly entertained and played some of the greatest rugby league any of us has been privileged to see, it is almost as if a giant green- and-gold cloud that has lurked over the game has finally been burst.

No longer can they claim to be the best. New Zealand have beaten them twice in three years in major finals and pushed them to extra time in another. Say what you like about how many Test teams the Aussies could put out compared to any other nation playing the game, but only 17 men can pull on a jumper, and the balance of power has shifted across the Tasman.

There are now some great opportunities for the sport, and it is good to see that the RLIF has announced plans for a to take place involving Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and the , and that one of those nations will earn the right to line up in a Four Nations Tournament in the Southern Hemisphere in a couple of years.

North of the Equator there will also be more international competition, with Australia and the newly-crowned world champions visiting these shores next year, and that trio will be joined by the French, who must get back on track after a dismal World Cup.

Added to that is the welcome news that Ireland, Scotland and Wales can all continue their progress in a 2010 European Championship that will also include France, with the winners earning themselves a place in another 2011 Four Nations tournament alongside the three great powers of the game.

While that is all positive, New Zealand now has an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen rugby league in a nation where the other code has traditionally dominated. Winning the 2005 Tri Nations series was a great achievement, but even in New Zealand it will have been tough for that to resonate with many.

Being able to call yourselves World Cup winners is another thing altogether, especially when the All Blacks (and I heard at least three people on radio phone-ins on Saturday congratulating the All Blacks on winning the RL World Cup!) have a reputation of choking on the biggest stage of all. There is talk of a second club in France, and of teams from Papua New Guniea and Fiji getting franchises in the NRL, but surely with all that a World Cup brings, is there now a chance that New Zealand could double its strength and have a second club in the Aussie competition? It is food for thought during the five year period over which the Kiwis can rightly call themselves the best in the world.

(Source: www.sportinglife.co.uk 24 November 2008)

Physio revels in cup success Dunedin physiotherapist Karl McDonald did not sleep on Saturday night, but he was not complaining of tiredness yesterday.

McDonald has been the New Zealand rugby league team's physio for a year - and he revelled in the Kiwis' shock 34-20 win against Australia in the Rugby League World Cup final.

When the Otago Daily Times tracked him down yesterday, he was on a bus with the Kiwis heading for Brisbane Airport.

The laughter behind him was raucous, as McDonald said most of the squad had been up all night celebrating.

"We've had a few drinks. I even had a little bit of kava at one stage," McDonald, who is also employed by the Highlanders, said.

"Mate, it's just been fantastic. Everyone's worked so hard to get us to this moment. I've never experienced anything like this before."

McDonald said the players, most of whom were 25 or younger, deserved credit for their upset win.

But he reserved special praise for rookie coach Stephen Kearney and his counsel, Australian Wayne Bennett.

"The coaching staff have just been unbelievable.

"Stephen Kearney works so hard and leaves no stone unturned. He's worked himself until he's shattered and come up with a brilliant game plan.

"Wayne Bennett . . . you can't explain the influence he's had on the team. He pops up just when he's needed and he's built an amazing atmosphere. You can see Wayne has played a huge role in building belief in the team.

"Man for man, the Australians are better than us. No doubt about that. What Wayne did was quietly convince all our guys that they could beat Australia.

"Wayne's been brutally honest with the boys about what they had to do to win."

The players and management did not alcohol for six weeks leading up to and during the tournament. It was a far cry from his first trip away with the Kiwis last year, when all the headlines were about drinking games and the loose direction of struggling coach .

"None of us wanted to bag anyone last year but you had coaches put in a position they shouldn't have been put in," McDonald said. "This year we had professional coaches looking after professional athletes. We were all about business."

McDonald succeeded where fellow Dunedin physiotherapist Pete Gallagher failed. Gallagher has been with the All Blacks for four years and was there for the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal loss in Cardiff last year.

"I actually got a text from Pete congratulating us, which was really nice."

(Source: Otago Daily Times, 24 November 2008)

Dean Lonergan: Kiwis' success should Sparc rethink from bureaucrats The Kiwis' win over Australia in the World Cup final is the biggest upset and the most-important result in New Zealand rugby league history.

To a man, the Kiwis team were magnificent.

After an up-and-down tournament where they kept producing a high mistake rate but were also managing to win, there was no one bar themselves who gave them any chance of beating what was regarded as one of the best-ever Australian sides. Myself included.

Make no mistake, the 2008 Kangaroos team is one of the greatest Australian sides.

The veterans in Darren Lockyer, Steve Price and Petero Civoniceva along with newer test players , Greg Inglis, Billy Slater and provide the perfect balance of youth and experience. Throughout the tournament they have played like a champion team - they are awesome.

Which makes the victory by the Kiwis all the more amazing. My thought after watching the game was: "I wonder what will happen now with the Sparc investigation?"

The New Zealand Rugby League, with both men's and women's World Champions, now meets if not surpasses Sparc's own exacting demands for excellence at elite level.

That must make league eligible for substantial funding from Sparc of the type that rugby union enjoys. And perhaps the bureaucrats in would care to ask why the All Blacks failed so miserably in being knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the rugby World Cup after all the money poured into the 15-man game.

I suspect that Sparc will make all sorts of noises about the victory at Suncorp Stadium being a one-off, that the Kiwis were lucky to win a once-in-a-lifetime game.

So what. After 100 years of international competition, New Zealand league now boasts as many World Cup titles as does rugby union. The game deserves Sparc recognition and financial support to run its competitions, which continue to attract large numbers of young players in areas where sport provides a valuable social service.

The NZRL has made significant changes since Sparc became involved in trying to tidy up its management practices. Ray Haffenden was voted in as new chairman after Andrew Chalmers stepped down following disastrous results on the spreadsheet and the scoreboard and brought a steadier hand. The Kiwis coach Gary Kemble stepped aside after a player revolt and one of Haffenden's first moves was to appoint Stephen Kearney as his replacement and to ask Wayne Bennett to carry on with the Kiwis after the involvement he had with the 2007 All Golds.

His faith in those two has been repaid in spades. There were comments from former Kiwis fullback Matthew Ridge last week that Kearney should stand on his own two feet and throw the Australian Bennett out of the coaching team.

I believe Ridgey has again got it wrong. Everything that has come out of the Kiwis camp about the Kearney/Bennett partnership has been positive and the end result speaks volumes for what both men have achieved with a rebuilding team.

In the American NFL they talk about the game being decided by a matter of inches, that the harder you scramble for every inch in every play the more likely you are to win.

That was the measure of the Kiwis effort on Saturday night. They were more hungry and more desperate than the Australians and so they showed that on the big occasions in sport even the biggest of upsets is possible.

The rewards are the greatest when the hurdles are highest and the obstacles the toughest.

* Dean Lonergan is a former Kiwi international

(Source: NZ Herald, 24 November 2008)

No regrets with 'Kiwi' Bennett NO REGRETS! That was the motivation behind Saturday night's shock World Cup defeat of Australia, which earned New Zealand the game's No. 1 tag.

Amid euphoric scenes in the Kiwi dressing room, Wayne Bennett - the Australian coach who lost to Brian McClennan's Kiwis in the 2005 Tri-Nations final - was revealed as being responsible for the inspiring message across photos of each player that were stuck on their lockers before the game.

"Wayne came up with that," said former captain Ruben Wiki, who was a trainer for the Stephen Kearney- coached side.

"We had a different theme for each match but no regrets was Wayne's one. No regrets. No tomorrows. It was all about believing in each other and doing it for each other."

Kiwis five-eighth Benji Marshall said the message had helped inspire him to overcome a number of early errors and play a starring role in the 34-20 win.

"That was our catch-cry for the week," he said.

"We wanted to finish the tournament with no regrets. We didn't want to be thinking 'I could have done this' or 'I could have done that'."

As he had done throughout the series, Bennett refused all interview requests as he did not want to deflect credit for the win from Kearney or the players.

The new St George mentor also denied ever having said he would perform the haka if New Zealand won the World Cup.

"We can't even get him to have a beer so I don't know how we're going to get him to do the haka," Marshall said.

"Wayne has definitely been an integral part of the team and it felt like he was a Kiwi."

(Source: , 24 November 2008)

First-class return for surprise rugby league world champs NZ Members of the world champion New Zealand rugby league team flew home to a heroes' welcome on Sunday, greeted by hundreds of ecstatic supporters as they arrived in Auckland with their trophy.

To chants of "Kiwi" and an impromptu haka, Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei and Evarn Tuimavavae emerged from the arrivals hall with the cup following their shock 34-20 win over Australia in Saturday night's final in Brisbane.

It was the first time New Zealand have won the rugby league World Cup in its 54-year history, and on the flight from Australia it was given its own business class seat reserved in the name of Mr T. Rophy.

As fans dressed in New Zealand regalia and holding banners reading "Kiwis are the best" swamped the players, Vatuvei admitted he was overwhelmed by the reception.

"I'm pretty shocked that everyone came and supported us," he said as he was surrounded by well-wishers.

"It's just unlucky that the other boys didn't come and receive this too but I'm pretty happy that the crowd was there for us."

Other members of the team are either based in Australia or have stayed on for a holiday.

New Zealand were firm underdogs against the red-hot Australians in the final but Vatuvei said they never lost faith in themselves.

"We took it on board that we could win the World Cup and we proved that anyone can win the World Cup, not just Australia." Ropati said the team had spoken in the lead-up to the final about their self-belief.

"It was our one and only chance to make history. We came out hard and at the end of the day we just felt like we wanted it more than them."

But the win does have one strong Australian connection, with legendary coach Wayne Bennett drafted in to help prepare the Kiwis as assistant coach.

The former Kangaroos, and Brisbane mentor declined all interview requests after the final.

(Source: AFP, 23 November 2008)

Fans welcome rugby league World Cup to NZ Hundreds of people were at Auckland Airport this evening to welcome the rugby league World Cup, along with members of the Kiwis team who won it last night.

Team members Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei and Evarn Tuimavavae arrived home just after 6pm, along with manager Gordon Gibbons and several support staff.

For the first time in Kiwis history the Rugby League World Cup was with them.

Vatuvei and Ropati received a loud and enthusiastic welcome as they strode into the arrivals hall holding the trophy aloft.

About 15 people performed a haka, while the rest of the 300-strong crowd cheered and gave a "Kiwi" chant.

Vatuvei said he was overwhelmed by the reception.

"I'm pretty shocked that so many came and supported us," he said.

"It's just unlucky that the other boys couldn't come and receive too."

Prop Sam Rapira arrived earlier today, while the other Auckland-based players stayed in Australia for a short holiday.

The players based in Australia returned to their homes.

All team members are set to begin pre-season training for their clubs shortly.

The Kiwis were at long odds to beat the Kangaroos but Ropati said the team were confident.

"Throughout the week we spoke about self-belief and that it was our one and only chance to make history.

"We came out hard and at the end of the day we just felt like we wanted it more than them.”

(Source: NZPA, Sunday, 23 November 2008)

Aussie media slates 'Silly Billy' The Kangaroos' shock demise rather than the Kiwis' stunning triumph was the focus as Australian media digested last night's rugby league World Cup final upset in Brisbane.

Australian fullback Billy Slater, whose wild pass midway through the second spell was snapped up by Benji Marshall for a try that tilted the contest New Zealand's way, was firmly in the gun, less than a week after being named International Player of the Year.

"Silly Billy: Australia throws away the World Cup", was the Brisbane Sunday Mail's main headline.

"One mad moment and it's over for Roos," it added.

"Slater's magnificent club and representative campaigns ended in heartbreak when he produced the most costly clanger of the code's centenary season," Peter Badel wrote. Sydney's Sunday Telegraph mirrored the reaction of Australian league fans with its main sport headline of "UNBELIEVABLE -- Kangaroos humbled" accompanying a full page photo of the jubilant Kiwis.

"World caves in on Kangaroos," it added, describing the 34-20 result as the "upset of the century".

"In a dramatic World Cup final featuring a penalty try and howling blunder from the world's best player, Billy Slater, New Zealand were last night on top of the world," David Riccio wrote.

Sydney's Sun-Herald made the upset front page news, labelling it "one of the great boilovers in rugby league history".

On the back page, the Kangaroos' blunders were the focus.

"What a choke -- two moments of madness cost Australia World Cup glory," its main headline screamed under a photo of anguished Australian halfback Johnathan Thurston.

Wrote league writer Glenn Jackson: "It was meant to be predictable, but the finish was irresistible. A joke became a choke."

Most of the British media corps stayed on for the final despite England's absence and The Sunday Times' Ed Hughes said the most predictable rugby league tournament of all time concluded in the most unexpected of ways.

"Roared on by a small contingent of their own fans and a bigger, more vocal group of England supporters who had stayed on in Queensland after their team's ignominious exit, New Zealand tore away the mask of invincibility that Australia have worn for the past 20 years with a magnificent display packed full of panache, power and polish," he wrote.

In the Yorkshire Post, in English rugby league's heartland, John Ledger wrote that New Zealand were worthy winners after defying all expectations with a stunning victory.

"A penalty try awarded to Lance Hohaia, the outstanding fullback, helped give the Kiwis their first World Cup win in their third final appearance in front of a shell-shocked crowd of 50,559."

(Source: Otago Daily Times, 23 November 2008)

Kiwis stun Australia in rugby league World Cup final NEW Zealand have claimed their first ever rugby league World Cup with a stunning 34-20 upset of Australia at Suncorp Stadium.

Billy Slater's season of magic spontaneously combusted in a moment of madness and, combined with a penalty try, helped give the Kiwis a stunning victory before 50,599 fans.

Massive underdogs heading into the match, the Kiwis pulled off the biggest upset in World Cup history - the Kangaroos surrendering their No.1 ranking to their transtasman rivals with their first loss since 2006.

The Aussies were left lamenting a series of blunders and a massive call from video referee Steve Ganson - the Englishman awarding the visitors a penalty try with ten minutes remaining on the back a horrendous Slater error when he gifted Benji Marshall a try to give New Zealand rugby league their proudest moment.

“The game was back was in a bad state this time last year and some tough decisions had to be made,” Stephen Kearney said of his elevation to the coaching position after Gary Kemp's sacking.

“I'm very pleased for the game back home, it's something on the back of what the Warriors achieved this year, I think it's been a real boost for our game.”

Ganson ruled Australian winger Joel Monaghan had taken out Lance Hohaia as he chased through a Benji Marshall grubber, though Slater's proximity to the incident gave doubt as to whether the Kiwi No.1 would have got to the ball first.

Earlier Slater, who was named player of the tournament, chanced his arm one too many times, his flirtation with the touchline ending in disaster.

He flicked the ball infield ten metres out from his own line only to watch in horror as Marshall pounced to dive over for a 22-16 lead with just 19 minutes remaining.

Australia coach Ricky Stuart refused to blame his brilliant fullback.

“I love Billy Slater as a bloke and as a footy player and I would never ever be critical of Billy,” Stuart said.

“He's in the work space at that time and he knows what to do - some of them don't come off, some of them do.

“We didn't play our best game, and (there was a chance) that was always going to happen.

“You only have to have one off night and you can be got against the English and New Zealand, they can get you and that was proven tonight.”

The Australians had romped though the preliminary rounds with massive winning margins over every opponent.

New Zealand were their own worst enemies early in the final with Benji Marshall blowing a easy chance for a try when he failed to ground a Nathan Fein grubber.

Lockyer crossed for Australia's first after Slater looked like he had butchered the opportunity when he elected to go himself.

Williams ran away for a 10-0 lead but a denied try to Lockyer turned the contest with Jeremy Smith and then Jerome Ropati - after Marshall had been ruled to have been stripped of the ball - putting the Kiwis up 12-10.

Lockyer completed his double to restore Australia's advantage 16-12 at halftime.

But it wasn't enough as the Kiwis flew home after the break to become the first side other than Australia to win a World Cup since Great Britain's win in 1972.

(Source: The Australian, 23 November 2008)

League upset spurred us on, say All Blacks New Zealand's stunning 34-20 victory over Australia in the rugby league World Cup final on Saturday helped inspire the All Blacks to a hard-fought win over Wales in a rugby union Test here.

The All Blacks battled back from a 9-6 half-time deficit for a 29-9 win and both coach Graham Henry and captain Richie McCaw said the players had drawn on the passion shown by their rugby league compatriots.

"A lot of the guys watched the game and I think they were stimulated by that performance," said Henry, who admitted that he himself had not watched the game, played at Brisbane, Australia.

"I think that put a wee bit of edge on our guys."

McCaw praised New Zealand for having upset their underdog status against overwhelming favourites Australia in the final.

"It was great to see them," said the man-of-the-match against Wales. "Everybody had written them off, and they came out and played with a passion.

"We actually talked about it as a forward pack and I'm sure the backs probably did the same."

(Source: www.rugbyheaven.com.au 23 November 2008)

Players will want Aussie mentor to stay NEW ZEALAND league bosses will consult senior players at the end of the World Cup before deciding whether to extend coaching advisor Wayne Bennett's tenure with the Kiwis beyond 2008.

But based on the polarising media coverage over the former Broncos boss last week, it's almost a given they will tell the NZRL to keep him on board.

Sunday News league expert Matthew Ridge, in his column last week, said it was time for Bennett to stand down as team mentor.

The comments were not supposed to be a slight on the Australian but have been taken as such by media across the Tasman.

"Regardless of where the Kiwis finish at this World Cup, the time has come for Wayne Bennett and the side to part ways," Ridge wrote.

"At the time (Stephen) Kearney took over the job from Gary Kemble, the Kiwis were in disarray and needed some strong leadership from an experienced master.

"At some stage, however, Kearney needs to take the bull by the horns and assume total control of this side.

"He's had an enviable apprenticeship under Craig Bellamy at club level and alongside Bennett at test level.

"Now let's see what he can do."

Bennett, who came on board as an assistant to Kearney in May this year, has no formal contract with the NZRL so headlines in other media suggesting Ridge wants him "sacked" are off the mark.

His involvement with the Kiwis was determined by a "gentlemen's agreement" which lapsed at the end of the World Cup last night.

Whether he continues his association with New Zealand beyond 2008 will be discussed in the coming weeks.

"As Wayne did beyond the centenary test, I guess he will make a call in the next few weeks about whether he has a future with the Kiwis beyond the World Cup," NZRL general manager Peter Cordtz told Sunday News.

"There's no formal agreement in place with Wayne but I imagine our chairman Ray Haffenden will have a discussion with him soon.

"His involvement is done on a project-by-project basis.

"The first project was the centenary test, the next project was the World Cup and we would expect to have a discussion after the World Cup about whether he will be involved in another project.

"He's going to have a bit on his plate obviously with the transition to Sydney and all that."

The NZRL will consult senior Kiwis in the wash-up to the World Cup and ask them to share their views on the coaching setup.

It's a bid to avoid another public relations disaster after administrators were left red-faced earlier in the year when senior players Roy Asotasi and went to the media to air their concerns about the abilities of then coach Gary Kemble.

"There won't be any decision on whether Bennett stays on until we've discussed the situation with him, Stephen, and the board after the World Cup," said Cordtz.

"Part of the decision-making process will be to review how the structure has worked.

"Given the goings on in the past year or so it's probably not unrealistic to expect that we might also ask the players for some input."

(Source: Aaron Lawton, Sunday News, 23 November 2008)

Is this brave team the greatest? THOSE brave Kiwi soldiers that won the World Cup for New Zealand in stunning style last night deserve to go down in history as one of the greatest teams ever to represent this country in any sport.

Their extraordinary win is on the same level as the 1987 All Blacks and 1976 and 1972 Olympic hockey and rowing gold medal groups.

Remember this was a Kiwis side that when the planning was done for the World Cup months ago would have included skipper Roy Asotasi, the best-in-the-world Sonny Bill Williams, power-packed forward and fullback .

Imagine ripping the heart out of the All Blacks and Graham Henry's team going to war without , Richie McCaw, Brad Thorne and ?Those were the cards dealt to Stephen Kearney and Wayne Bennett but they dispatched a tough England side two weeks in a row and then stood up proudly against a team touted as Australia's "greatest ever".

Sunday News couldn't be prouder to have been associated with this Kiwis team through our sponsorship of Kearney's side.

There has been a seachange in culture in the group since last season's post-NRL tour which included a number of ugly off-field incidents and embarrassing defeats at the hands of Australia and Great Britain.

That Kearney and Bennett were able to lead the team all the way to the World Cup final says much about the way they have re-instilled the passion and pride the players have in that famous black jersey.

That they could go on and win it is a tribute to the vision of Benji Marshall, the kicking game of Nathan Fien, the quiet proud leadership of Nathan Cayless and trash-talking, hard-tackling, swaggering smash-em-bro' staunchness of people like Jeremy Smith, Adam Blair, Sika Manu and Issac Luke.

Did someone say ticker-tape parade?

(Source: Sunday News, 23 November 2008)

We are the champions! KANGAROOS 20 KIWIS 34

MOVE over All Blacks from the class of '87. New Zealand sport has a new team of heroes after Stephen Kearney's unfashionable Kiwis last night completed one of the biggest upsets in sport by trouncing the Kangaroos to win the Rugby League World Cup final at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Even with the dream coaching duo of Kearney and Wayne Bennett it wasn't supposed to end this way.

The Kangaroos a team we were told was the best, invincible even weren't supposed to have weaknesses.

They were supposed to win this one easy in front of 50,000 parochial Australians baying for a bit of Kiwi blood.

From the start, Kearney's campaign was doomed. Sonny Bill Williams walked out on the sport and the Kiwis in the process. Skipper Roy Asotasi succumbed to injury.

The bad luck didn't end there and before a ball was even kicked in anger, the inspiring captain was joined in the casualty ward by Brent Webb, and Frank Pritchard.

On the field, things weren't so hot either after a one-sided drubbing to the Kangaroos in the World Cup opener.

Heading into the decider, only the most one-eyed of supporters would have predicted this outcome against an Australian team widely regarded as one of the best ever.

Of course, odds can only count for so much.

After all, like any game of footy, this was a two-horse race and in the build-up we were all reminded of that now-famous 24-0 win over the Kangaroos under master coach Brian McClennan in 2005. That was a win for the ages and there was a sense that maybe, just maybe, this young group under Kearney could dig deep and come up with something special of their own.

They did and then some.

Bear in mind, as well, the fact this was no fairytale performance by an ageing band of Kiwis forced out of retirement for the sake of the black jersey.

This was a side light on experience and given a snowball's chance in hell of winning.

In the build-up, the Kiwis' cause was helped by the fact star Kangaroos Steve Price and , ironically the two Warriors in the Aussie side, were ruled out by injury.

Still, there have never been concerns about the depth in Australian rugby league and replacements David Williams and quickly proved that.

With kick-off rapidly approaching, if the Kiwis were in need of some motivation, they wouldn't have got it from their flamboyant anthem singer, who almost popped a blood vessel during his off-key delivery.

But memories of his performance quickly went out the window once the men in black crouched for the haka, only to be confronted by the Australians, who, arm-in-arm, marched forward to meet the challenge.

It was a fiery precursor to a fiery match.

Throughout the World Cup, Kearney talked at large about his side getting their start right.

Last night, they were agonisingly close to doing that and only a mistimed fumble from Benji Marshall in the fifth minute prevented the Kiwis from drawing first blood.

Seven minutes later, Billy Slater showed why he's considered the best player in the world after slipping untouched through the line before offloading to skipper Darren Lockyer who scored.

The Kangaroos' second try was a little easier coming when youngster Williams, who scored a hat-trick on his debut against Papua New Guinea, danced around Manu Vatuvei to notch up his first four-pointer of the night.

The floodgates threatened to open at that point and could very well have done had Lockyer not knocked on shortly after within inches of the tryline.

Down but far from out, the Kiwis then seemed to sense they'd been given a second chance and tries from Jeremy Smith and Jerome Ropati suddenly had them ahead 12-10.

But five minutes before halftime, Lockyer made amends for his earlier indiscretion by scoring a fantastic try to put the Australians in a commanding position.

After the break, it was the Kiwis who came out firing and on the back of a spate of possession, Lance Hohaia crossed the line in the 49th minute.

Yet, despite the scoreline the Kangaroos still looked composed. It was almost as if they expected a comeback would surface at some point.

Cue time for a brain explosion from Slater who, as he was teetering on the touchline, flung the ball back to open space in shades of 's infamous performance.

Marshall was the lucky man on the spot and his try gave the Kiwis a 22-16 lead with 18 minutes left on the clock.

But five minutes later Greg Inglis scored easily out wide to get the hosts back within two points.

Then drama unfolded and with 10 minutes left on the clock, Hohaia was taken out by Joel Monaghan close to the line and, upon closer scrutiny by the video referee, a penalty try was awarded.

What ensued from there was a tense, dramatic conclusion and when Adam Blair dotted down in the 76th minute nothing could stop the men in black from making history. New Zealand 34 (J Smith, J Ropati, L Hohaia, Penalty try, Adam Blair, B Marshall 1 try, 2 con; I Luke 2 con). Australia 20 (D Lockyer 2 tries, D Williams, G Inglis 1 try; J Thurston 1 con). HT: 16-12 Australia

(Source: Sunday News, 23 November 2008)

Workload could push Slater to rugby THESE are the numbers that could drive the world's best player, Kangaroos fullback Billy Slater, to rugby union - and perhaps by the end of next year.

Slater finally finished the most gruelling season of his career last night, the World Cup final in Brisbane taking his 2008 tally to 38 matches in eight months.

The International Rugby League Federation's decision to extend the next four seasons with a Four-Nations competition has heightened concerns over the longevity of the game's best players.

Slater's Melbourne Storm team-mates and Kiwis forwards Adam Blair and Jeremy Smith played most matches this season, but the fullback's diminutive 83kg frame has absorbed an enormous amount of punishment in matches for the Storm, Queensland and Australia.

The most games played by any of the Wallabies, including Super 14 matches, is 25. Stephen Moore, , and are rugby's ironmen.

Mark Gasnier's exit to French rugby union and ' departure to the English Super League highlights how much the demanding calendar is testing the game's best players.

The Sunday Telegraph has learned that Slater could be next to leave the Australian game. The fullback is contracted to the Storm until 2010, but he can leave at the end of next season if he switches to rugby union or the English Super league.

Under the terms of the deal, Slater, 25, cannot join another NRL club.

Slater's ability to handle the ever-increasing workload will play a big part in determining his future.

His agent George Mimis confirmed the fullback faced a dilemma as he weighed up the lure of becoming a dual international.

"It's undeniable that the elite nature of the NRL is what attracts the best athletes, but with that comes a physical and mental burden,'' Mimis said.

"It's evident by the amount of players going overseas and it's evident by the less 30-plus aged players in the game. It's difficult and it's something that needs to be factored into the career planning of Billy and any NRL player.''

Super 14 franchise the this week expressed interest in securing Slater's services.

"He would be fantastic,'' Reds high-performance manager Ben Whitaker said.

"I think he's one of those players that any code would definitely explore or have a look at having on board.''

Mimis added that in the wake of cross-code switches from , and , the lure of becoming a dual international would also prove tempting to Slater.

"It would probably take something unique for Billy to go elsewhere but, having said that, professional athletes like to test their skills at the highest level in a variety of scenarios,'' Mimis said.

"We've had some commercial dialogue with the Melbourne Storm, so we're kind of focused on that for the time being. But in saying that, being a dual international is something that would be no doubt attractive to most players.'' (Source: David Riccio, , 23 November 2008)

Kearney hails 'wonderful' Kiwis Within an hour of masterminding one of the biggest upsets in rugby league history, New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney was already planning for the future.

Just four weeks after being outplayed in their opening pool match by the Kangaroos, the Kiwis stunned a disbelieving 50,559 crowd at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium with a performance of passion and sheer class to wrest the World Cup from Australia's vice-like grip in a 34-20 win.

They had to come from 10-0 down to give themselves a chance of lifting the cup for the first time in the 54- year history of the tournament and, although they got a controversial refereeing decision in their favour at a crucial stage, there was no doubting their superiority.

Kearney, who has been in the job less than 12 months after succeeding Gary Kemble, was quickly turning his thoughts to defending his side's newly-acquired status in the 2009 Four Nations Series in the United Kingdom.

"What I want to be able to do is make sure that we back up again next year," he said.

"That's the important thing for me, making sure we continue to be competitive and grow as a team."

Saturday's shock, which comes 12 months after a 3-0 series whitewash by Great Britain, will provide a tremendous boost to rugby league in New Zealand, where the Kiwis live in the shadow of the All Blacks.

"The game was in a bad state back home this time last year," said Kearney.

"Tough decisions had to be made and I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to coach the side. This is a real boost for our game."

The Kiwis were 7-1 with one bookmaker to win the match, which was going according to the script when international player of the year Billy Slater created two tries in seven minutes for skipper Darren Lockyer and winger David Williams.

Had Lockyer not been denied by English video referee Steve Ganson, who spotted the slightest of knock-ons, Australia could have been virtually out of sight at 16-0.

"There is no doubt had I had scored that try then, it could have been a different ball game," said the Kangaroo captain, who was named man of the match.

After leading 16-12 at the break, Australia wilted in the face of a Kiwi onslaught and Slater turned from hero to villain midway through the second half by gifting a try to New Zealand stand-off Benji Marshall with a wild pass into no-man's land.

That enabled Kearney's men to turn a slender two-point lead into a more comfortable 22-16 advantage while a defensive blunder from winger Joel Monaghan led to a penalty try awarded by Ganson to outstanding full-back Lance Hohaia.

Kearney, who is the assistant coach at Slater's Melbourne club, had sympathy for the full-back who also received the backing of his own coach.

"I certainly do feel for him but it's not going to take away from him what a wonderful year he's had," said Kearney.

Kangaroo boss Ricky Stuart said: "If I asked Billy Slater to take that out of his game, he wouldn't be the Billy Slater that we all love. I would never ever be critical of Billy."

Stuart conceded that Australia's "soft" preparation, which consisted of a series of one-sided victories, had made their task harder but he was quick to praise the victors.

"We should have the ability to keep that lead but, to their credit, they came back," he said. "We weren't at our best but they were good. I really feel sorry for the players. It was a tough occasion for them. There is a lot of disappointment.

"But I've said all along that you only have to have one off night and you can be got."

The Kiwis ran in four tries in the second half, with Hohaia grabbing two and prop Adam Blair also adding to first-half scores from Jeremy Smith and Jerome Ropati.

New Zealand captain Nathan Cayless thanked the 5,000 British fans who cast aside the disappointment of England's World Cup failure to cheer the underdogs to victory, just as they did at Elland Road in 2005 when the Kiwis won the Tri-Nations final.

"It's going to take a time to sink in," said Cayless. "It's just unbelievable. The boys worked so hard for it. That's my , it's the biggest thing for me.

"Hopefully we'll get a lot more respect back home. We deserve it. We've worked hard and nobody can take it away from us."

(Source: www.sportinglife.co.uk 23 November 2008)

Kiwis re-write rugby league history New Zealand have defied history, the form guide and the odds to score a sensational 34-20 victory over defending champions Australia in the rugby league World Cup final in Brisbane.

The Kiwis' triumph was sealed with 10 minutes to go with a rare penalty try, after fullback Lance Hohaia was held back by winger Joel Monaghan as he chased a Nathan Fien kick.

English video referee Steve Ganson ruled in New Zealand's favour and Benji Marshall's conversion took the Kiwis out to a scarcely believable 28-20 lead.

Prop Adam Blair's try, New Zealand's sixth, four minutes from time merely added the icing on the cake.

Australia had beaten the Kiwis 30-6 in the first weekend of the tournament and they had also won the previous eight transtasman tests.

They were also defending a near impregnable record of having claimed the past six World Cups going back to 1975 and they hadn't lost a World Cup match against New Zealand in 13 previous meetings.

New Zealand, for their part, had never won the trophy, their best effort being runners-up twice to Australia.

But the Kiwis cut their down error rate and showed some good goalline defence, while also profiting from some uncharacteristic Australian mistakes.

The result was a massive let down for the local fans in the 50,559 crowd at Suncorp Stadium, especially as the Kangaroos had won all four of their previous matches in the tournament with ease.

But there was wild jubilation among the New Zealand players and their supporters when Australian-born English referee Ashley Klein blew fulltime.

Earlier, there was plenty of confrontation during the pre-match haka, with the Australians approaching the Kiwis until the players were virtually face-to-face.

The opening stages were evenly contested before the Kiwis appeared to taken a shock lead on six minutes.

A Fien kick into the in-goal was pounced on by Marshall, but r eplays showed the five-eighth just failed to ground the ball.

Australia hit back in the 12th minute thanks to a piece of individual brilliance from newly named International Player of the Year Billy Slater.

The fullback sliced through the defensive line to set up a try for skipper Darren Lockyer. Slater was again creator four minutes later when his cut-out pass found David Willia ms in space and the winger raced down the touchline to cross in the corner untouched.

Johnathan Thurston's goal made it 10-0 and it looked like the Kangaroos were going to run away with the contest when Lockyer was first to a Cameron Smith grubber, but knocked on.

The let-off signalled the start of a comeback by the Kiwis, who finally got on the board after forcing two repeat sets befo re lock Jeremy Smith barged his way over.

Four minutes later Marshall broke through a hole and had the ball knocked out his hands by Anthony Laffranchi.

David Fa'alogo picked up the loose ball and sent Jerome Ropati over for the centre's 10th tries in his 10 tests.

Luke's second conversion took in the Kiwis out to an unexpected 12-10 lead.

However, Australia, who showed a willingness to move the ball wide, replied with a superb try just before halftime.

Lockyer was involved three times as the ball went through several pairs of hands, before the Australian skipper finished off the move.

Thurston's goal gave Australia a 16-12 halftime lead.

The Kiwis almost struck back early in the second half, when a great long ball from Hohaia sent Manu Vatuvei tow ards the corner and the winger was only just forced out by Williams.

New Zealand sustained the pressure as errors began creeping into the Australian game.

On the back of another period of New Zealand possession, Hohaia stepped his way past three defenders to score.

Luke added the extras to edge the Kiwis back in front.

Slater, having been so impressive in the first half, th en produced a howler on defence.

He took a kick by Marshall beautifully, but as he was shadowed towards the sideline, he flicked the ball behind him, only to have it go to an unmarked Marshall, who gratefully accepted an easy try.

Down 22-16, the Kangaroos closed to two points again when Thurston and Lockyer combined to send Greg Inglis over.

But the Kiwis' late double completed New Zealand's greatest moment in international rugby league.

Australia 20: Tries - Billy Slater, David Williams, Anthony Watmough, Greg Inglis. Goals - Johnathan Thurston (2).

New Zealand 34: Tries - Jeremy Smith, Jerome Ropati, Lance Hohaia (2), Benji Marshall, Adam Blair. Goals - Issac Luke (3), Marshall (2).

(Source: Robert Lowe, NZPA, 22 November 2008)

Kangaroos relaxed ahead of Cup decider Captain Darren Lockyer says the Kangaroos are relaxed ahead of tonight's Rugby League World Cup final against New Zealand in Brisbane.

Australia is yet to name a replacement for prop Steve Price, who has been ruled out after tearing a calf muscle at training yesterday.

Lockyer says the side remains confident.

"I mean all the hard work is done, we've put a lot of effort into our pool games," he said. "This week's preparation has been a little hampered by a couple of injuries, but we've done all the hard work so now there's not much more (coach) Ricky (Stuart) can do.

"It's just a matter of us preparing ourselves as well as we can and being relaxed is a part of that."

Kangaroos assistant coach John Cartwright said complacency will not be an issue for the side.

Bookmakers have Australia as raging favourites and expect the Kangaroos to win by almost 20 points.

Cartwright said it is not something the players are thinking about.

"We've been that (the favourite) all the way through the tournament so [there] hasn't really been a need to mention that," he said.

"Every game we've emphasised that doesn't win you the game, it's turning up in the right frame of mind.

"So [we] try not to read too much into that. It is a grand final.

"And to me and the players, there is no favourite in the grand final."

New Zealand has not beaten Australia since the Tri-Nations final in 2005 and Kiwis skipper Nathan Cayless admits his team will have to play to its potential if it is to have any chance of pulling off an upset.

The Kangaroos humbled the Kiwis 30-6 earlier in the World Cup and Cayless said persistent errors cost his team that night.

"I think our kicking game needs to improve a lot," he said.

"We made far too many errors just coming out of our own half, giving good field position to the Australians, so that's probably two areas we really need to improve on from the first game."

New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney said despite the possibility of heavy rain and strong winds, he will not be changing his team's game plan.

Kearney said the weather will not be a factor in his team's performance.

"We don't really care what the weather tosses up for us," he said.

"Either way we know who we're playing against and what we're up against and we have to play very, very well to make sure we get the job done.

"That's what we'll be looking to do, regardless of the conditions."

(Source: www.abc.net.au 22 November 2008)

Stars of the past returning HENRY Heke is one of the rugby league fans across New Zealand itching for this weekend.

With the Rugby League World Cup final imminent, 100 years of history will culminate with the Kiwis facing off against the Kangaroos.

Like Heke, the Omahu Huia rugby league chairman, Hawke's Bay rugby league fans have the perfect curtain- raiser.

To celebrate rugby league's centennial, Omahu Huia have brought back some familiar faces for a day of celebration, reunions and good old-fashioned league. The Omahu Huia board also plan to recognise the long service of club stalwart Mangai Hanara snr.

The culmination of the celebration will be the on-field reunion of some of the region's greatest rivals, when a 1975-89 Omahu Huia team battle a 1975-89 Hawke's Bay Unicorns selection.

Heke said the club wanted a celebration for Hawke's Bay, after watching Taranaki have their own celebration with the New Zealand Maori vs All Golds game. "Last year we played a past vs present and wanted something different this year. We knew 1984 was a strong team for Omahu Huia and we figured why not play the Hawke's Bay Unicorns," he said.

The match will showcase some of the greatest rugby league talents to come from Hawke's Bay, albeit with a few years added on.

One of the last players to be selected for the Kiwis from the domestic competition, Mike Dorreen, will be reunited with another of the original 1995 Auckland Warriors, Charles Kennedy jnr.

Other players are appearing through a combination of invitation and sheer luck.

"Peter Cordtz, the CEO of New Zealand Rugby League is here. He played for Hawke's Bay Unicorns and Taradale Eagles," Heke explained. "Turei Collier just by chance was home for his 40th."

Other familiar figures running on to the field will include Shane Foster (pictured), Des and Adrian Rowlands, Navi'ti Tekapo, Allan Mason, Paul Hakiwai and Omahu Huia player/coach Maynard Gillies.

Waka Leonard has been charged with organising the Hawke's Bay Unicorns team.

Heke said the main contention during selection was players who had featured at both clubs.

"If you played for Omahu Huia and the Unicorns, you have to play for Omahu Huia," he said.

The blast from the past does not end with the players. The rules will be played under an older vintage as well.

"We're playing under the old rules - unlimited subs, five metres apart, pushing in scrums. It's going to be a spectacle."

While the main message is celebrating 100 years of international rugby league, it is also a chance to reflect on the contribution Omahu Huia has made to the game.

The Huia name dates back to 1920 from a well-known Maori hockey team. Now Omahu Huia covers teams in league, , touch and will soon expand into waka ama.

The celebration will kick off at 9am at Omahu School, covering all age grades. The heavy hitting evolves into a past vs present Omahu Huia women's game. Heke expects plenty of fireworks.

"You've got the kids playing against their aunties. These poor kids, they don't want to lose to their aunties," he said.

After the premier team has a run, it is time for the . Heke joked an ambulance might have to be nearby.

"Some of these guys are in their late 40s. Some of the Omahu guys are in their 50s," he said.

Celebrations will begin tonight with the Omahu Huia prizegiving. The club also plans to unveil the , one of the oldest trophies in Hawke's Bay rugby league. Dating back to 1905, the Challenge Cup has been "in hiding" since 2006.

(Source: Hawke’s Bay Today, 22 November 2008)

Rugby league world cup's success not judged by profit and emotion THE Rugby League World Cup will conclude tonight before a full house in Brisbane, but the post mortems have already begun.

The first round of exploratory surgery was carried out on Thursday when officials hailed the World Cup a success, pointing to the wave of optimism it had created among the Pacific Island nations and $5million profit the tournament generated, in the main through television revenue.

It was heady stuff. Viewing figures in the millions, unprecedented interest in the Pacific region and the promise of a legitimate international calendar. Television aerials sold out in Fiji. Streets shut down in so the Fijian public could watch on big screens their heroes be put to the sword by the Kangaroos. When it comes to international rugby league, however, talk is cheap. History has taught us to cast a cynical eye over briefings such as that given by Rugby League International Federation chairman Colin Love and his deputy Richard Lewis.

Officials have spent the past month comparing this tournament to the first rugby union World Cup, played in Australia in 1987. League officials have pointed to union's humble origins as proof of this tournament's success.

Apparently, amnesia has run through the RLIF. Conveniently they seem to have forgotten the first rugby league World Cup was played in 1954. Just in case mathematics is not one of your strengths, that was 54 years ago. This is, in fact, the 13th version of the fledgling event.

Sure, it was the first in eight years but that doesn't mean the rest have been erased from the record books. The comparisons were mischievous at best and evidence why the success of this World Cup can't be judged on finances and emotion alone.

And that's because we've been down this track before.

We've been promised a golden future. We've been guaranteed a thriving international calendar. Yet here we are with more promises.

Nor can the real value of this World Cup be measured in the aftermath of tonight's final. New Zealand could cause the mother of all upsets and it wouldn't matter. Australia could continue its rampage through the tournament and no one would bat an eyelid.

This tournament's success or lack thereof won't be measured by one result. It will be judged by its impact in years to come. It will be determined by whether interest continues to grow in the Pacific. Whether the game continues its revival in France. And whether the pathetic English can find a way to turn their embarrassing exit into a new dawn for the game in the northern hemisphere.

It's one thing for rugby league to dominate the landscape in Fiji and Samoa for a month. It's another to do it for years. Both countries, as well as Tonga, have been promised an opportunity to take part in future tournaments.

They need much support and they need more than promises.

"I thought it was a success," Tonga coach Jim Dymock said yesterday. "I thought it was good that people got to see the emerging nations and the quality of the players they have in their sides.

"I just hope we don't leave it at the World Cup. It's been eight years since the last World Cup and we can't wait another eight years."

Dymock can rest easy. The next World Cup has been scheduled for 2013. Hopefully by then a helping hand will have been extended to our Pacific neighbours, France will have continued its growth and England will have its house in order.

Perhaps they could draw inspiration from Papua New Guinea, a small nation that played above its weight. As many as three of their locally-based players are set to be rewarded for their efforts by landing NRL contracts, a significant achievement given the country's thirst for rugby league and ambitions to one day field a side in the premiership.

Coach confirmed yesterday five-eighth Jessie Joe, centre Anton Kui and hooker Charlie Wabo were on the verge of landing NRL deals, a remarkable achievement for a country that bases much of its national pride on its rugby league team.

"I felt it was great for us," Lam said.

"We went back to Papua New Guinea after the World Cup and there was people everywhere. The bottom line from the World Cup for us as a country is I think it was quite evident there needs to be more international matches.

"When we played New Zealand, it was 12 years since we last played a Test match against them." The problems for PNG and the other Pacific nations extend beyond finances. They face an ongoing battle with NRL clubs over access to their players.

Standard contracts insist the players must be available, but the clause is rarely, if ever, enforced, particularly where a minor nation is concerned.

Money is, however, an issue. While most players receive bonuses from their clubs when they make their debut for New Zealand or Australia, there's no bonus when they turn out for Fiji or Samoa.

And what to make of England. The English spent millions on a campaign that finished in embarrassment. They have massive problems that can only be fixed by overhauling the domestic game. The international game needs England to arrest its disturbing slide into mediocrity.

It's a problem that does not exist in Australia. The tournament has once again confirmed the talent in the NRL. The Kangaroos have been irresistible.

So dominant, it has been noted on occasion the tournament would have been highly competitive had Australia not been involved. It's been arguably the most disappointing aspect of the tournament - the predictability.

After the Kangaroos obliterated New Zealand and wiped the floor with England, interest waned as another Australian romp became likely. The Kangaroos have left the world behind.

The world's ability to catch up will determine whether this tournament was a success or another false dawn.

(Source: Brent Read, The Australian, 22 November 2008)

Stuart's World Cup silence continues Australian coach Ricky Stuart's snubbing of the media continued unabated on Friday with the embarrassing no-talk brilliantly contrasted by a candid New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney.

Stuart declined the opportunity to speak on the eve of his side's World Cup final against the Kiwis, the Kangaroos mentor instead sending assistant John Cartwright to face the throng of reporters on hand for Australia's last training session.

It is a situation that has been prevalent throughout the tournament, Stuart's only comments over the past fortnight coming in the mandatory post-match press conference following the semi-final win over Fiji and via his contractual deals with newspaper and radio companies.

Match-eve is the traditional forum for the captain and coach to speak to the media, Stuart's silence flying in the face of criticisms he made of then New Zealand coach Brian McClennan when he failed to show up for a press conference in 2006.

Kearney, as he has done before every game this tournament, obliged without hostility on Friday, the rookie Test coach saying he had no idea what Stuart was playing at with his snub.

"I feel we have an obligation certainly to the game ... if I can help promote it in any way and send the message that it's going to be a wonderful night tomorrow night then I've got no problem with that," Kearney said.

"It's a World Cup final - we feel that we're trying to do the best we can for the game."

Asked if he knew why a coach would shy away from talking in the lead-up to a match, Kearney tongue in cheek said:

"I've just spent six weeks with Wayne Bennett so I'm getting a fair idea," the comment in reference to Bennett's at time prickly relationship with the media.

Cartwright denied there was any malice in Stuart not talking, the Test coach instead opting to watch his players go through their warm-ups before training as his assistant answered questions.

"Just generally the day before the game, day of the game, Ricky likes to focus his attention with the team," Cartwright said. "That's been the way it has been all tournament so no real reason for it."

(Source: The Age, 21 November 2008)

England's plans to stage the next Rugby League World Cup are placed in doubt England's hopes of staging the next World Cup have been hit by the success of this year's event in Australia. England were expected to host the 2013 competition but record profits of more than £2million from the current tournament, which reaches its climax with tomorrow's final between holders Australia and New Zealand in Brisbane, have put a big question mark over the venue.

The World Cup lost £700,000 when it was last staged in England in 2000 but average attendances of more than 14,000 – excluding tomorrow's 50,000 sell-out crowd – have helped produce the larger than expected receipts alongside television deals and sponsorship.Australia are now bidding to host the next World Cup and Richard Lewis, the executive chairman of the English RL and vice-chairman of the International Federation, conceded: "That is understandable.

"We have put a strong bid together but still need the final piece of the jigsaw and that is a government commitment to support the event financially.

"We have had commitment in principle but it needs to be quantified to demonstrate we can give the same level of support that this tournament has had.

"Not unreasonably Australia are saying this has worked well and why should they not look at staging it again in 2013.

"We need to demonstrate that England is the place, possibly including France.

"That is our job over the next few months to make it an undeniable case."

The £2Ԝmillion surplus from this five-week event, which included 10 nations, will be used to assist international rugby league in developing countries.

Almost five million viewers have tuned in to the matches in Australia while, despite England's disappointing performances, only one of the BBC's five weekend highlight shows failed to reach a peak viewing figure of one million.

Lewis added: "The tournament has been hugely disappointing for England and there are a few things that need to be looked at.

"There are different rule interpretations around the play-the-ball but we are reducing the number of overseas players in Super League which will help.

We cannot accelerate that move because of legalities.

"The case for our new licences in Super League is even more powerful now and more young players can be given opportunities without the threat of relegation.

"But the World Cup has been a huge success overall and there is a very exciting future ahead for the so-called second tier nations."

Rugby League has lagged behind union for years at international level, with lack of forward planning a key factor.

(Source: www.telegraph.co.uk 20 November 2008)

Aussies prepare to 'bash' Benji Marshall AUSTRALIA is secretly preparing a "Bash Benji" campaign for tomorrow night's World Cup final against New Zealand. The explosive threat promises to set alight the final, particularly once the full effects of the insult are properly absorbed.

Kiwi strike weapon Benji Marshall took on the Australian line just three times in the World Cup opener and the Australians believe it was fear that prevented him running more often.

They plan a similar rough-housing this time around.

At a Kangaroos video session on Wednesday the five-eighth was repeatedly mentioned as the focus of the Australian defence.

A player inside the meeting, who did not want to be named, said last night "bashing Benji" would be Australia's first priority.

"He wasn't sighted in the first game," the player said.

"Then in the next game (against Papua New Guinea) he was taken off after scoring a try and he was sitting there all smiles."

The Australians plan to remove the smile.

Both team went into lock-down yesterday, ahead of their final training sessions today.

Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart was unable to be reached for comment, but Australian assistant John Cartwright was guarded when confronted about details of Australia's tactics.

"I don't want to go into specifics but he's an important part of the New Zealand team," Cartwright said.

Asked specifically about the "Bash Benji" pledge, Cartwright said: "No comment."

New Zealand coach Steve Kearney did not return calls.

Throughout the video sessions the Australians zeroed in on Marshall's new "skill", highlighted publicly by Channel 9 commentator .

While Johns marvelled at the way Marshall was able to fade away from the pass, getting outside a defender even as the ball approached him, the Kangaroos believe Marshall is driven by a more pressing concern.

Fear.

Their greatest evidence was Marshall's unwillingness to tangle with the Kangaroos' defence in the opener.

The highly personal allegations promise to escalate emotions ahead of tomorrow night's game.

The Kiwis are sure to respond in kind.

Publicly, the Kangaroos have been talking up Marshall's talents all week.

They publicly identified him as New Zealand's danger player and have stated that if they can control Marshall they will go a long way towards winning the game.

However, privately, they are spoiling for the chance to get hold of him.

(Source: Herald Sun, 21 November 2008)

Mums know best at rugby league club Traditionally rugby league has been associated as a sport for men but that is not the case at Chorley Panthers club.

The club has recently broken down the barriers as all of the members of its committee are women and they've just created an open age side and young Pink Panthers team.

Secretary Jackie Dempsey said: "When Peter Bridge stepped down after 10 years of service, Kate Williams moved into the new role as chairman.

"We were shocked as we realised all the commitee were female but not all the club is being run by women as there is Mick Oxley who is our head coach.

"We are all mothers and most of us started as volunteers wanting to help out at the club and it has just progressed throughout the year but we have some ambitious plans for the future of the club.

"It is still male-dominated as there are some old school people around the league who think women should be still in the kitchen while the dad is taking the children to the pitch."

Jackie admits the number of women becoming involved in the sport is increasing as they have a women open age team as well as girls sides from U12 to U16.

She said: "We want the club to keep developing in future, both male and female rugby.

"It seems strange that we have an open age team for the women but not for the men but we are looking to develop that soon so we can keep players at the club.

"The open age team has had mixed results so far but our success will be based on whether we can have a team throughout the season as some players have to drop out."

However Jackie believes despite the women being in charge of the club both men and women work together for the success of the club.

She said: "We have a great set of volunteers but we hope to get more of the parents from the younger teams in the club."

(Source: www.chorley-guardian.co.uk 20 November 2008)

WC profits fund more Tests THE Rugby League International Federation will use the $5 million in profits generated by the World Cup to fund an expanded Test calendar.

And they've set their sights on matching the rise of rugby union's showpiece event with the RLIF keen to cash in on the foundations set by this year's World Cup, which will attract a sellout crowd of 52,000 to Saturday night's final in Brisbane between Australia and New Zealand.

"If you just cast your mind back to when the rugby World Cup started ... the semi-final was played in Sydney was played at Concord Oval in front of a crowd of 15,000 people,'' RLIF chairman Colin Love said.

"It was a modest success. But in the 21 years (since) that event has now become a major international sporting event.

"I believe the product we've got in rugby league is as good as in any other code and there's no reason why we can't head in that direction hopefully in a much shorter period of time.''

Despite this being the 13th staging of the World Cup, the tournament is being viewed as a stepping stone to bigger things.

It has left the RLIF with a kitty in excess of $5 million - much of which has come from healthy television deals - which Love says will be pumped back into the game to assist with the development of the emerging nations.

The most obvious consequence is the transformation of the Tri-Nations into a four-nations concept, with the Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand to be joined by another country on a rotating basis.

France will take part and most likely host some games in the 2009 tournament to be staged in the northern hemisphere, at which time a Pacific Nations Cup will be contested with the winner to become the fourth team in the 2010 four-nations. Love said the timing of the Pacific Nations Cup would enable NRL and Super League players to turn out for those countries competing in the competition.

The expanded international program is all about improving the standard of the lesser lights ahead of the 2013 World Cup, which will likely be staged in the UK, though Love said Australia would also bid to host the event.

"What I'm keen to do is make sure that the international game maximises the revenue that it can earn from this event,'' Love said.

More than 220,000 fans - an average of over 14,000 per game - have attended the World Cup with television viewing audiences just topping nine million.

Rugby league's international calendar for the next five years excluding domestic Test programs and regional tournaments:

2009 - Oct/Nov - Four-Nations series in the northern hemisphere featuring England, New Zealand, Australia and France. - South Pacific Cup with the winner gaining entry into the 2010 Four Nations. 2010 - Oct/Nov - Four-Nations series in southern hemisphere featuring Australia, New Zealand, England and the winner of the 2009 South Pacific Cup. - European nations to contest qualifying series to determine who will join the 2011 Four-Nations. 2011 - Oct/Nov Four Nations in northern hemisphere. - South Pacific Cup (no guarantee of Four-Nations berth) 2012 - No major series to be contested. 2013 - World Cup to be staged (venue to be confirmed) and to begin a fixed, four-year cycle from that point.

(Source: Steve Jancetic, Herald Sun, 20 November 2008)

Coaches keep tried and tested The Kiwis and Kangaroos have kept to the sporting adage of not changing a winning combination with New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney declaring his men capable of competing with Australia in Saturday night's World Cup final if they start well and complete their sets.

Kearney was always expected to retain the same 17 from the semi-final win against England but Australia coach Ricky Stuart has a few headaches for the first time.

Wing Brent Tate (hip flexor) and lock Paul Gallen (corked thigh) were both named yesterday but are both in doubt and will be given up till game day to prove their fitness.

Gallen, renowned for his toughness, trained yesterday in a closed session and is expected to play but Tate missed the session to undergo a scan.

Captain Darren Lockyer skipped a visit to a storm-affected school with a sore throat but is in no doubt.

There is a school of thought that the Kiwis will have to produce the unexpected against Australia to compete given the difference in skill level and experience between the two sides, but Kearney, a methodical planner, said he was not about to change his game plan at such late notice.

The motto in the Kiwis camp this week is no regrets and the buzzword execution.

"We've worked really hard for five weeks to get into a position where last week I thought there were some good signs," Kearney said. "It was just the execution in a couple of areas and we feel we can take the next step in making sure that we do get the execution right.

"It'd just be silly to work for five weeks on a certain way you want to play and then tell the group to change and we're going to do something different."

Kearney also called for an 80-minute performance rather then glimpses from star standoff Benji Marshall and a fast start against the Australians who snuff out their opposition early. How they line up:

Kiwis: Lance Hohaia, , Simon Mannering, Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei, Benji Marshall, Nathan Fien, Nathan Cayless (c), Thomas Leuluai, Adam Blair, Bronson Harrison, David Faalogo, Jeremy Smith. Interchange: Issac Luke, , Sika Manu, Sam Rapira.

Kangaroos: Billy Slater, Joel Monaghan, Greg Inglis, Israel Folau, Brent Tate, Darren Lockyer (c), Johnathan Thurston, Petero Civoniceva, Cameron Smith, Steve Price, , Anthony Laffranchi, Paul Gallen. Interchange: , , , Brent Kite.

(Source: Sam Worthington, , 20 November 2008)

League teams lift spirits at Qld school Rugby league players from the Australian and New Zealand teams have lifted the spirits of children in storm- hit Brisbane.

The players on Wednesday visited The Gap State High School in Brisbane's north-west, where thousands of homes were damaged in Sunday's storm.

The New Zealand team performed a haka to an appreciative crowd of students from the local area, as well as from Beenleigh south-west of Brisbane.

The players also presented a signed jersey.

A short time later, the Australian team arrived to the cheers of students and also presented a signed jersey.

Kangaroos prop Steve Price said he was shocked by the destruction caused by the storm.

"Coming out here is great for the school," he said.

"It's amazing to see how much destruction there was.

"You don't really know until you come out here how bad it is.

"Hopefully we've lifted spirits."

Australia plays New Zealand in the Rugby League World Cup final in Brisbane on Saturday night.

(Source: The Age, 19 November 2008)

Kangaroos wary of Kiwi challenge Despite winning their four World Cup games by a combined margin of 180-16, despite having an 8-0 win-loss record over the Kiwis since 2005, the Kangaroos insist they are worried about relinquishing their world champion crown on Saturday night.

Australia argue the Kiwis are much improved since beating them 30-6 in the tournament opener, with Nathan Fien now at halfback and Thomas Leuluai at hooker.

New Zealand's buildup, they argue, has been far superior, playing their last two games against England rather than Australia's physical, but unstructured routs, over Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

But most of all, they remember the Tri-Nations final of 2005, where New Zealand under Brian McClennan stunned Wayne Bennett's Kangaroos 24-0.

Australian hooker Cameron Smith outlined his concerns yesterday as the Kangaroos went through their paces at Brisbane's suburban Langlands Park.

"We all know that they're [New Zealand] a very good team," Smith began.

"And you only have to look back a few years ago where everyone said that Australia was going to be unbeatable and there was no side in the world that was able to beat them and they got touched up 24-0. "So we're very aware that although we've beaten them once in this tournament already it's going to be a totally different story on Saturday."

There's a sense in the Australian camp that they're not sure exactly where they are at following their romps over PNG and Fiji.

"Obviously we probably would have liked a nice tough close game leading into the final but that's the way our draw happened to go," Smith said.

"As soon as we finished our game against Fiji we spoke about putting all the past games behind us and they weren't really going to mean much this week."

Smith, who works with Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney at the Storm, said the former test veteran would have a young New Zealand team primed for the occasion.

"I think Steve is a student of the game," Smith said.

"He does a lot of work on opposition players and I guess it helps working under a guy like Craig Bellamy.

"He's a very passionate bloke and that's a key to leading a national team around, is showing passion for your country and that just feeds into the players.

"He certainly played with a lot of passion when he wore the black and white and I think all the guys enjoy playing for him."

With both Kearney and Bennett knowing the majority of the Kangaroos players intimately, Smith predicted there would be "no surprises" for them on Saturday.

Smith, who often plays 80 minutes, will likely start the game opposite Kiwis hooker Thomas Leulaui, who will be supported by bench rake Issac Luke.

Despite converted halfback Leuluai's comparative inexperience at hooker, Smith denied that would be an area of weakness for the ruthless Australians to target.

"I don't think so, he's a very good player, a lot of dummy halves these days are ex-halfbacks anyway.

"He's a great player and we're not going to be exploiting him any more than any other player."

Smith also talked Benji Marshall up, saying he was having another fine tournament and he expected another "A-grade" game from him on Saturday night.

Smith's team-mate at both the Storm and Australia, giant centre Israel Folau, warned he was continually improving through the tournament and planned to stamp his mark on the final.

"I'm pretty happy with the whole campaign about how I've been playing but I've still got some improvement in my game and I'll try and work on that this week," he said.

"I've still got to come out of my zone I would say so I'm ready to try and do that on Saturday."

Kangaroos winger Brent Tate (hip flexor) is rated a 50-50 chance of being fit for the final and sat out yesterday's session along with lock Paul Gallen (corked thigh), though Gallen is expected to play.

English referee Ashley Klein has been handed the whistle for the final.

(Source: Sam Worthington, Fairfax Media, 19 November 2008)

Kiwis fired up after award dinner 'snub' New Zealand's burning desire to spring another massive upset over Australia has been further fuelled by what the World Cup underdogs believe was a snub of their former greats at a gala awards dinner.

The New Zealand camp left the Rugby League International Federation's inaugural awards dinner at Suncorp Stadium on Monday disappointed with their official involvement in rugby league's big night. While Australian greats Wally Lewis, Mal Meninga, Allan Langer and Ricky Stuart were joined on stage by former England stars Malcolm Reilly and Mike Stephenson to present awards to players voted the best in their positions, New Zealand's past champions could not get a look in.

The Kiwis, while supporting the new awards, felt someone like recently retired captain Ruben Wiki, who played a record 50 Tests, should have been asked to make one of the presentations to fly New Zealand's flag on a night which was about recognising the game globally.

Blockbusting Warriors winger Manu Vatuvei was the only New Zealand player to make the RLIF's Team of the Year, dominated by seven members of Stuart's Kangaroos.

The Kiwis kept their focus firmly on the job of repeating their stunning 2005 Tri Nations final upset over Australia.

They were not commenting on reports they felt they'd been overlooked by award organisers.

But sources within the camp said it was poor form none of their former players were used as presenters.

No doubt the Kiwis will use the snub as further motivation against Australia with coach Stephen Kearney and his assistant Wayne Bennett pushing the siege mentality line leading into the final.

Between them Kearney, through his coaching under Melbourne's Craig Bellamy, and Bennett with the Broncos, know the minds and games of just about every player in the Australia side.

"Stephen does a lot of research on opposition players and he's a very passionate bloke about playing for his country and that feeds onto his players who enjoy playing for him," said Australian hooker Cameron Smith.

Bennett is famed for getting the best out of players in the biggest matches.

The pundits and bookmakers give New Zealand little hope of winning, but after losing the 2005 Tri-Nations decider 24-0 to the Kiwis, Australia know better.

"They're a lot stronger side than we beat in the first game and they've improved as the tournament has progressed," said Smith.

"You only have to look back a few years (2005) when everyone said Australia was going to be unbeatable and there was not a side in the world that could beat them yet they got touched up 24-0.

"While we're aware we've beaten them once already in this tournament (30-6) we know it's going to be a totally different story on Saturday."

(Source: The Age, 18 November 2008)

Kiwis a chance if they stick to game plan - Wiki The Kiwis last beat Australia in a rugby league test three years ago, when Ruben Wiki was still skipper.

That victory came in one of the highlights of Wiki's long playing career, the 24-0 whitewash in the Tri-Nations final in Leeds.

The two teams' next meeting will be in the World Cup final in Brisbane next Saturday, with the Kangaroos going in as hot favourites to claim the trophy for the seventh time in a row and the 10th in total.

But Wiki sees no reason why the Kiwis can't end an eight-match barren streak against their transtasman rivals and cause a boilover that would land New Zealand the cup for the first time.

The fact that just four of the 24-strong squad had experienced victory over Australia wasn't an issue, because the Kiwis knew their opponents well from having tangled with them in the .

"It's been done before," Wiki said.

"At the end of the day, it's a game of footy and they're 17 blokes in different jerseys. Our boys play them week- in and week-out and know their strengths and weaknesses, so I don't see why they can't do it." But Wiki, who retired from test football two years ago with a world record 55 caps, added the proviso that all 17 New Zealand players in the final would have to bring their A game to Suncorp Stadium.

What the Kiwis couldn't afford was a repeat of the errors that punctuated their 32-22 semifinal victory over a similarly mistake-prone England at the same venue on Saturday night.

Having opened out a 16-0 lead during the first half, the Kiwis were made to sweat it out as they allowed England to keep coming back, before a late Benji Marshall try finally sealed the result.

Wiki is part of the New Zealand cup campaign as a trainer and one of the positive aspects of the semifinal for him was that, when the Kiwis stuck to their game plan, they had success.

That was the message to the players at halftime after the Lions had chopped the margin to 16-10 – "stick to what works".

"When we knuckled down, did the hard yards, got to the kick, it worked for us."

However, the Kiwis fell asleep at stages, deviated from their strategy and got themselves into trouble.

"We got away from it, got a little fancy," Wiki said.

"We put ourselves in a tough position. Luckily we dug deep enough to pull something out. "

Australia have been in imperious form throughout the World Cup.

In the second semifinal in Sydney last night, they completed the expected big win over Fiji, who had qualified from the second-tier of nations in the competition. The final score was 52-0.

The closest that the Kangaroos have been pushed on the scoreboard has been when they faced New Zealand in Sydney in the opening weekend, but even then they cruised to a 30-6 victory.

For Wiki, the key to an upset over Australia was putting in an 80-minute performance, something the New Zealand haven't yet achieved in the tournament.

Giving away cheap turnovers as they did against England would be fatal against the defending champions.

"We have to be relentless for 80 minutes," he said.

"We have to treat the ball like gold. If we give Australia cheap ball, we'll get punished."

(Source: Robert Lowe, NZPA, 17 November 2008)

Bronson Harrison grabs his Kiwis chance, and how Bronson Harrison drew the short straw on Saturday night, sitting patiently in the Suncorp Stadium drug-testing room while his teammates cranked up the dressing room noise in the wake of the semifinal victory over England which propelled the Kiwis into the Rugby League World Cup final.

But as he fielded congratulatory calls from home, Harrison wore a smile befitting a man that has won the lottery.

In footballing terms, he has.

After fearing he could be stranded as a one-test wonder - he made his debut against France in 2005 - Harrison had resigned himself to playing for the New Zealand Maori in the curtain-raiser to the Australia-New Zealand tournament opener after being left out of the original Kiwis squad.

But with Roosters centre Sia Soliola a late scratching, Harrison got the call-up and the Canberra-bound second rower has made every post a winner.

Renowned for his strong training ethic, Harrison impressed coach Stephen Kearney and got a shot against England in the final pool match in Newcastle. He set up two tries, won the players' player of the day award, and after being named on the bench for Saturday's semifinal in Brisbane, was then entrusted with starting the game, scoring a vital try and again earning plaudits from Kearney.

"That was Mum," Harrison said, still waiting for the drug-testers. "I've got a few messages and calls already, everyone congratulating me."

The 23-year-old said the rollercoaster ride, which now seems certain to end with a berth in Saturday's World Cup final, was completely unexpected.

He was not disappointed to miss Kearney's original World Cup squad, because he felt he didn't deserve it.

"I didn't really expect it [to get picked] so the main thing for me was just to play for the Maoris and have a good game there. Unfortunately Sia got injured, but fortunately enough for me, I got the call-up."

Even after earning the praise of his peers in Newcastle, Harrison thought he would miss the cut again, but was preferred to Setaimata Sa and David Kidwell.

"I couldn't get to sleep that night," he said, when told he would be playing.

"But I got through some sleepers [sleeping pills] and it took me the next couple of nights to catch back up. I was just over the moon.

"Early on in the week [I couldn't sleep] but once I got back into a rhythm I wasn't too bad. I was just talking to my brothers and my family and just relaxed."

He classified the Newcastle game as his "real debut and a real good moment for me".

"Even though I played in 2005 against France, it was awesome to get a run and be a part of the World Cup campaign."

Harrison has been a driven man in this tournament, and said he has been spurred on emotionally by memories of his grandfather Joe Gwynne, an Auckland league stalwart and former Kiwis selector who died in September.

"My grandfather, who I was very close too, was a big loss to the family so I was pretty sad, but he's been a big motivator," Harrison said.

"He really wanted to see me in the black-and-white jersey, and hopefully he's looking down now.

"He coached a lot of good teams - Northcote, Otahuhu and he was a New Zealand selector too - so he was in good stead in the rugby league community back there.

"He was a big loss for the whole family - he was the rock of our family, and me getting called up kind of lifted our spirits.

"His passing away, and going back to all the maraes, that really got to me and my whole family," Harrison said.

Next Saturday night, as he looks around Suncorp Stadium, Harrison will be thinking of Gwynne and the words of advice that kept him grounded.

"He's in my thoughts every game and through training sessions," he said.

"He'd always give me a mouthful on how I'm playing and what I'm not doing, but it was good, it was a good reality check."

(Source: Sam Worthington, Fairfax Media, 17 November 2008)

British league boss says Aussies have it wrong THE boss of British rugby league has followed up England's elimination from the World Cup by saying he is concerned the Australian game is going in the wrong direction for fans. executive chairman Richard Lewis yesterday told The Daily Telegraph the introduction of two referees in the NRL provides compelling evidence the game in Australia is getting further away from the sport fans want to watch.

"It is a concern, I must say that I am worried about the way the game is going in Australia," Lewis said following England's 32-22 semi-final defeat to New Zealand.

"I'm yet to be convinced it is the right direction for the wider sport and it seems to me coaches have far too much influence.

"Coaches need to be listened to but are just one of many parties with a stake in the game."

Lewis said the rest of the league world was surprised and concerned the NRL would introduce two referees - something that cannot be duplicated at other levels of the sport and which he said he would fight to prevent being introduced for internationals.

"One of the reasons our game is going well in Britain is that we have brought the whole game together under one roof, from the community and amateur game, through semi-professionals to the professional game," he said.

"There is no way you can have two referees in amateur rugby league so what happens is that the NRL increasingly becomes a completely different game. Having two referees is a big, big decision. I am not convinced that is the right way to go . . . I am dead against it at international level."

Lewis also claimed there was more being done to expand rugby league in the northern hemisphere.

"We are investing more in expansion than seems to be spent here and it was because of a drive from the northern hemisphere that we had qualifiers for the World Cup," he said.

"We have not been as successful as we would have liked here but there are plenty of things going right in Britain."

(Source: Steve Mascord, Daily Telegraph, 17 November 2008)

Coach probes NZ game ahead of Cup final Judging by the look on New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney's face, the rookie mentor needs all the help he can get before the Rugby League World Cup final.

Which makes former New Zealand skipper Matthew Ridge's claim that six-time premiership winning coach Wayne Bennett should be dumped from Kearney's support staff all the more surprising.

Ridge said he found it "unsettling" that an Australian was assisting a Kiwi national coach and believed the time was right for Kearney to stand on his own two feet.

But Kearney looked like a man searching for answers after New Zealand booked a third World Cup final appearance with a 32-22 win over England at Brisbane on Saturday night.

The clumsy manner of their 10-point victory over a mistake riddled England clearly alarmed Kearney leading into next Saturday night's tournament decider at Brisbane.

Asked what areas of their game he was disappointed with, Kearney said: "How big is your (note) pad?"

The other semi-final is yet to be played - but only the brave or foolish would bet against Australia brushing aside Fiji's challenge at Sydney on Sunday night.

"It's a wonderful achievement to be able to contest next week's final but I was disappointed with a few aspects of our game," Kearney said.

"For 30 minutes of that first half, we showed what we're capable of and for the remainder of the match we just drifted in and out.

"That's not going to be good enough next week. "You've got to get a lot of things right on the day to be very competitive against Australia and sometimes you need a bit of luck too.

"I don't need to tell you what we're up against."

But Ridge was adamant Bennett should be replaced on the coaching staff by and Kearney was the man to take total control of the New Zealand reins.

"Regardless of where the Kiwis finish at this World Cup, the time has come for Wayne Bennett and the side to part ways," Ridge wrote in his column for Auckland's Sunday News newspaper.

"I'm the first to wax lyrical about Bennett's coaching credentials and his ability to motivate players.

"But ... Bennett is not the coach of the Kiwis and it's time for Stephen Kearney to stand on his own two feet."

Bennett answered an SOS from the NZRL to mentor Kearney after a player mutiny ended former Kiwi coach Gary Kemble's short and disastrous reign.

And Kearney looked like a man who needed all the wisdom the former Broncos coach could offer in the World Cup final countdown.

The Kiwis have lost their last eight games against Australia, including a 30-6 defeat in the Cup opener.

Kiwi skipper Nathan Cayless said his message to his troops would be simple.

"Just getting out there and giving it everything," he said.

Kearney remained tight lipped on the chances of Manly centre returning from injury.

(Source: Laine Clark, AAP, 16 November 2008)

Kiwi Ferns trounce Australia to retain women's World Cup New Zealand reinforced its standing as the dominant force in women's rugby league by pounding Australia 34- 0 to retain its World Cup crown at Suncorp Stadium last night.

After winning the first two women's World Cup tournaments held in 2000 and 2005 they were untroubled throughout the 2008 edition.

They saved their most complete performance for the decider as they shut out the Jillaroos, scoring seven tries to none.

With Katrina Whatu-Simpkins and Trish Hina both scoring doubles, the Kiwi Ferns set the scene for a night of celebration for New Zealand rugby league; their final was the curtain-raiser to the Pirtek Kiwis' 32-22 World Cup semi-final win over England.

The Women's World Cup involved New Zealand, Pacific Islands, England, Russia, Tonga, Samoa, France and Australia with pool matches and semi-finals based on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

The Kiwi Ferns reached their final by beating England 16-4 in their semi-final after sweeping through their pool matches by beating the Pacific Islands 72-0, Tonga 42-4 and Samoa 26-4.

But while the Kiwi Ferns experienced their World Cup three-peat, New Zealand was unable to prevail in the first World Cup for the police, losing 12-20 to Fiji in the early curtain-raiser at Suncorp Stadium.

Women's World Cup final: Kiwi Ferns 34 (Katrina Whatu-Simpkins 2, Trish Hina 2, Tasha Tapu, Luisa Avaiki, Maia Tua-Davidson tries; Trish Hina 3 conversions). Australia 0.

(Source: www.rleague.com 16 November 2008)

Kiwis stumble into World Cup final For most people a win against old foes England and a place in the World Cup final would put smiles on the dials but the experienced Kiwis brains trust of coach Stephen Kearney and captain Nathan Cayless were far from delighted with last night's 32-22 semifinal win in Brisbane.

New Zealand will now play the winner of tonight's Australia-Fiji semifinal in the final at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

The Kiwis shot out to a 16-0 lead but then allowed England back into the contest, failing to complete enough of their sets, a slacking off both Kearney and Cayless know can't be repeated.

"It's a wonderful achievement to be able to contest next week's final but I was disappointed with a few aspects of our game," Kearney said.

Asked what areas he was referring to, the rookie coach quipped: "How big is your pad?

"For 30 minutes of that first half, we showed what we're capable of and for the remainder of the match we just drifted in and out," he said.

"There was periods in the second half there where we kept them off our try-line but as we all know in this room, that's not going to be good enough next week.

"That's what's got me a little disappointed."

Kearney was happy with the flashes of brilliance from standoff Benji Marshall, the improved kicking game of halfback Nathan Fien and strong performances from converted hooker Thomas Leuluai and second rower Bronson Harrison.

Though he joked Saturday's final could be against Fiji, Kearney's game face went back on when discussing the more likely opponent.

New Zealand has lost its last eight clashes with Australia, the most recent in the World Cup opener.

"You've got to get a lot of things right on the day to be very competitive against Australia and sometimes you need a bit of luck too," Kearney said.

"I don't need to tell you what we're up against – you've got to get a lot of things right on the day, have your fair share of the bounce of the balls."

Kearney wouldn't guarantee that the rejigged playmaking axis of Leuluai and Fien would be maintained but it's hard to see changes there.

Most of this New Zealand camp has not tasted success against the dominant Kangaroos, but Kearney didn't want to get caught up in history.

"I don't subscribe too much to winning and losing, all I'm concerned about is making sure we put our best performance out there."

Kearney said after the game that the squad appeared to have come through injury-free, though he was unsure about the potential availability of Steve Matai, who is recovering from a neck injury.

Cayless said there was "mixed emotions" at reaching the final with a patchy display.

"Obviously there was parts of the game that I think we can be happy with but I was just disappointed that we kept letting them back in the game," he said.

"So its mixed emotions, you know, it's one thing that we're in the final but I know we're going to have to play a hell of a lot better than what we did tonight next week.

"But we've got a week to work on a few things, I'm sure Steve will have his work cut out this week getting the gameplan organised and getting up a few players I suppose." Cayless, 30, with 37 test caps to his name, said the key message he would be telling his team-mates this week was "not having any regrets." "Just getting out there and giving it everything," he said.

"We've given ourselves the opportunity of playing in the final but we've got to make sure that we know that that's not enough – it's not good enough to just be there."

Meanwhile "shattered" England coach Tony Smith said New Zealand would have to lift several notches just to compete with Australia in the final.

"Australia are red-hot at the moment and the Kiwis will have to come up with a super performance to match them," Smith said.

"I know Australia aren't there yet, we're presuming… but the sort of form that they've shown in this tournament has been scintillating.

"I've had some pretty smart people tell me that their game against us was the best they've seen Australia play for 15 years and they've been a pretty good team in the last 15 years.

"So if they can produce anything like that it'll make it difficult for them to be beaten."

New Zealand 32: Tries - Sam Perrett, Lance Hohaia, Jerome Ropati (2), Bronson Harrison, Benji Marshall. Cons - Jeremy Smith (4).

England 22: Tries - Jamie Peackock, Danny McGuire (2), . Cons - (3).

(Source: Sam Worthington, Fairfax Media, 16 November 2008)

Fight for the Islands says Ackland VISIONARY league thinker John Ackland a staunch supporter of Pacific Island footy has called on international league bosses not to overlook the minnows once the World Cup finishes.

Samoan coach Ackland the Warriors' assistant coach and the man widely credited with discovering both Sonny Bill Williams and Roy Asotasi believes Samoa and Tonga showed enough at the tournament to warrant more tests in between World Cups.

Whether that happens, however, remains to be seen.

"In terms of Samoa, I think us and Tonga have tremendous potential," Ackland told Sunday News.

"If the international game is to grow, here's a couple of teams who, with a bit of help, can really add a lot to the test calendar.

"Any growth should also be sustainable so it must be managed.

"Something I'd like to see straight off the bat is more fixtures. Australia A already play Papua New Guinea so what about a four-team competition straight after the regular season finishes with those two teams and also Tonga and Samoa?

"Maybe it could be played in Australia, keep the costs down and just see how we go.

"Samoa and Tonga drew 12,000 people to Penrith six weeks out from Christmas. We got 9000 there last week against France for a playoff game for ninth place.

"Those are things you can certainly build on."

Of disappointment for Ackland was the fact his side despite boasting a stellar cast including Ben Roberts, and Tony Puletua finished the World Cup in ninth place.

Although the beat both Tonga and France, they still finished ninth after losing a round robin game to Ireland.

"It was disappointing to lose that game against Ireland," said Ackland. "I thought we had a semifinal team. "I think, though, that for some teams to have to play three games in nine days, that really needs to be looked at by the organisers.

"In hindsight, it maybe wasn't such an organised set-up and it might have been better to have two pools of five or something like that.

"I don't know but I did find it ironic that we won two of our three games yet we found ourselves playing off for ninth and 10th.

"Then you compare that to the Brits who snuck past Papua New Guinea and were beaten twice. Yet somehow they were still in the semifinals.

"Those sorts of things need addressing."

Ackland wouldn't say whether he would continue as head coach of Samoa but said it was important Pacific Island sides didn't fade into international obscurity.

"I think our performances have highlighted the potential for growth of the international game," said Ackland.

"There's some really good signs this year that rugby league needs to grow. It needs to generate more money and expand its market if it's going to compete with some of the other codes like rugby union.

"All I'm saying is that it looks to me that the easiest place to grow the game is at international level.

"A painless way to do that would be to just start helping Tonga, Samoa and PNG as well. Whether they can generate crowds, TV revenues and all that sort of thing, I guess that's another question.

"We definitely shouldn't stop trying."

Do you think more should be done to help Pacific league?

(Source: Aaron Lawton, Sunday News, 16 November 2008)

Matthew Ridge column: Time for Bennett to go| Regardless of where the Kiwis finish at this World Cup, the time has come for Wayne Bennett and the side to part ways.

Don't get me wrong. I'm the first to wax lyrical about Bennett's coaching credentials and his ability to motivate players.

But, and it's a big but, Bennett is not the coach of the Kiwis and it's time for Stephen Kearney to stand on his own two feet.

I welcomed the NZRL's decision to appoint Bennett in a mentoring role ahead of this World Cup.

At the time Kearney took over the job from Gary Kemble, the Kiwis were in disarray and needed some strong leadership from an experienced master.

Bennett stepped in and, by all accounts, has done a good job. At some stage, however, Kearney needs to take the bull by the horns and assume total control of this side. He's had an enviable apprenticeship under Craig Bellamy at club level and alongside Bennett at test level.

Now let's see what he can do.

They say too many cooks spoil the broth and I can see such a scenario playing out with the Kiwis if Bennett is retained beyond 2008.

As an "assistant" to Kearney, Bennett's been in a real win-win situation.

If the Kiwis lose, Kearney is the man who has to answer the critics but if they win, everyone's muttering behind the scenes about how Bennett's the man pulling the strings. This is not a criticism of Bennett at all but I also find it a little unsettling that we've had to turn to an Australian to help our New Zealand side out.

Next year, I'd like to see the NZRL throw someone like Tony Iro in the mix to work as Kearney's assistant.

Bennett has his job at St George to think about and the timing would be perfect to introduce a hard-working New Zealand coach to the set-up.

There needs to be a contingency plan in place for when Kearney inevitably calls time on his tenure as head coach. Iro is the man I would call.

He's a switched on guy, has played the game at the highest level and has already proven during his time as the Junior Warriors' coach he can motivate young men.

Let's get him involved with one eye on the future.

Looking at the Kiwis' performances on the field, there's no doubting this side has improved substantially from last year.

Sure, there's plenty to work on going forward but this World Cup was never going to be easy.

Kearney, in theory, had only a couple of weeks with the side to try and impart his own style on the players before the tournament kicked off.

But, more importantly, it's quite obvious the players want to play for him.

He should be commended on the job he's done. He's instilled professionalism in his players, and pride in the black jersey is starting to be restored.

By the time you are reading this column, we will know if the Kangaroos barring an utter disaster against Fiji today will be playing England or the Kiwis in the World Cup final.

A lot of people have been quick to write the eulogies of every team other than Australia at this tournament.

Do so, however, at your peril. The Australians, like any other team, can be beaten.

This final is a one-off game and both sides have a 50-50 chance. It's a two-horse race to use another cliche.

The pressure is completely on the shoulders of the Australians and justifiably too.

They're red-hot favourites but that doesn't mean they won't have to fight for the crown.

If they're up against the Kiwis (which is obviously what I'm hoping) it should be a fantastic contest.

The New Zealanders will have learnt from their mistakes in the tournament opener and if they do all the little things right, they might just cause an upset.

Do you think the Kiwis should ditch Wayne Bennett? Or do they need him now more than ever?

(Source: Matthew Ridge, Sunday News, 16 November 2008)

NZRL won't stop Kearney from club job THE NZRL won't stand in the way of Stephen Kearney if he's offered a gig as head coach at an NRL club.

While Daniel Anderson is the firm favourite to replace Michael Hagan in the vacant Parramatta job, Kiwis coach Kearney, also assistant with the Melbourne Storm, is also seen as a potential fallback option.

He has made no secret that he wants to be a first-grade coach at some point but has also tried to deflect talk of the Eels job while he's at the World Cup.

"I don't want to get caught up in talking about that at the moment," Kearney told Sunday News. "I have mentioned before that my focus is on the Kiwis and this World Cup. At one stage, I would love the opportunity to coach a first-grade side but at this stage I don't really want to talk about it. "People have been asking me whether I would put my hand up for the job but both of them are very busy at the moment."

Anderson returned to Australia recently with his family and told Fairfax within minutes of his arrival he was the right man to coach the Eels.

"I'm more experienced, there's no doubt about it," Anderson said.

Given Anderson's credentials, it's unlikely Kearney will be given the nod at Parramatta but the chances of him being offered a head coaching job next season are not bad. The NZRL knows that and, according to general manager Peter Cordtz, is not concerned about their coach struggling to juggle commitments.

"We would probably like to hear from Stephen what exactly it would mean for him if he was to accept a job as a head coach of an NRL side," Cordtz told Sunday News."He has been in the Kiwis job long enough to understand the demands it requires. We wouldn't want the Kiwis role to be compromised in any way."

(Source: Aaron Lawton, Sunday News, 16 November 2008)

Captain salutes youngsters' guile Kiwis skipper Nathan Cayless is confident the youngsters around him in the pack will handle the pressure of a rugby league World Cup semifinal in Brisbane on Saturday night.

Of the forwards in the 17-strong squad for the sudden death clash with England, just prop Cayless and backrowers David Fa'alogo and Jeremy Smith are over 23.

Among the younger brigade is substitute second rower Bronson Harrison, who will be getting just his third in three years.

Harrison, who is off to Canberra next year after five seasons with , has had a remarkable change in international fortunes over the past month.

His sole test appearance before the start of the World Cup was against France three years ago and he made the World Cup squad only as a late injury replacement.

He sat out the first two matches of the tournament, but was given his opportunity off the bench last weekend against England in the Kiwis' last pool fixture.

Harrison, who turned 23 last month, produced an eye-catching performance in Newcastle, including setting up two of the Kiwis' seven tries, and he found himself named the players' player of the match.

Cayless said he hadn't noticed anything in the buildup to the semifinal to indicate that the occasion might get to any of his less experienced teammates.

"To be honest, they haven't shown too many nerves," he said.

Cayless also gave Harrison a special pat on the back for his efforts in the 36-24 pool win over the Lions.

"I thought Bronson was outstanding coming off the bench," he said.

"He lifted the whole team. He hadn't played a test since 2005. For a guy like to him to come on and spark the rest of the team was pretty special."

Harrison is part of a Kiwis bench with a versatile look about it.

There is front row back-up from Sam Rapira, the dummy-half spark of Issac Luke and the hard-running of second rower Greg Eastwood.

With the way this year's World Cup is structured, a New Zealand-England semifinal was on the cards even before the tournament kicked off.

But Cayless said there had not been any complacency over the Kiwis' passage into the , especially with coach Stephen Kearney and assistant Wayne Bennett in charge. Going down 30-6 to Australia in the opening weekend also helped to keep players' feet on the ground.

"We've got a young squad and Steve and Wayne are very good at keeping guys switched on and making sure we're very thorough in our preparation," he said.

"There hasn't been any complacency at all. We were pretty comprehensively beaten in the first game. It was up to us to do our best to turn that around."

(Source: One Sport, TVNZ 15 November 2008)

New Zealand accuse England of disrespecting the World Cup England were accused of disrespecting the World Cup as well as the haka as the build-up to tomorrow's first semi-final grew increasingly tetchy today.

New Zealand's coach Stephen Kearney and the captain Nathan Cayless were both made available to the media while their England counterparts Tony Smith and Jamie Peacock maintained a low profile.

That contrast was brought up by Australian reporters at the Kiwis' press conference and while Kearney and Cayless were both diplomatic, they still managed to make a subtle point. "I'm in no position to say what the English should do but it's a semi-final of a World Cup and we all have a duty to do the best for our game," said Kearney.

Cayless added: "I think we do have a responsibility as players to promote the game tomorrow night. Obviously we want to see a sell-out or as close to a sell-out as we can. But England have got their own set routines, that's the way they do it."

England allowed television cameras to film the first 10 minutes of their last training session at the Brisbane Easts club, but Smith has still to speak publicly since he named an unconvincing 19-man squad on Wednesday - and any chance of him opening up today disappeared with a report in Sydney's Daily Telegraph linking him with the vacancy at his old club, Parramatta.

Smith did not return a call on that subject, but England's media spokesman managed to get through to him and issued an indirect denial. There was even a suggestion that the report was a deliberate attempt to disrupt England's preparations for the semi-final.

The latest whispers from the camp suggest that , , Jamie Jones-Buchanan and definitely won't play. is now expected to start at full-back having recovered from the ankle ligament injury he suffered in last Saturday's defeat by the Kiwis in Newcastle, with Ade Gardner and Mark Calderwood on the wings. But it is still anybody's guess whether or Danny McGuire will start at stand-off, and whether the former hooker Mickey Higham will be included as well as , who is certain to be recalled.

Meanwhile Cayless reiterated New Zealand's displeasure at England's refusal to face up to the haka last week, apparently unaware that has already promised a different approach tomorrow. "We just ask for a bit of respect," he said. "It's something we've done for 100 years or so. We've got a lot of guys in our team who embrace their cultural backgrounds."

England were also urged to change tack by , the former Wigan and Australia prop who had a notorious trans-Tasman brawl with a couple of decades ago. "Anything you give the enemy or the opposition to fire up on helps them," said Dowling. "There could be some fireworks and I wouldn't be giving them any extra motivation. They've got Adrian Morley, Jamie Peacock and a few other guys who can handle themselves."

Dowling branded England the big disappointments of the World Cup saying some of the minnows had shown more heart and fight. "They've got to find something on Saturday night, it's backs-to-the-wall stuff," he said. "If they don't win it, they're going to get lampooned when they go home. They'll be rated as a failure."

(Source: www.guardian.co.uk 14 November 2008)

Kearney expects a tougher England Kiwi coach Stephen Kearney has no doubts England will present a tougher hurdle in Saturday night's World Cup semi-final than the side who threw away a handy lead a week ago.

With the Lions under attack for their below-par efforts in the tournament so far, England coach Tony Smith has steered clear of the media since Tuesday in what the British journalists regard as a sign of a siege mentality within the camp.

Australian-born Smith has also not yet trimmed down his 19-strong squad to the playing 17 for the clash in Brisbane.

While Kearney and Kiwi skipper Nathan Cayless fronted the media on Friday, some journalists were irked that no-one from the England camp was available to provide thoughts on the eve of the match.

Kearney agreed that coaches and players had a duty to promote the sport, especially a World Cup semi-final.

But he was also wary of what the Lions were going through, saying adversity could galvanise a side.

He said there was plenty of character and experience in the opposition ranks in the likes of skipper Jamie Peacock, fellow-prop Adrian Morley and centre .

"I know what we're expecting tomorrow night," he said.

"I won't be fooled by anything that's going on. I'm very clear about what we will be up against."

Kearney said he had made his players aware of the need to start strongly, after they allowed England to get out to a 16-point lead late in the first half of their pool fixture last weekend.

While the Kiwis staged a comeback to snatch a 36-24 win, a similar early deficit would be much harder to peg back this time around.

"That's something we've made the group aware of and we need to get it right this weekend," he said.

"I think it will be a lot tougher to come back from that scoreline than it was last week, so it's important we get off to a good start."

Meanwhile, Kearney praised the travelling English support, who are expected to be out in force again at Suncorp Stadium.

An estimated 6000 were in Newcastle last Saturday and Kearney said they created a great atmosphere.

Asked if he was hoping Queenslanders in the crowd would get behind the

Kiwis, he joked: "We've got a couple in the side."

Kearney's assistant is former Kangaroo and long-time Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett, while his halfback is former Queensland State of Origin representative Nathan Fien.

"I'm hoping we get support through our performance," Kearney said.

"We want to make sure we're sharp in how we do things."

(Source: One Sport, TVNZ, 14 November 2008)