I have waited to put pen to paper after being part of the sell-out crowd at Suncorp who witnessed the Kiwis become the New World Champions. The Australians played poorly, but they were clearly frustrated by the bewildering decisions made by Ashley Klein and Video Ref Steve Ganson. From the country that gave us Russell Smith, the decision making was inconsistent with every dodgy call going against the Australians.

Firstly we saw a try awarded to the Kiwis when Benji Marshall lost the ball forward, to have it picked up and scored. The replay showed an the tackle attempt coming into contact with the ball, but then Marshal regained the ball and was the last touch as it came flying out of his hands. In under 8's and every level of the game, knock-on. In the Joke of a World Cup- Try to the Kiwis.

Klein allowed to much latitude in the rucks and off-side. Australia were penalised, the Kiwis weren't. Australia were penalised for a high shot. The Kiwis weren't. At one stage in the first half, Lockyer was hit high in the tackle, and then as he got up to play the ball was the victim of a second shove. Klein just stood there with his hand up stating play the ball, 5th tackle.

A massive call was made with an awarding of a penalty try to New Zealand. A kick that bounced awkardly for Joel Monaghan, caused him to miss the ball and tackle the advancing Lance Ohaia off the ball. Ganson awarded a penalty try, even with the fact that Ohaia still had to beat Billy Slater to the ball, as Jonathon Thurston. Replays showed that the ball bounced into Slaters hands, meaning Ohaia had to get to the ball before it bounced. The awarding of a penalty try can ONLY be made when IF a CERTAIN try was stopped due to an illegal play. This try was far from certain. The call should have been Penalty NZ, Monaghan in the bin.

The Australians were penalised again soon after for driving the Kiwis back behind their try-line. Aside from the fact that the NZ player's was tackled swiftly and was into the end zone within a couple of seconds by the original tacklers. Klein alledgly called held. Compare with the David Williams being driven out, when momentum was clearly stopped, additional tackles drove in, Williams legs were lifted off the ground and carried over the sideline. POOR FORM KLEIN.

The final try was simply a joke. Even the most elementry referee would have seen at least two kiwis knock-ons during this play. But hang on, this is the JOKE World Cup. Try New Zealand.

It is a shame that this game debate will be dominated by the refereeing decisions. They were poor and have now led themselves to consipracy theories of the RLWC committee had somehow planned this. Did the refs have money on the Kiwis? I don't believe either. Klein and Ganson were simply incompetant and ruined a great game.

Australia on their part contributed to the game with some stupid play. They always appeared set on winning the game on the one tackle. The Billy Slater brain explosion gifting a try to Benji Marshall was the biggest case in point, but Williams courting the sideline was another. Dropped balls from Fitzgibbon in dire situations led again to pressure for the Aussies.

The Australian forward pack was ineffective and missed Price badly. Watmoungh was outclassed, Petro and Fitzy have played their last tests. Cam Smith was slow and looked disinterested. Kite was poor. LaFranchi, Stewart and Gallon at last had a go. In the backs, Monaghan was poor, Inglis rarely sighted, Folou well marked, Slater played his worst game of 2008, JT was poor and the Australians looked disorganised. Darren Lockyer was adequate and didn't deserve the Man of the Match award. The best player for the Kiwis wore pink.

AT the end of the day, many were saying this was one of the great Australian teams. It is easy to look good when beating sides by big scores. Under pressure from the incompetant refs and a refreshed Kiwis NO-ONE stood up to be counted. You could not imagine that from some of the truly great Australian sides from 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1994. This side was a Ricky Shell. It wasn't the best side picked. Simple

Many will say this is a great shot in the arm for the international game. I just think it lends itself as a joke with all the poor decisions that impacted the Australians. It will always be remembered for the poor officials.This World Cup did not need a contrived result. This World Cup highlighted the best of the other nations. It brought international football outside of the big names, Back and back in a big way. Unfortunately it ended in a joke.

IT was 16-nil after just 10 minutes. The crowd was tiny and this was a World Cup Semi-final. Australia won and now the crown is up for grabs next week.

 Don't know what else can be said. Australia were good and outclassed Fiji. Betting was giving Fiji 50.5 points start, and this was needed and taken. Piss poor crowd in Sydney. The best games are over, with Pool 2 and 3 over, and now the boredom of international footy comes in. Lets just hope the Kiwis can mount some sort of challenge.

They finally stood up to the haka but England still fell 32-22 to New Zealand in their Rugby League World Cup semi-final at Brisbane on Saturday night.

The Kiwis made it clear they would not tolerate a repeat of last weekend's "snub" when England opted to form a huddle during the haka before their last pool match.

The English duly stood side by side and looked New Zealand in the eye during the passionate pre-match ritual - but they quickly blinked.

The Englishmen played more like schoolboys with an error riddled performance - yet somehow still fought back from 16-0 down in the first half to cut the deficit to 28-22 in the final 10 minutes.

In the end, the Kiwis ran out six tries to four winners with centre Jerome Ropati bagging a double in front of a 26,659-strong Suncorp Stadium crowd.

New Zealand will not be able to show the same leniency in next Saturday night's final at Brisbane, most certainly against world champions Australia who are expected to brush aside Fiji's challenge in Sydney on Sunday.

England's treatment of the haka wasn't the only thing that had irked New Zealand in the match's lead-up.

The Poms had been the masters of mind games in the countdown, refusing to confirm a team and snubbing the media at their final training run on match eve - again much to New Zealand's annoyance.

The Kiwis appeared to take their frustration out on the butterfingered English on Saturday night, jumping to 16-0 by the 22nd minute.

Then England appeared to flick a switch, scoring two tries in nine minutes including an absolute cracker to last-minute inclusion Danny McGuire in the 38th minute.

Lock Rob Purdham exploded from a scrum about 40m out and delivered a kick that surprised the Kiwis and sat up beautifully for McGuire to score.

After cruising at 16-0, a shellshocked New Zealand led by just 16-10 at halftime.

Normal service appeared to resume when New Zealand's Bronson Harrison ran off Queensland-born halfback Nathan Fien in the 57th minute to make it 22-10.

But England hung in there - despite being their own worst enemies - to trade tries with the Kiwis.

By the time McGuire - who was not even named in the initial 19-man squad by crafty England coach Tony Smith - crashed over for his second try in the 73rd minute to make it 28-22 the Poms had a sniff.

But their night was summed up by New Zealand's match-winning try.

Impressive pivot Benji Marshall pounced on a slip-up by England winger Ade Gardner to stroll over the line in the 78th and book another Cup decider with their nemesis Australia.

It ended a woeful Cup campaign for England.

They managed just one win - a hardly convincing 10 point victory over minnows PNG - and three losses, including a Cup record 52-4 drubbing at the hands of Australia.

Kiwi coach Stephen Kearney looked like he was on the losing side when he emerged from the dressing room.

Although pleased they had reached their third World Cup final, he knew the same performance would not stack up against a rampaging Australia.

"It's a wonderful achievement but I am disappointed with a few aspects of our game," he said.

Asked what areas New Zealand could improve, Kearney said: "How big is your (note) pad?"

"A lot of areas. I just thought for 30 minutes in the first half we showed what we were capable of ... then we drifted in and out.

"That's not going to be good enough next week. We don't need to be told what we are up against."

Kiwi captain Nathan Cayless also looked glum.

"There were parts of the game we can be happy with but we are disappointed we let them back in the game," he said.

Three times England came back to within a try of New Zealand before Marshall's late match-winner finally put an anxious Kearney out of his misery.

"Not for one minute did I think we had the match in the bag. I know what they are capable of," Kearney said of England.

Shattered England coach Tony Smith lamented ten errors in each half.

"It was there for us, there was an opportunity. But because of the errors in the first half we didn't take it," he said.

"We weren't really (nervous). Some players put balls down that they normally don't put down.

"I am shattered. We all wanted to do well in

this tournament.

"But we didn't produce (the level) that we can play in England - that's the disappointing thing."

England captain Peacock added: "Sport is brutal.

"There is no in the middle at this level. When you win it is fantastic, when you lose it's the worst ever - it kills you."

Source: AAP

Facing Australia next week in the semi-finals of the World Cup, would have been the biggest thing that has ever happened to either Ireland or Fiji. That was the prize as they squared off in the qualifying final as the winners of Pool 2 and 3. The Fijians scored a comprehensive victory 30-14, but the scoreline was not a true indicator of this game, as Fiji took advantage of a tired Irish side and rattled some points up late in the game.

The first half was another ripper with Ireland trailing just 12-10 at half-time. Again Damian Blanch was outstanding scoring a double to go with his hat-trick in the first game. But lack of posession caused by errors, provided the Irish with just too much defence. The Fijians took full advantage.

Fiji now takes on the Kangaroos in the World Cup Semi final, while the Irish team should be very proud of their side. Fiji will be on full alert now as the support for the team in the island nation, takes on massive proportions.

The prelims are over and the World Cup kicks into the play-off stage.  The final games of Pool 1 saw New Zealand defeat England 36-24 and the underdogs Papua New Guinea scored in the 73rd minute to go down 46-6 to the might of the Australians.

The playoffs for 7th and 9th have been concluded and France has picked up the wooden spoon by going down to Samoa 42-10. This is a massive fall from grace by a French side tipped to stand a real chance of figuring in the semis. The playoff for 7th was a real one-sided affair in Rockhampton with Tonga 48 -0.

 Tonight the real stuff occurs with Ireland taking on Fiji, to see who takes on the might of the Australians.

The best games of the World Cup have been some of the lower ranked teams, and they have been on the main competitive and entertaining. This is where the future of League sits, playing more internationals amongst these lower ranked sides and giving players the opportunity for more games and exposure playing for teams like Samoa and Tonga. Lets give those potential players who currently choose State of Origin over their island nationalities, a real opportunity for competition and some national pride. This is where the future of the international game lies.

Scotland upset th Fiji team 18-16 to score their first ever World Cup victory. The Scottish team defended wll early to snuffle out the posession dominance the Fijians had. And as it happens so often, as soon the Scottish team got the ball they put points on and posted the first points at the sixth minute mark.

The Bravehearts led 12-4 at half-time and most expected the Fijians to take the game with some of their attacking brilliance. The Fijians did dominate the secondhalf but points were hard to come by. However in the 72nd minute the Fijians finally scored to take the lead 16-12 and with both sides heavily fatigued the expectations of a Scottish win was lessened. However they did not give up and in the final minutes the Scottish scored a converted try to take the game.

Congratulations to Fiji who topped Pool 2, due to their big win over France. Both of the bottom pools, were highlighted with each team winning one game and the winners of each pool has been determined by points for and against. To these six teams congratulations on making this World Cup, your games have been highly entertaining and competitive. This is the future of international league.

Samoa, new favourites for Pool 3 after their tough win over Tonga, were off their game against a committed and enthusiastic Ireland. The Irish needed to win by five to crack the pool open and steal the winning slot from the Samoans. The Samoans played without discipline and attempted to ignite with an attacking display that belied their regimented approach to the Tongan game. The Samoans went sideways too much without obtaining forward momentum. They would have been obviously disapointed with the way that their World Cup campaign imploded.

They lost inspirational captain Nigel Vagana early in the second half with what appears to be a serious knee injury. However, the game wa gone already and when Samoa needed halfback Ben Roberts to stand up, it just didn't happen.

Pat Richards was great for Ireland, even though his goal kicking was inconsistent. Ryan Tandy highlighted the promise that he has with a display they paved the way for the win. Ireland now face the winner of Pool 2 to see who will take the final semi-final spot to take on Australia.

Pool 3 was certainly the most entertaining as firstly Tonga had fearly favouritism, only to lose it when Samoa tossed them in game 2, only to see the Irish upset Samoa to take the Pool. While Australia would appear to have this World Cup cemented, much of the promise of the international game now lies in the minnows and the entertaining contests they provide.

Try telling this Australian Rugby League side that International Footy is dead. They ramped up tonight in an incredibly dominant performance by a Kangaroo side led by Billy Slater and Greg Inglis who both scored hatricks of tries. The final score of 52-4 highlighted this dominance

You would never have guessed that Man on the Match in the first game, Jonathon Thurston was a late withdrawal, such was the powere the halves combination Scott Prince and Darren Lockyer had. England was best served by therir hooker  James Roby. The Australians were dominated by the Storm connections of Slater, Inglis and Folou and the Titans connection of Prince and Anthony LaFranchi who scored a double. Slater was a fitting Man of the Match

For periods in the first half, England dominated field position and possession, but the ball went to ground too often. They looked unorganised and lacked the attacking spark that the Super League game had promised.

What this scoreline does do, is provide credibility for some of the naysayers who have suggested this World Cup is one way traffic and even the most positive person would have to suggest that this is now the case. How the International game can prosper is now beyond the thought process of many fans and officials alike.

Credit must be given to the Australians who were absolutely ruthless and went on with it, when others may have eased off. They have now seen off the two main challenges, and one of either New Zealand or England are likely finalists and Australia has now provided a scar that wll be hard to move.

The Papua New Guinea Kumuls felt the wrath of the New Zealand Kiwis, smarting after their big loss to the Australians last week. The Kumuls who led England 16-12 at half-time were never in the game against NZ as they went to the break this week down 22-nil. The missed tackle stat told the story with New Guinea missing 35 to New Zealands 16. Benji Marshall had an outstanding game setting up much of the New Zealands attack.

The loss by PNG resets the tournament in some respects. They were expected to be the whipping boys in Pool A and the form of NZ has certainly put them back into this position. For NZ, they certainly showed some form and the combinations are starting to gell. All eyes now will be on the Australia v England clash Sunday Night to see if England can lift thier form after last weeks small win over PNG.

They kept saying it was a boilover, but one thing that stood out already in this Rugby League World Cup, is that these Pacfic Island Nations can play footy and tonight we saw it from Fiji, who flogged France 42-6. The Fijians always had the meaure of the game, and they controlled 61% of the ball while the French were just disapointing.

The NRL Fijians like Jaryd Hayne, Ashton Sims led the way but young Aaron Groom was the best on the field. The win now means Fiji are firm favourites for this pool, while the Frenchmen are unlikely to feature in the business end of the cup.

 Source Terry Williams rlwc08.com

A wonderful performance of the respective war cries of each nation set the stage for a memorable World Cup match between Tonga and Samoa at CUA Stadium, Penrith, tonight.

The passion and effort, by the crowd as much as the players, made this a very special night for the entire Rugby League community, as much as those of each country. And there was certainly plenty for the crowd to get excited about.

Samoa opened the scoring after only 2 minutes. Tonga turned the ball over on their first use and Francis Meli was on the end of a left hand raid that featured lovely hands from Dave Solomona and George Carmont. Ben Roberts unsuccessful conversion attempt gave Samoa a 4-0 lead.

Tonga rose to the challenge and hammered the Samoan line, but the commitment of both sides was evident in their defence and Samoa set the tone for the night early on by repelling waves of opposition  attack.

When Nigel Vagana latched on to an intercept and raced 90 metres in the eighth minute he not only scored a crucial try but also recorded the defining moment of the game. He also gave a reminder of why he was one rated the best centre in the game.

As Vagana touched down a desperate lunge by  Cooper Vuna almost denied him the try but it was that sort of night for the Tongans – always trying to catch up or cover mistakes and though they gave their all it was not quite enough on this occasion.

Tonga’s efforts reaped some reward when Tony Williams set up a try for Vuna soon after, and Williams’ conversion made it 10-6. Vagana looked to have extended the lead for Samoa immediately afterwards but video referee Steve Clarke spotted a knock-on.

Two minutes later Tevita Leo-Latu, who was busy all night, surged out of dummy half to score and Tony Williams conversion had Tonga in front at 12-10 and the crowd of over 12,000 were already hoarse.

This proved to be the crucial period of the game and while both teams had chances before half time it was Samoa who converted one of the opportunities when a passing rush to the right near the Tongan line saw Willie Talau put Matt Utai over for a try – given on the benefit of the doubt after being referred upstairs.

Samoa’s 14-12 may have shocked some but they drew strength from the late try and survived the arm wrestle that was the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Fifteen minutes after the resumption Solomona conjured a try for Carmont to put Samoa beyond arms’ reach after Roberts’ conversion.

That made the score 20-12, and there it would stay despite a plethora of opportunities and mistakes, occasionally blow ups, some unbelievable defence from both sides and a commitment that went above and beyond the call. For both teams, this was no ordinary game.

Nominating best players from such a game is like trying to pick your favourite song: Samoa  were best served by Vagana, the effervescent Terence Seuseu, Smith Samau and a non-stop pack of forwards headed by local Tony Puletua. Lopini Paea, Tevita Leo-Latu and Michael Jennings were best for Tonga in what was ultimately a great game, a marvellous spectacle and possible pointer to the future for international Rugby League.

FROM SNOWY AND CURLYS PERSPECTIVE

This was the game we looked forward to and we were not dispointed. We watched this at Jonnos place and had a couple of mates around. Some went for Samoa due to the underdog status,while others went for Tonga. It was a great game that led to a great nite. This is what International footy is about. We loved it.

The Luck of the Irish evaded them tonight in a highly entertaining game in front of a miserable crowd at Parramatta Stadium against Tonga. The Irish team had plenty of chances to score but luck was not on their side as Tonga won 22-20. Damien Blanch scored the Irish winger scored a hat-trick, in a game the Irish will rue as they led into the final ten minutes of the game, only to see Tonga snatch victory.

The was a gripping and thrilling contest, that kept the small crowd and the TV audience on the edge of their seats. The Tongan side lacked discipline and two players spent seperate stints in the sin-bin which need to be eradicated if the Tongan side is to advance into the business end of the competition.

The Irish side certainly played as the underdogs and played with pride of the emerald green. The completition rates and missed tackles actually made the game exciting, but will certainly cause derision amongst so-called League Experts and fans alike.

If all games turn out this entertaining, then the boys at THEFOOTY.com will almost certainly be happy men. It was a shame that one side had to lose tonight, as both deseved to walk off winners.

The Delayed debacle aside, the Australians were clinical in destroying New Zealand 30 points to 6. The Kiwis were never in it as the Australians asserted authority over the New Zealanders from the start and it was their star studded backline that stood tall with Jonathon Thurston, Billy Slater, Greg Inglis and Israel Folou outstanding, while the forwards seemed to control the big Kiwi forward pack.

Earlier in Canberra, the French side put paid to the Scottish Bravehearts with a solid 36-18 victory. Disapointing to see the lack of crowd at Canberra. Piss poor actually. Decent crowds at Townsville and Sydney so far, but Canberra let the side down. Can ANYONE please tell me what else is there to do in Canberra????

The Rugby Yawnion World Cup played to sellout crowds everywhere. The League World Cup promises better contests, better footy yet apathy threatens to kill it.

Papua New Guinea started the road to credibility for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup leading England 16-12 at half-time. But two English tries between the 50th minute and the 60th minute paved the way for England. A try to PNG in the75th minute brought the scoreline credibility most were hoping for.

The frustrating thing about this game, was the simple fact we had no live coverage around the game, instead having to put up with delayed telecasts from Channel 9 and Fox. From thelook at the crowd, the Townsville people have supported this game, although it was obvious it wasn't a sellout.

What a GF. The two best teams from 2008 vie for the title and one just got smashed. The Manly Sea Eagles eradicated the memories from last year with an emphatic 40-0 thumping of the Melbourne Storm. EMPHATIC.

One can only bemoan the power of hatred. Leading 8-0 at half time, most Manly supporters expected a re-invigorated Storm side to come out and make a game of it, but the second half was all Manly. 32 points came including a try to Steve Beaver Menzies in a scene that sparked jubilation in the crowd. Brent Kite got the Clive Churchill medal, but Jamie Lyons was close behind as was Glen Hall and Matt Orford did everything expected.

For a Grand Final day we had some contrasts. Golden Point in the NSW State League with a win to Wentworthwille Magpies and then Golden Point in the Toyota Cup with a win to the Raiders. And then a 40zip hammering in the NRL.

One can only feel some sympathy for some of the Storm players. Israel Folou was incredibly distraught after the game and leader Cooper Cronk took it upon himself to settle the kid down and console him. In another class act, Cronk's speech was all class but it was after his speech that his true worth was shown. Cooper took the time to shake the hands of each of the Easts Carina Under 8's who were there to present the medals to the winning team. This went unseen by most, but absolutely appreciated by those that saw it. They say that a true test of character comes from how you treat people that cannot do anything for yourself and in this case, Cooper has stood supreme.

From a public relations exercise, the NRL decided to allow the Under 8's from Easts Carina to present to the winning team. What the TV cameras showed was the salutory handshakes from all the dignatories and fleeting glimpses of the Under 8's. The question needs to be asked, WHY WERE THEY THERE? Get rid of some of the people on stage and give the kids centre stage.

Well DONE MANLY. A great year, well deserved. Lets look forward to 2009.