| 2011 Four Nations | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Host countries |  England Wales |
| Winner |  Australia |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Attendance | 128,065 (18,295 per match) |
| Points scored | 280 (40 per match) |
| Tries scored | 47 (6.71 per match) |
| Top scorer | Johnathan Thurston (56) |
| Top try scorer | Sam Tomkins (5) |
<2010 2014 > | |
The2011 Rugby League Four Nations tournament (also known as the2011 Gillette Rugby League Four Nations due to sponsorship byGillette), was the third staging of theRugby League Four Nations tournament, and was played inEngland andWales during October and November 2011. It was contested by regular contestantsAustralia,England andNew Zealand, in addition toWales, who had qualified for their first Four Nations by winning the2010 European Cup.[1] The tournament saw the return of international rugby league to London'sWembley Stadium for the first time since 1997, with adouble-header played on 5 November 2011. Australia won the tournament, defeating England in the final atElland Road,Leeds, on 19 November 2011. The match was the last of the 17-year professional career of Australia's captainDarren Lockyer.
The 2011 tournament was the third of threeFour Nations series planned before the2013 Rugby League World Cup, with the venues rotating between Europe and the South Pacific. There was no Four Nations in 2012 due to teams preparing for theWorld Cup.[2][3]
In addition to automatic inclusions Australia, England and New Zealand, Wales qualified for the tournament by defeatingFrance in the final of the2010 European Cup.
| Team | Coach | Captain | RLIF Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Tim Sheens | Darren Lockyer | 1 |
| England | Steve McNamara | Jamie Peacock | 3 |
 New Zealand | Stephen Kearney | Benji Marshall | 2 |
| Wales | Iestyn Harris | Lee Briers | 5 |
Australian coachTim Sheens' touring squad was announced on 3 October:[4] Of the twenty four players, twenty three were Australian born while one was Fijian born.
1 Replaced originally selectedBrett Stewart who withdrew due to injury.
2 Replaced originally selectedDavid Taylor who withdrew due to injury.
3 Replaced originally selectedGlenn Stewart who withdrew for compassionate reasons.[5]
The England squad for the 2011 Four Nations:[6] Of the twenty four players, twenty two were English born while one was New Zealand born and one Australian born.
Coach:Steve McNamara
The Kiwis announced their 23-man touring squad on 4 October.[7] Of the twenty three players, eighteen were New Zealand born while four were Australian born and one Tongan born.
Coach:Stephen Kearney
1 Replaced original replacementKrisnan Inu who withdrew for family reasons.[8] He replaced originally selectedSteve Matai who withdrew due to injury.[9]
2 Replaced originally selectedManu Vatuvei who withdrew due to injury.[9]
3 Replaced originally selectedShaun Johnson who withdrew due to injury.[9]
The Welsh training squad was named on 14 September.[10] Of the twenty three players, nine were English born while eight were Welsh born and five Australian borns and one South African born.
Coach:Iestyn Harris
Gareth Thomas was originally selected in the squad, but retired with immediate effect in the week leading up to the tournament.[11]
The games were played at venues in England and Wales. The tournament final was played in Leeds.
| Warrington | Leigh | London |
|---|---|---|
| Halliwell Jones Stadium | Leigh Sports Village | Wembley |
| Capacity:13,200 | Capacity:11,000 | Capacity:90,000 |
.jpg) |  |  |
| Hull | Wrexham | Leeds |
| KC Stadium | Racecourse Ground | Elland Road |
| Capacity:25,400 | Capacity:15,771 | Capacity:37,890 |
 |  |  |
Paul Holland (TJ)Shane Rehm (TJ)James Child (TJ)Before the series, England played a Test match againstFrance, New Zealand and Australia played a test inNewcastle before heading to Great Britain, andWales playedIreland in Neath.[13][14][15]
New Zealand were originally scheduled to play a Test match against theCook Islands on 7 October, however this was called off due to the unavailability of 29 frontline players.[16][17][18][19]
16 October 2011 4:00pm (AEDT) |
| Australia | 42–6 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Tries Uate (3', 7')2 Boyd (13', 70')2 Lawrence (20', 34')2 Galloway (63')1 Tonga (68')1 Goals Thurston4/7 (9', 15', 21, 72') C Smith (64')1/1 | Match details | Tries 1 (56')Locke Goals 1/1 (57')Luke |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 October 2011 8:45pm (CET) |
France  | 18–32 | England |
|---|---|---|
| Tries Elima (17')1 Pélissier (71')1 Duport (74')1 Goals Bosc (17', 71', 74')3/3 | Match details | Tries 2 (34', 50')Briscoe 1 (2')Hall 1 (30')Yeaman 1 (39')Roby 1 (68')Reed Goals 4/6 (30', 39', 50', 68')Sinfield |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 October 2011 6:00pm (GMT) |
| Wales | 30–6 |  Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Gay (2')1 Roets (27')1 Frizell (30')1 Lennon (42')1 Kear (45')1 James (70')1 Goals: Webster (27', 42', 70')3/5 White0/1 | Match details | Tries: 1 (77')Bergin Goals: 1/1 (77')Finn |
28 October 2011 8:00pm (BST) |
| Australia | 26–12 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Tries Matthew Scott (3')1 Tony Williams (29')1 Johnathan Thurston (37')1 Darius Boyd (65')1 Akuila Uate (77')1 Goals Johnathan Thurston3/5 (4', 30', 66') | Tries 1 (48')Jason Nightingale 1 (56')Kalifa Faifai Loa Goals 2/2 (49', 52')Benji Marshall |
Halliwell Jones Stadium,Warrington,England[20] Attendance: 12,491 Referee:Phil Bentham Player of the Match:Sam Thaiday[21] |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
29 October 2011 2:30pm (BST) |
| England | 42–4 | Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Tries Sam Tomkins4 (1', 16', 50', 59') Kirk Yeaman (22')1 Jack Reed (54')1 Chris Heighington (76')1 Gareth Widdop (80')1 Goals 5/8Kevin Sinfield (17', 51', 60', 77', 80') | Tries 1Elliot Kear (66') Goals |
Leigh Sports Village,Leigh,England[20] Attendance: 10,377 Referee:Henry Perenara Player of the Match:Sam Tomkins[22] |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 November 2011 1:00pm (GMT) |
| Wales | 0–36 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Tries 2 (20', 32')Sika Manu 2 (39', 62')Gerard Beale 1 (5')Jason Nightingale 1 (13')Kevin Locke 1 (75')Nathan Fien Goals 4/7Benji Marshall (21', 33', 40', 77') |
Wembley Stadium,London, England[20] Attendance: 42,344 Referee:Matt Cecchin Player of the Match:Thomas Leuluai[23] |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 November 2011 3:30pm (GMT) |
| England | 20–36 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Tries Ryan Hall (11', 40')2 Jack Reed (60')1 Chris Heighington (77')1 Goals Kevin Sinfield2/4 (62', 77') | Tries 1 (17')Luke Lewis 1 (30')Tony Williams 1 (44')Greg Inglis 1 (53')Paul Gallen 1 (73')Darius Boyd 1 (79')Chris Lawrence Goals 6/6Johnathan Thurston (19', 32', 45', 55', 74', 80') |
Wembley Stadium,London,England[20] Attendance: 42,344 Referee:Henry Perenara Player of the Match:Johnathan Thurston[24] |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 November 2011 06.00pm (GMT) |
| England | 28–6 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Tries Tom Briscoe Ryan Hall James Graham Sam Tomkins Goals Kevin Sinfield6/6 | Tries Jason Nightingale Goals Benji Marshall1/1 |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 November 2011 5:45pm (GMT) |
| Wales | 14–56 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Tries Rhys Williams (10')1 Elliot Kear (14')1 Jordan James (49')1 Goals Lee Briers1/3 (51') | Tries 3 (38', 40', 69')Cooper Cronk 1 (25')Cameron Smith 1 (41')Daly Cherry-Evans 1 (45')Darius Boyd 1 (59')Johnathan Thurston 1 (63')Greg Inglis 1 (66')Jharal Yow Yeh 1 (73')Josh Morris Goals 8/9 (26', 39', 40', 42', 47', 60', 64', 70')Johnathan Thurston |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 118 | 46 | +72 | 6 | Qualification for Final |
| 2 | England | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 90 | 46 | +44 | 4 | |
| 3 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 2 | |
| 4 | Wales | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 134 | −116 | 0 |
Saturday, 19 November 6:00pm (GMT) |
| England | 8–30 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Tries 1 (36')Ryan Hall Goals 2/2 (38', 52')Kevin Sinfield | Sam Thaiday (4')1 Jharal Yow Yeh (57')1 Johnathan Thurston (63')1 Greg Inglis (69')1 Darren Lockyer (80')1 Goals Johnathan Thurston5/5 (6', 40', 59', 64', 70') Darren Lockyer 0/1 |
Elland Road,Leeds,England[20] Attendance: 34,174 Referee: Matt CecchinPlayer of the Match:  Johnathan Thurston[28] |
| 2011 Four Nations top pointscorers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | T | G | FG | Pts | ||||
| 1 | Johnathan Thurston | Australia | 3 | 22 | 0 | 56 | |||
| 2 | Kevin Sinfield | England | 0 | 15 | 0 | 30 | |||
| 3 | Sam Tomkins | England | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | |||
| 4 | Ryan Hall | England | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |||
| 5 | Benji Marshall | New Zealand | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | |||
Johnathan Thurston broke the record for most points in a single tournament with his 56-point haul. The previous record of 42 was set in2005 by New Zealand'sStacey Jones.
