world cup memories

[Clinton Baptiste]

The 2008 Final at Suncorp Australia v New Zealand.Kiwis' won cheered on by thousands of British fans who made the trek from the UK..Ricky Stuart was not happy with the ref Ashley Klein and abused him after the game .The 1970 game France v New Zealand at the Boulevard Hull was an eye opener. Many people were fascinated by the water feature behind the "Threepenny Stand"

[doc]

1992 Final. Should've won. Felt like the Aussies got all the calls. Having a weak British ref didn't help.

1995 Wales v Western Samoa. Woke up at 9am on the day, drove down from Widnes to Swansea to queue for a ticket. Possibly the best game I've ever seen.

1995 Emerging Nations, what happened to that?

2013 Wales v USA, shock result. Samoa v Fiji, great stuff.

[Rach]

Already posted the link ion another thread but Fiji v South Afica at a capacity Cougar Park in the 95 World Cup . The TV coverage really doesn't reflect the amazing atmosphere in that ground that afternoon at the height of Cougarmania .. the Cibi war dance , the hymns and the warrior ... just when you thought life at Cougar Park couldnt get even more random ...

Fiji had a second rower that just bulldozed everyone in his path  , everytime he got the ball the noise in the ground lifted . The SA team persisted in kicking straight to him from the kick off and when they finally worked out that this wasnt the smartest and kicked the other way , the whole ground boo-ed

Rumour had it that the Keighley Directors sought him out after the game to talk contract terms but then realised he was near 40 than 30

Also the 1995 Emerging Nations Double header  ..Cook Islands v USA and Scotland and Russia - on a s****y night at Post Office Road , another one of those sureal  ' did this really happen ' evenings.

Cant lay my hand on the book at the moment but there is a short fantastic piece written about the evening in When Push Comes to Shove Vol 2 , it's anonymous but I'm fairly sure from the writing style its from Ian Clayton ..if you get the chance give it a read, sums up the occassion perfectly .

Edited October 9, 2022 by Rach

[lemmy xaan]

In 1970, they announced the World Cup Final would be all-ticket at Headingley. I sent off for my schoolboy ticket and must have been the first person to bother (and probably the only one) because it was number 00001. The crowd was only 19,000. GB lost to Aus. A dirty, brutal match, head-high tackles, random off-ball punch-ups, Fred Lindop lost control, Billy Smith and Syd Hynes sent off, and after the final whistle John Atkinson head-butted someone sparking a 26-player brawl with police running onto the pitch trying to separate players. Fighting went on for ages. All on BBC with Eddie W gabbling about it all. Sunday papers and Look North called for league to be banned as a sport. Truly awful times for any league fan – and there have been many down the years. But as Solomon says, any moment passes. And today, by comparison (including professional, respectful TV), what a wonder Newcastle and this WC will be. Enjoy the weeks ahead.

[Leyther_Matt]

17 hours ago, The Lad said:

In 2013 New Zealand played Samoa at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, as the game started we all started singing "ooooh Samoa" and a player for Samoa (can't remember his name or shirt number) just started smiling as he was looking around the stadium. He couldn't believe that a stadium full of strangers was chanting for his country. Sport can be divisive as it's me v you and my team wins and your team loses, but sport can also be very inclusive. It was a great night and even though Samoa lost we kept singing.

Fantastic night, that one. One hell of a comeback from Samoa and crowd support that went with it. And of course Sonny Bill falling dead on his backside instead of grounding the ball.

The 2013 tournament is one that holds a lot of memories for me. My mum had passed away on the afternoon of the SL Grand Final just before the start of the tournament and I was lucky enough that a band of 10-15 mates really pulled together to get me through those times. The opener at Cardiff was a great day out and we defeated our raging hangovers to attend the aforementioned Samoa v NZ game the next day. Ireland v Fiji was such a surreal experience at a sold out Spotland while Tonga v Italy at Halifax was another belter of a day out. Chanting “Fui, sign for Leigh” as he lined up for the kick off; little did we know he’d do exactly that less than 18 months later! I missed the semi final because of work and the final was a bit of a non contest in the end so it was really the group games that won the hearts for that tournament.

Also one far from loved but a shout out from a personal point of view for the 2000 final. I got tickets for my 14th birthday the previous week and went to the game with my brother and three of our mates. Three of the five of us are all going to this year’s final together too. Not a prayer I’d have let my son do the same with his mates when was that age, mind  

[Tosh]

22 hours ago, Rlsouthyorks said:

27 years yesterday the 1995 world cup opener took place between England and Australia at Wembley. To date that world cup was in my eyes the best . I attended the opener and the final again at Wembley between England and Australia. I n between that i went to PNG V TONGA at the Boulevard. Then the classic wednesday night England v Fiji at the old central park , the atmosphere was electric 26,000 plus packed in under the lights . The first time most have seen a Fijian team what a night . Followed that up with England v South Africa at Headingley. I missed the semi finals due to work . 

Best World Cup to date imo. Classic opener with England beating the aussies.

Also am I nuts but wasn’t there monster trucks at Wembley for the opening ceremony and Diana Ross singing??

[Tosh]

Absolute classic semi-final between the Aussies and kiwis that went to extra-time.

Edited October 9, 2022 by Tosh

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

A memory that sticks in my mind, not a happy one, is watching Eric Grothe thundering down the touchline at Boothferry Park in '82 and suddenly realising just how far behind the Aussies we were.

[Damien]

1 hour ago, Tosh said:

Absolute classic semi-final between the Aussies and kiwis that went to extra-time.

I loved that game. Another one of those oh so near games when Australia always seemed to come out on top.

Edited October 9, 2022 by Damien

[TheYoungBaron]

1995 (?) Emerging Nations was my highlight. Never in a million years would you expect the tiny Cook Islands to overcome the might of the USA in any sport. Scotland beating Russia on the same evening. All played on the hallowed turf of POR. Packed to the rafters. A night to remember.

[Tosh]

34 minutes ago, TheYoungBaron said:

1995 (?) Emerging Nations was my highlight. Never in a million years would you expect the tiny Cook Islands to overcome the might of the USA in any sport. Scotland beating Russia on the same evening. All played on the hallowed turf of POR. Packed to the rafters. A night to remember.

What ground is/was “POR”?

[Tosh]

42 minutes ago, Damien said:

I loved that game. Another one of those oh so near games when Australia always seemed to come out in top.

Indeed.

That kiwi side was packed full of so many great players like ridge, Iro, Barnett and Paul etc and modern day legends like pongia, Jones, wiki and Kearney.

Also I can’t honestly decide if that kiwi jersey is one of the best or worst jersey’s ever!!!

[bobbruce]

7 minutes ago, Tosh said:

What ground is/was “POR”?

Post Office Road?.

[Archie Gordon]

Elland Road, 1985.

GB 6 NZ 6. 

The TGG of the TGG.

[Tosh]

1 minute ago, bobbruce said:

Post Office Road?.

Of course.

thanks

[Ullman]

20 hours ago, Clinton Baptiste said:

The 2008 Final at Suncorp Australia v New Zealand.Kiwis' won cheered on by thousands of British fans who made the trek from the UK..Ricky Stuart was not happy with the ref Ashley Klein and abused him after the game .The 1970 game France v New Zealand at the Boulevard Hull was an eye opener. Many people were fascinated by the water feature behind the "Threepenny Stand"

The try scored by the French winger Marsolan in that game at the Boulevard is the best try I've ever seen in an RL international.

I remember the first time my brother took his then girlfriend to the Boulevard. She asked him why there was "water" pouring out of the back of the stand.

[TheYoungBaron]

56 minutes ago, Tosh said:

What ground is/was “POR”?

Post Office Road, Featherstone. Where dreams are made

[Wigan Riversider]

2 hours ago, Chronicler of Chiswick said:

A memory that sticks in my mind, not a happy one, is watching Eric Grothe thundering down the touchline at Boothferry Park in '82 and suddenly realising just how far behind the Aussies we were.

Don't think GB/England ever recovered from that classic kangaroos 82 touring side.

A decade later we were unlucky in the 1992 WC final at the old Wembley, having led 6-4(?) at half time.

50 years of hurt since 1972.

Good luck to England this time.

[gogledd]

I worked as a volunteer in the 2013 World cup and went to lots of games as part of your 'payment' was tickets for games, so I chose tickets for games I wasn't working at. Saw some really exciting rugby league.

In 2017 I was the only independent travelling Wales Rugby League supporter to make it to Port Moresby for Papua New Guinea v Wales. Hot doesn't get near to describing it! But what an atmosphere in the stadium. Never heard noise like it anywhere else.

I also got to the other Wales pool games in Townsville and Perth before going on to Wellington NZ, and Brisbane for the Finals. Fantastic trip and some very special memories.

Edited October 9, 2022 by gogledd

[Waynebennettswinger]

On 08/10/2022 at 20:43, Moe syszlak said:

New Zealand 25 - 24 Tonga at wilderspool in 1995 was one of the best games I've ever seen. The atmosphere was unbelievable.

It was remarkable wasn’t it? Pretty sure Tonga did a post match dance in front of the King of Tonga. 
 

[Madrileño]

Best:

2013 WC Wembley. Shaun Johnson goes over with literally 20 seconds to go to equalise for the Kiwis before drilling over the goal to send the team into the final. What a day. What an atmosphere. Rugby League felt like a "big" international sport that day.

 

Funniest:

2013 Wheelchairs tournament in Kent. England were playing, and a player is knocked out of his wheelchair in a collision with an opponent's chair. He is sprawled on the floor on his stomach, when this horrible northern woman sat next to me starts screaming "Run 'im over! Rooon 'im oohhvver" 

[Josef K]

Getting drenched at the Australia/Russian match. Leaving a PNG/Wales match at Widnes with 25mins to go, id only just got back from a few days in Amsterdam three hours before KO and i was goosed. 
Getting drenched at the Australia/NZ final at Old Trafford, the coach parked a good 25min walk from the ground and it was lashing it down. I think we must’ve spent a full hour trying to get dry by using the hand dryers. I can put up with getting wet going home, but getting drenched before a match is horrible. 

[Tosh]

On 08/10/2022 at 20:40, Wigan Riversider said:

1995 Centenary WC was epic.

Unseasonably warm weather, Carol Decker song 'One Heart'(?) and the new SL summer rugby era to look forward to with all the money. PSG etc.

This.

The game seemed to be on the cusp of something great both in the UK with a new domestic competition on the horizon and a very talented England national side along with a very competitive welsh national side.

Also on the international side we had both a strong Australian and New Zealand national sides alongside emerging pacific nations like Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and PNG.

We also had 2 professional French RL teams about to enter super league with the hope of reviving a once strong RL playing nation in France.

[Tosh]

On 08/10/2022 at 20:40, The Legend said:

I was at the 92 final. I think we should have won that one. We were on home soil at the peak of the Mal Rielly era as coach. 

I think the key was losing Gary Connolly to injury just before half time. He was having a great game and had Renouf in his back pocket. He went off and it was Renouf who scored the only try. Connolly's replacement, Devereux, failed to make the tackle on him that Connolly likely would have made. 

I do also think that Rielly made a mistake in playing Garry Schofield in the centre when he was probably the best number 6 in the World at that time. 

 

I also attended the 2013 semi-final against New Zealand. We should have won that game too. Kevin Sinfield didn't make many mistakes in his career but he made one at the end of that game. I'm not talking about him getting done by Shaun Johnson for the try. On our last set of the game he had the opportunity to kick the ball into touch but kept it in play with his kick and that decision turned out to be fatal. That was a fantastic contest though, one of the best games I've seen, even though I ended it with my head in my hands in disbelief. 

 

I remember watching that classic match as a kid on grandstand. This was probably the closest British RL has ever gotten to the Aussies in my 30 years of following RL in terms of being on par with Australia which followed the last greatest ashes tour down under.

Incredible game of international RL with nothing between the 2 sides played at Wembley in front of 73k live on terrestrial TV probably before a audience of a couple of million.

What we’d give for that now .

[Wolford6]

20 hours ago, doc said:

 

2013 Wales v USA, shock result.

I sponsored Rhys Williams for that game. My granddaughter and I met some players and support staff afterwards. Bad result, great day.

 

Edited October 10, 2022 by Wolford6