Rugby League European Nations Cup
Encyclopedia
The European Cup is a rugby league football tournament for Europe
an nations that was first held in 1935. The tournament was first started in 1935, with England
, Wales
and France
each playing each other once. Unlike the Tri-Nations
series, there was no final; the team finishing at the top of the group was deemed the winner. The European Cup is contested biennially with four teams and will next be held in 2012
. It is run by the Rugby League European Federation
.
and French
leagues: Australia
n, New Zealanders
, Scots
, Irish
players and others all played for this new side.
The 1955-56 tournament had no Welsh team, though Welsh players featured for Other Nationalities. The tournament was not played again until 1969-70. It was revived in 1975, with the three-team format of England
, Wales
and France
playing each other team only once being made standard. The tournament was cancelled after 1981, but it was revived under the same format for 1995 and 1996.
The tournament was revamped for 2003, with Scotland
, Ireland
and Russia
all joining. The new structure saw two groups of three, with the winner of each group meeting in a final. This structure was continued for the 2004 tournament.
From 2004 Scotland
, Ireland
and Wales
had to have at least four 'home grown' players from their domestic competitions (in the case of Wales
this means Welsh clubs playing in the TotalRLConference) in their squad. Effectively this means that at least one home grown player is guaranteed a start.
The 2005 tournament did not include England
as a participant; England will instead play matches against France
and New Zealand
, giving the European Nations Cup a more level playing field. Georgia
won the first ever European Nations qualifying tournament in 2005, beating both Serbia
and the Netherlands
to win a spot in the tournament.
Starting from 2010
the tournament will be used to choose the team that compete with Australia, New Zealand
and England
in the Four Nations
.
- (8)
- (6)
Other Nationalities
- (2)
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an nations that was first held in 1935. The tournament was first started in 1935, with England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
, Wales
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
and France
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
each playing each other once. Unlike the Tri-Nations
Rugby League Tri-Nations
The Rugby League Tri-Nations was a rugby league tournament involving the top three nations in the sport: Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand...
series, there was no final; the team finishing at the top of the group was deemed the winner. The European Cup is contested biennially with four teams and will next be held in 2012
2012 European Cup (rugby league)
The 2012 European Cup, known as the Alitalia European Cup for sponsorship purposes, is a rugby league football tournament.Four teams will compete in the 2012 event, with teams to be decided in November 2011 following the Four Nations....
. It is run by the Rugby League European Federation
Rugby League European Federation
The Rugby League European Federation is the umbrella body for nations playing the sport of rugby league football across Europe and the Northern Hemisphere. It supports the Rugby League International Federation . The RLEF "oversees and co-ordinates the development of the sport in all its member...
.
History
The tournament was initially played annually, with the exception of the years of the Second World War. In 1946-47, the tournament was altered, with each team playing each other twice, at home and away. The 1949-50 season saw a return to playing only once, but a new team, "Other Nationalities", was added. This team consisted of players who were not English, Welsh, or French playing in the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
leagues: Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n, New Zealanders
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Scots
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
players and others all played for this new side.
The 1955-56 tournament had no Welsh team, though Welsh players featured for Other Nationalities. The tournament was not played again until 1969-70. It was revived in 1975, with the three-team format of England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
, Wales
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
and France
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
playing each other team only once being made standard. The tournament was cancelled after 1981, but it was revived under the same format for 1995 and 1996.
The tournament was revamped for 2003, with Scotland
Scotland national rugby league team
The Scotland national rugby league team represent Scotland in international rugby league football tournaments. The team is run under the auspices of the Scotland Rugby League, and are nicknamed The Bravehearts. Scotland are not regarded as a test nation...
, Ireland
Ireland national rugby league team
The Ireland national rugby league team, known as the Wolfhounds, represent the island of Ireland in rugby league football. The team is organized by Rugby League Ireland and are accredited as an affiliate member of the Rugby League International Federation...
and Russia
Russia national rugby league team
-2008 World Cup Qualifying:In 2006 Russia were involved in Europe Round One, defeating Netherlands national rugby league team and Serbia national rugby league team to finish second and keep their World Cup dream alive. They then went through to Europe Round Two in Europe Pool Two with Ireland and...
all joining. The new structure saw two groups of three, with the winner of each group meeting in a final. This structure was continued for the 2004 tournament.
From 2004 Scotland
Scotland national rugby league team
The Scotland national rugby league team represent Scotland in international rugby league football tournaments. The team is run under the auspices of the Scotland Rugby League, and are nicknamed The Bravehearts. Scotland are not regarded as a test nation...
, Ireland
Ireland national rugby league team
The Ireland national rugby league team, known as the Wolfhounds, represent the island of Ireland in rugby league football. The team is organized by Rugby League Ireland and are accredited as an affiliate member of the Rugby League International Federation...
and Wales
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
had to have at least four 'home grown' players from their domestic competitions (in the case of Wales
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
this means Welsh clubs playing in the TotalRLConference) in their squad. Effectively this means that at least one home grown player is guaranteed a start.
The 2005 tournament did not include England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
as a participant; England will instead play matches against France
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
and New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
, giving the European Nations Cup a more level playing field. Georgia
Georgia national rugby league team
The Georgia national rugby league team represented Georgia in rugby league football. It played its first international game in 2005. The Georgian team play in a red jersey with a white cross on the front...
won the first ever European Nations qualifying tournament in 2005, beating both Serbia
Serbia national rugby league team
The Serbia national rugby league team represents Serbia in the sport of rugby league football, has been participating in international competition since 2003.-History:...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands national rugby league team
The Netherlands Rugby league was formed in January 2003. The national team played its first international match in 2005.-2008 World Cup Qualifying:See Also 2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifying...
to win a spot in the tournament.
Starting from 2010
2010 in rugby league
Top-level rugby league in 2010 centred around Australasia's 2010 NRL season and Europe's Super League XV. High profile representative competitions included the 2010 Four Nations , the 2010 State of Origin series and the 2010 European Cup.-January:*29 - Wrexham, Wales: Super League XV kicks off with...
the tournament will be used to choose the team that compete with Australia, New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
and England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
in the Four Nations
Rugby League Four Nations
The Rugby League Four Nations is an annual rugby league football tournament run in partnership between the Australian Rugby League, Rugby Football League and New Zealand Rugby League representing the top three nations in the sport: Australia, England and New Zealand. A fourth partner, France,...
.
Past tournaments
| Season | Winner | Competitors |
|---|---|---|
| 1935 1935 European Rugby League Championship -Final standings:* England win the tournament on points difference.... |
||
| 1935–36 | ||
| 1936–37 | ||
| 1938 1938 European Rugby League Championship -Results:---------Final standings:*Wales win the tournament with two victories.... |
||
| 1938–39 | ||
| 1945–46 | ||
| 1946–47 | ||
| 1947–48 | ||
| 1948–49 | ||
| 1949–50 | Other Nationalities Other Nationalities rugby league team The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players... |
|
| 1950–51 | Other Nationalities Other Nationalities rugby league team The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players... |
|
| 1951–52 | Other Nationalities Other Nationalities rugby league team The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players... |
|
| 1952–53 | Other Nationalities Other Nationalities rugby league team The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players... |
Other Nationalities Other Nationalities rugby league team The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players... |
| 1953–54 | Other Nationalities Other Nationalities rugby league team The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players... |
|
| 1955–56 | Other Nationalities Other Nationalities rugby league team The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players... |
Other Nationalities Other Nationalities rugby league team The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players... |
| 1969–70 | , | , |
| 1975 1975 European Rugby League Championship -Final standings:*England win the tournament with two victories.... |
||
| 1977 1977 European Rugby League Championship -Results:---------Final standings:*France win the tournament with two victories.... |
||
| 1978 1978 European Rugby League Championship -Results:---------Final standings:*England win the tournament with two victories.... |
||
| 1979 1979 European Rugby League Championship -Results:---------Final standings:*England win the tournament with two victories.... |
||
| 1980 1980 European Rugby League Championship -Results:---------Final standings:... |
||
| 1981 1981 European Rugby League Championship -Results:---------Final standings:... |
||
| 1995 1995 European Rugby League Championship -Final standings:... |
||
| 1996 1996 European Rugby League Championship -Final standings:... |
||
| 2003 | ||
| 2004 | ||
| 2005 | ||
| 2009 | ||
| 2010 2010 European Cup The 2010 European Cup, known as the Alitalia European Cup for sponsorship purposes, is a rugby league football tournament. Three of the competing teams participated in the 2009 European Cup, with France also being included in the tournament after competing in the 2009 Four Nations... |
* | |
| 2011 2011 Autumn International Series -France vs Scotland:-Ireland vs France:This will be the first international at Thomond Park.-Other Matches:Ireland also lost to Wales 6–30 and France lost to England 18–32. Both Wales and England were preparing for the Four Nations. France also lost to the England Knights 18–38.... |
||
| 2012 2012 European Cup (rugby league) The 2012 European Cup, known as the Alitalia European Cup for sponsorship purposes, is a rugby league football tournament.Four teams will compete in the 2012 event, with teams to be decided in November 2011 following the Four Nations.... |
- Wales qualified for the 2011 Four Nations2011 Rugby League Four NationsThe 2011 Rugby League Four Nations tournament was the third staging of the Rugby League Four Nations tournament and was played in England and Wales during October and November of 2011...
.
Total wins
- (14)- (8)
- (6)
Other Nationalities
Other Nationalities rugby league team
The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players...
- (2)