England’s rugby league World Cup dream has ended in heartbreak on a warm Brisbane night as Australia edged to a tense 6-0 victory in the closest final the sport has seen in decades.

England had reached the decider at Suncorp Stadium, ending a 22-year wait to get another tournament final, but it was in the Queensland capital where the hopes of a nation were finally dashed by the slimmest of slim margins.

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Australia claimed their record 11th world crown with a solitary try by second-rower Boyd Cordner the only difference. England produced their best performance against the Kangaroos in a decade, in what might have been the best rugby league World Cup final of all time, but again they fell agonisingly short.



The outsiders headed into the match without captain Sean O’Loughlin and hooker Josh Hodgson through injury, a shattering double blow that was difficult to recover from. In contrast Australia were unchanged one to 17, a side comfortable and familiar in combinations after five wins in a row.

It was a brutal opening spell, James Graham hit hard with the opening carry and Billy Slater greeted with a wall of white defenders. Both teams focused on doing the simple things right, getting to their kicks with passes and expansive play at a minimum.

It was England who were most fluid early on with James Roby darting from dummy half and Kevin Brown shifting the ball with speed. Gareth Widdop came in for a lot of early attention with Australia fully aware of the danger he posed.

On 10 minutes the final exploded into life when Gale hit Cameron Smith high with a swinging arm. Josh McGuire ran in to aid his captain and a scrum of bodies came together to push and shove. The ensuing penalty saw the Kangaroos camped on England’s try line. Kallum Watkins bizarrely then tried to bat a Cronk kick out, which almost resulted in an Australian try.

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The Kangaroos had a repeat set on England’s line, along with a second penalty, and the pressure grew. The green and gold were throwing everything at the visitors, but desperate English defence kept them at bay.

Everything was going Australia’s way and it seemed only a matter of time until England cracked. Then in the 15th minute Michael Morgan popped a short ball to Cordner and the back-rower steamrolled his way to the line for a try.

England could only hold on for so long and Smith’s conversion gave Australia first blood at 6-0. It would prove pivotal. The Kangaroos went close again soon after, but Slater’s kick was smartly collected by Ryan Hall.

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On 20 minutes Dane Gagai lost the ball on his own 20-metre line to gift England attacking possession. They attacked to the right but Australia scrambled well and Hall was monstered into touch.

Jermaine McGillvary had a great chance three minutes later, after Watkins had put him into space on the right. But the winger lost control of the ball as he tried to power his way over. Close but not close enough again for England.

In a match where attacking opportunities were rare, the visitors were behind but hanging in there. Much like the tournament opener in Melbourne, England were patient and content to go set for set with the Australians and wait for an error. Rugby league is a game of inches but this was one more of millimetres. Every knock on, dropped pass or mistimed play-the-ball could be disastrous.

With four minutes left in the half, as the rain started to tumble down, Alex Walmsley earned a penalty from the Aussie defence. The time was now to strike. But a knock on by John Bateman gave the Kangaroos possession back immediately and again England were on the back foot.

Right before halftime Australia appeared poised to score, but England bravely held on. The halftime siren came as a relief after 40 minutes of largely being on the back foot. But the match was still in the balance, delicately poised on the sharpest of knife edges.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Josh Dugan manages to ankle tap Kallum Watkins from a seemingly impossible position to quash England’s hopes of a breakaway try. Photograph: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Danger struck barely a minute into the second half when Widdop dropped a Cronk bomb right on his line. You could almost smell an Australian try coming. But England’s defence was up to the task and Widdop redeemed himself when he soared majestically to defuse Cronk’s next kick.

By their skin of their teeth England were still in it. In the 46th minute Josh Dugan tried to put Valentine Holmes over and McGillvary intercepted the pass and broke clear. It was heart in your mouth stuff.

Eventually England’s resolve had to break. A minute later Jordan McLean found Morgan and the five-eighth stepped past two defenders to score. But the video referee intervened and the try was chalked off for an obstruction. England were still in the fight, holding on for dear life.

A chance for an opening try came on 54 minutes, after they were handed a penalty on the Aussie line. But the Kangaroos showed they can defend better than anyone, having conceded a mere three tries all tournament, with Matt Gillett getting there first to an attacking Gale grubber kick.

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The game bore on, both sides working themselves to a standstill. Every tackle, every run was met with crunching collision after crunching collision. With 15 minutes left England lifted and Watkins almost broke free down the right, only a desperate Dugan ankle tap preventing a runaway try. England went in for the kill and forced a goal-line drop out. Ending 45 years of hurt was seemingly in sight.

But Widdop tried a high-risk cut-out pass and the ball rolled into touch. And with it went England’s World Cup chances. As the clock ticked down the stalemate continued. Neither side could break the deadlock and the Kangaroos escaped with the close win. The Paul Barrière trophy, and the dominance of the world of rugby league, was theirs once more.