2018 Emerging Nations World Championship
Rugby tournament
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The 2018 Emerging Nations World Championship (ENWC) was a rugby league tournament held for Tier Two and Tier Three nations, the third edition of the Rugby League Emerging Nations Tournament.
Background
Several nations that had not qualified, or were not eligible to qualify, for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup planned to contest an Emerging Nations tournament in Sydney in 2017 alongside the World Cup. However this tournament did not get support from the Rugby League International Federation, and did not go ahead.[1]
On 29 March 2017, the Rugby League International Federation announced that Australia would host the tournament in 2018.[2] The two-week-long tournament was held in Western Sydney, New South Wales with games taking place in Windsor, St Marys and Cabramatta.[3]
Teams
Ten teams were already confirmed for the tournament by March 2017[2] with a number of others later also announcing their participation.[4][5][6] 15 teams were expected to compete, though Canada, India, Latvia, and Thailand were not included in the final draw, for unspecified reasons.
| Nation | Coach | Notable players | RLIF Rank (Jul 2018)[7] |
|---|---|---|---|
 Greece |  Steve Georgallis | Stefanos Bastas, Michael Korkidas, Jordan Meads[8] | 26 |
 Hong Kong | Jason Fairleigh[9] | – | 45 |
 Hungary | Jonathan Wilson | Stuart Flanagan[10] | 21 |
 Japan | Viliami Ahosivi | Gehamat Shibasaki[11] | 41 |
 Malta | Peter Cassar & Aaron McDonald | Tyler Cassel, Jarrod Sammut,[12] Sam Stone[13] | 18 |
 Niue |  Brendan "Bman" Perenara | Zebastian Lucky Luisi, Eddie Paea, Sione Tovo[14] | 34 |
 Philippines | Arwin Marcus | Shane Gray, Payne Haas ( ),[15] Paul Sheedy[16] | 27 |
 Poland |  Lee Addison[17][18] | Harry Siejka[19] | – |
 Solomon Islands | John Jewiss & Luke Heckendorf [20] | – | 42 |
 Turkey | Scott Hartas | Emre Guler, Aidan Sezer, Jansin Turgut[21] | – |
 Vanuatu | Lionel Harbin[22] | Alehana Mara[23] | 36 |
Four multi-country regional teams competed in a parallel tournament.[2] This was won by the Mediterranean-Middle East team who defeated Africa United in the final.[24]
| Region | Organising body | Eligible countries |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | Africa United Rugby League | 54 sovereign states of Africa.[25]  Algeria,  Angola,  Benin,  Botswana,  Burkina Faso,  Burundi,  Cape Verde,  Cameroon,  Central African Republic,  Chad,  Comoros,  Congo,  Cote d'Ivoire,  Djibouti,  DR Congo,  Egypt,  Equatorial Guinea,  Eritrea,  Ethiopia,  Gabon,  Gambia,  Ghana,  Guinea,  Guinea-Bissau,  Kenya,  Lesotho,  Liberia,  Libya,  Madagascar,  Malawi,  Mali,  Mauritania,  Mauritius,  Morocco,  Mozambique,  Namibia,  Niger,  Nigeria,  Rwanda,  São Tomé and Príncipe,  Senegal,  Seychelles,  Sierra Leone,  Somalia,  South Africa,  South Sudan,  Sudan,  Swaziland,  Tanzania,  Togo,  Tunisia,  Uganda,  Zambia, and  Zimbabwe. |
| Latin America | Latin Heat Rugby League | |
| Mediterranean | Mediterranean Rugby League | |
| South East Asia | ASEAN RL Association |
Venues
- Cabramatta: New Era Stadium, home of the Cabramatta Two Blues, has previously hosted four international fixtures: Philippines vs Serbia (2016), Philippines vs Malta, Lebanon vs Malta, and Malta vs Hungary (all 2017).
- Kellyville: Kellyville Ridge Reserve, all-weather synthetic pitch previously unused at any level, hosted games on 7 October as Cabramatta was closed due to flooding.[27]
- St Marys: St Marys Leagues Stadium, home of the St Marys Saints, has previously hosted six international fixtures: Fiji vs Tonga, Samoa vs Cook Islands, Lebanon vs Malta (all 2006), Lebanon vs Malta (2015), Malta vs Hungary, South Africa vs Malta (both 2018). It contains a 520-seat grandstand and has a total capacity of 7,000.[28]
- Windsor: Windsor Sporting Complex, home of the Windsor Wolves, has not previously hosted an international fixture.
Pool stage
Tournament fixtures were announced on 16 July 2018.[29] The pool stage began on 1 October and concluded on 7 October. The six highest ranked teams were split between Pool A and B, while Pool C consisted of the five lowest ranked teams.
Pool A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niue | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 28 | +22 | 4 | Advances to Cup play-off |
| 2 | Malta | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 52 | 36 | +16 | 2 | Advances to Cup play-off |
| 3 | Philippines | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 60 | −38 | 0 | Advances to Trophy play-off |
| Malta |
36 – 10 | Philippines |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: K. Cassel (3), Attard, Benson, Rodrigues, S. Stone Goals: Benson (4/7) |
Report |
Tries: Bien, Mackey Goals: Bien (1/1), Wiggins (0/1) |
Pool B
Pool C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 12 | +108 | 4 | Advances to Trophy play-off |
| 2 | Turkey | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 22 | +68 | 4 | Advances to Trophy play-off |
| 3 | Solomon Islands | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 42 | +12 | 2 | Advances to Plate play-off |
| 4 | Hong Kong | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 94 | -76 | 0 | Advances to Plate play-off |
| 5 | Japan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 118 | -112 | 0 | Advances to Plate play-off |
| Turkey |
30 – 22 | Solomon Islands |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Dalcik (2), A. Salman-Cochrane (2), Er, Bökeyhan Sürer Goals: Bökeyhan Sürer (3/4), H. Karabork (0/2) |
Report |
Tries: Maebata (2), Kaipua, Tengemoana Goals: Sanga (2/3), Moe'ava (1/1) |
| Solomon Islands |
32 – 12 | Hong Kong |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Singamoana (2), Angikimua, Momoa, Sanga, Sa'omatangi, L. Tongaka Goals: Moe'ava (2/5), Sanga (0/2) |
Report |
Tries: Griffiths, Waugh Goals: Lindsay (2/2) |
Play-offs
The play-off stage began on 9 October and concluded on 13 October. The teams were split into Cup, Trophy, and Plate play-offs based on their results in the pool stage.
Cup
| Cup semi-finals | 1st place final | |||||
| 10 October – Cabramatta | ||||||
| Niue | 16 | |||||
| 13 October – St Marys | ||||||
| Greece | 8 | |||||
| Niue | 16 | |||||
| 10 October – Cabramatta | ||||||
| Malta | 24 | |||||
| Hungary | 10 | |||||
| Malta | 20 | |||||
| 3rd place final | ||||||
| 13 October – St Marys | ||||||
| Greece | 26 | |||||
| Hungary | 18 | |||||
Trophy
| Trophy semi-finals | 5th place final | |||||
| 10 October – Cabramatta | ||||||
| Philippines | 29 | |||||
| 13 October – St Marys | ||||||
| Turkey | 16 | |||||
| Philippines | 10 | |||||
| 10 October – Cabramatta | ||||||
| Poland | 14 | |||||
| Vanuatu | 4 | |||||
| Poland | 44 | |||||
| 7th place final | ||||||
| 13 October – St Marys | ||||||
| Turkey | 27 | |||||
| Vanuatu | 26 | |||||
| Philippines |
29 – 16 | Turkey |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Goodwin, Gordon, Sheedy, Stephenson, Stubbs Goals: Wiggins (4) Drop goals: Sheedy |
Report |
Tries: Dalcik (2), A. Salman-Cochrane Goals: Bokeyhan Surer (2) |
Plate
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Solomon Islands | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 36 | +64 | 4 |
| 10 | Japan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 74 | -20 | 2 |
| 11 | Hong Kong | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 88 | -44 | 0 |
| Solomon Islands |
44 – 22 | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Maebata (2), Moe'ava (2), Sanga, Taupongi, Tengemoana, L. Tongaka Goals: Sanga (5/7), Moe'ava (1/1) |
Tries: Shibasaki (2), Fujitaka, Grieve Goals: F. Karino (3/4) |
| Solomon Islands |
56 – 14 | Hong Kong |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Angikimua (3), Manau (2), Moe'ava (2), Sa'omatangi, Sanga, Singamoana, Tengemoana Goals: Moe'ava (5/9), Sanga (1/2) |
Report |
Tries: Barnes, Lindsay, McMurrich Goals: Barnes (1/1), Lee (0/1), Lindsay (0/1) |
Final positions
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malta Cup Winners |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 96 | 62 | +34 |
| 2 | Niue |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 82 | 60 | +22 |
| 3 | Greece |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 90 | 54 | +36 |
| 4 | Hungary |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 66 | 77 | -11 |
| 5 | Poland Trophy Winners |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 178 | 26 | +152 |
| 6 | Philippines |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 61 | 90 | -29 |
| 7 | Turkey |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 133 | 77 | +56 |
| 8 | Vanuatu |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 43 | 127 | -84 |
| 9 | Solomon Islands Plate Winners |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 154 | 78 | +76 |
| 10 | Japan |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 60 | 192 | -132 |
| 11 | Hong Kong |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 62 | 182 | -120 |