Friday, 23 March 2012

Cardiff to open World Cup with double header

CO-HOSTS Wales will play Italy at the Millennium Stadium in the first match of next year’s rugby league World Cup, it has been confirmed.

The cross-group game follows the tournament’s opening ceremony and is part of a mouth-watering double header on Saturday, October 26 alongside England’s clash with Australia.

The World Cup schedule also sees Wales taking on the USA at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham before the men in red travel to The Gnoll in Neath to face the Cook Islands.

Matches are spread around the UK, Ireland and France with Limerick’s Thomond Park, Avignon’s Parc des Sports and Perpignan’s Gilbert Brutus Stadium hosting matches.

“This is an exciting day and an important milestone in our planning for this tournament,” said RLWC2013 Ltd chairman Richard Lewis.

“We are using one of the iconic locations in British sport; the Millennium Stadium. The opening ceremony and double header will give fans the chance to see the best players in the world going head to head.”

The venue for the final and semi-finals has yet to be confirmed but the locations for the quarter-finals have been announced.

The winner of Pool A (England, Australia, Ireland, Fiji) will meet the winner of Pool D (Wales, Cook Islands, USA) in Wrexham while Wigan’s DW Stadium is the venue for the last eight clash between the runners-up in Pool A and the third-placed team in Pool B.

The top country in Pool B (New Zealand, France, Samoa, Papua New Guinea) plays the winner of Pool C (Scotland, Tonga, Italy) at Headingley in Leeds and Warrington’s Hlliwell Jones Stadium hosts the tie between the Pool B runner-up and the third best side in Pool A.

“We are delighted that Wales will join our neighbours England in hosting the Rugby League World Cup final this year,” said Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones. “It’s wonderful that our capital city, Cardiff, will host participating countries before the tournament - the only time these nations will all unite during the World Cup.

“Hosting the opening ceremony and the double header here at the Millennium Stadium, in addition to matches at Wrexham and Neath, will have major international significance and we look forward to welcoming the world to Wales in 2013.”

Rugby League World Cup 2013 tournament schedule;

Group A

England v Australia, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Fiji v Ireland, Spotland Stadium, Rochdale

England v Ireland, The Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield

Australia v Fiji, Langtree Park, St Helens

England v Fiji, KC Stadium, Hull

Australia v Ireland, Thomond Park, Limerick

Group B

France v Papua New Guinea, MS3 Craven Park, Hull

New Zealand v Samoa, The Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington

France v New Zealand, Parc des Sports, Avignon

Samoa v Papua New Guinea, MS3 Craven Park, Hull

New Zealand v Papua New Guinea, Headingley Carnegie Stadium, Leeds

France v Samoa, Gilbert Brutus Stadium, Perpignan

Group C

Scotland v Tonga, Pow Beck Stadium, Whitehaven

Scotland v Italy, Pow Beck Stadium, Whitehaven

Tonga v Italy, The Shay Stadium, Halifax

Group D

Cook Islands v USA, The Memorial Stadium, Bristol

Wales v USA, Glyndŵr University Racecourse Ground, Wrexham

Wales v Cook Islands, The Gnoll, Neath

Group C/D

Wales v Italy, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Tonga v Cook Islands, Leigh Sports Village

Scotland v USA, City of Salford Community Stadium

Quarters-Finals

Winner A v Winner D, Glyndŵr University Racecourse Ground, Wrexham

Runner-Up A v 3rd place B, DW Stadium, Wigan

Winner B v Winner C, Headingley Carnegie Stadium, Leeds

Runner-Up B v 3rd place A, The Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington

Semi-Finals

Winner Q/F 1 v Winner Q/F 4, To be confirmed

Winner Q/F 2 v Winner Q/F 3, To be confirmed

Final

To be confirmed

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