RLWC2013 Wrap

Australia 28 England 20 Four tries in a devastating 18 minute spell either side of half time saw Australia hold off a spirited England on the opening day of the tournament. England opened the scoring after seven minutes when Australia's James Tamou was penalised for a high shot.

The second fixture of the opening day of Rugby League World Cup 2013 saw co-hosts Wales take on Italy. It was a tightly contested affair until the final quarter, when Italy countered Wales' desperate attempts to get back into the game with consecutive tries.

France have won a last minute thriller 9-8 against Papua New Guinea after Kumul David Mead failed to kick a penalty in the dying moments of the match. Papua New Guinea came into this clash with France in good form, courtesy of a 38-20 win over Scotland, while France had suffered a shock disappointment to USA in Toulouse.

New Zealand came through a pulsating encounter against Samoa to open their defence of the Rugby League World Cup with an impressive victory. The Kiwis had to withstand a late barrage from Samoa to make the perfect start to their campaign as 14,000 dazzled spectators looked on at The Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington.

A record-breaking Spotland Stadium crowd witnessed Fiji overcome Ireland 32-14, as Akuila Uate's hat-trick put the Bati into contention for progression from Group A. After Fiji's devastating start, which threatened to take the game away from Mark Aston's Ireland, the Wolfhounds responded strongly until the Bati found a second gear to pull away, thanks mainly to Uate's three scores.

Scotland twice came from behind to overcome a formidable Tonga team and opening their Rugby League World Cup 2013 campaign with a hard-fought and deserved win on a memorable night at Derwent Park, Workington.

The United States made history as they powered past the Cook Islands to claim their first ever victory in the World Cup. In a match where momentum swung back and forth, the Rugby League newcomers finished strongly to sweep their opponents aside. Two late tries sealed an emphatic result that will live long in the memory.

A clinical display from New Zealand and a man of the match performance from Shaun Johnson saw them run out 48-0 winners over France at Parc des Sports, Avignon. New Zealand dominated the first half running in three converted tries for an 18-0 lead at half-time.

England bounced back from their opening-day defeat to Australia with a convincing win over Ireland in front of a stadium-record crowd at the John Smith's Stadium in Huddersfield. England controlled the game from the first minute to the last, and got off to a perfect start when Ryan Hall scored after two minutes.

Australia enjoyed a comfortable win in uncomfortable conditions as they brushed aside Fiji 34-2 in their Rugby League World Cup 2013 Group A match at Langtree Park, St Helens. Six different Australians touched down for the Kangaroos, who, in testing conditions in the North-West, remain the dominant force in Group A.

The USA ran out comfortable winners against Wales in Wrexham, beating the Rugby League World Cup 2013 co-hosts 24-16 to extend their impressive recent winning run. NRL player Clint Newton bagged two tries, with one each from Matthew Petersen, Tuisegasega Samoa and fellow NRL star Joseph Paulo to highlight the Tomahawks as one of the form teams in the tournament.

Scotland and Italy played out a thrilling draw at Derwent Park, Workington, to maintain their respective unbeaten records in Rugby League World Cup 2013, leaving both sides in with a chance of qualifying to the knockout stages.

Samoan lock Sauaso Sue scored his first Test try as his side cruised to their first win at Rugby League World Cup 2013, beating Papua New Guinea 38-4 at Craven Park, Hull. The Samoans ran in seven tries though five different scorers, with Anthony Milford kicking five goals in the process.

Tonga came out on top in an entertaining match at Leigh Sports Village. They beat the Cook Islands 22-16 to keep their hopes of reaching the Rugby League World Cup 2013 quarter-finals alive.

Scotland kept their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage of Rugby League World Cup 2013 alive with a comeback win over the tournament's surprise package, USA, eliminating Tonga in the process. Despite having already qualified, the USA made only two changes from the starting 13 that beat Wales on Sunday, and their momentum continued as they ran in two first-half tries through Kristian Freed and Taylor Welch.

Rugby League World Cup holders New Zealand powered past Papua New Guinea 56-6 to march into the quarter finals. A first half hat-trick by Sonny Bill Williams was part of a resounding 10-try victory for the 2008 champions, who maintained their 100 per cent record in the competition.

England secured second place in Group A with a resounding win over Fiji thanks to a brace of tries from Ryan Hall and a man of the match display from Sam Burgess.

Australia put in a world class performance to beat Ireland 50-0 and send their opponents crashing out of the Rugby League World Cup. In the biggest win of the tournament so far, the Australians ran in nine tries to set up a quarter final clash with the surprise package of the competition, the USA.

Italy crashed out of the Rugby League World Cup following their 16-0 defeat to quarter finalists Tonga. The Italians desperately needed a win to keep their tournament hopes alive, but it was not to be as the Islanders scored two second half tries to confirm Scotland's place in the quarter finals of the competition.

Liam Williams At The Gnoll The Cook Islands survived a second-half fightback from Wales to record their first-ever Rugby League World Cup win. The Kukis made the most of Wales's errors in the first half, and led 16-4 at the break with tries from Daniel Fepuleai, Keith Lulia and Isaac John, with the solitary Welsh try coming from Rob Massam.

Samoa have avoided a quarter-final clash with England after beating France in a bruising encounter in front of a record-breaking crowd in Perpignan. A competitive first half, with tries from Daniel Vidot and Morgan Escare, saw the sides go in level at the break.

Reigning champions New Zealand put in a stellar performance in defeating Scotland 40-4 at Headingley to set up a semi-final clash with either England or France. The Kiwis put five tries past their opponents in a dominant first half display.

Brett Morris and Jarryd Hayne each got four try hauls as Australia romped to a 62-0 victory over the USA in the second Rugby League World Cup 2013 quarter-final, to book their place at next weekend's Big Hit semi-final at Wembley.

England sealed their passage to the semi-finals of Rugby League World Cup 2013 with a comfortable win over France as Sam Tomkins signed off his career at the DW Stadium by collecting the man of the match award.