International rugby league in 2021

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A list of men and women international rugby league matches played throughout 2021 and does not include wheelchair rugby league international matches. A † denotes a recognised, but unofficial match that did not contribute to the IRL World Rankings.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Championship B, European Championship C, European Championship D and Americas Championship were all initially postponed until 2021, however all were eventually abanonded except for the European Championship B and European Championship D due to travel restricitions.

2021 Rugby League World Cup was also postponed until 2022 due to Australia and New Zealand pulling out months before the tournament was scheduled to commence.

Season overview[]

Men's international tours
Start date Touring side Region Results [Matches]
6 June 2021  Serbia Balkans 4–0 [4]
Men's international friendlies
Start date Home team Away team Winners
28 February 2021  Brazil  Uruguay  Brazil
6 March 2021  Peru  El Salvador  El Salvador
23 October 2021  France  England  England
24 October 2021  Jamaica  Scotland Draw
19 December 2021    Japan  
Men's international tournaments / series
Start date Tournament Winners
13 June 2021 Australia Magellan Cup  Philippines
2 October 2021 Germany Griffin Cup  Netherlands
3 October 2021 Serbia European Championship B  Serbia
14 October 2021 Turkey European Championship D  Netherlands
Women's international tours
Start date Touring side Region Results [Matches]
No international women's tours in 2021
Women's international friendlies
Start date Home team Away team Winners
25 June 2021  England  Wales  England
17 October 2021  Wales  Ireland  Ireland
23 October 2021  France  England  England
Women's international tournaments / series
Start date Tournament Winners
No international women's tournaments in 2021

Rankings[]

The following were the rankings at the beginning of the season.

IRL World Rankings
Official Men's Rankings as of November 2019[1]
Rank Change* Team Pts%
1 Increase 2  New Zealand 100.00%
2 Decrease 1  Australia 91.82%
3 Decrease 1  England 85.34%
4 Steady  Tonga 60.66%
5 Steady  Fiji 36.57%
6 Increase 4  Papua New Guinea 28.53%
7 Steady  Samoa 22.09%
8 Decrease 2  France 16.69%
9 Decrease 1  Scotland 15.00%
10 Decrease 1  Lebanon 11.81%
11 Increase 5  Greece 11.38%
12 Steady  Ireland 11.36%
13 Increase 1  Italy 7.86%
14 Decrease 3  Wales 7.75%
15 Increase 4  Serbia 0.00%
16 Increase 1  Malta 6.77%
17 Increase 1  Norway 5.63%
18 Decrease 3  United States 5.39%
19 Increase 4  Poland 5.35%
20 Decrease 7  Jamaica 5.04%
21 Decrease 1  Hungary 4.27%
22 Increase 3  Czech Republic 4.16%
23 Increase 5  Cook Islands 3.87%
24 Increase 7  Turkey 3.51%
25 Decrease 1  Netherlands 3.29%
26 Increase 4  Spain 3.18%
27 Decrease 6  Canada 2.81%
28 New entry  Nigeria 2.51%
29 Decrease 2  Solomon Islands 2.32%
30 Increase 10  Sweden 2.16%
31 Increase 4  Germany 1.95%
32 Increase 1  Chile 1.86%
33 New entry  Ghana 1.80%
34 Increase 16  Morocco 1.69%
35 Decrease 3  Vanuatu 1.47%
36 Steady  South Africa 1.46%
37 Decrease 8  Russia 1.41%
38 New entry  Cameroon 1.31%
39 Decrease 2  Ukraine 1.21%
40 Increase 1  Colombia 1.06%
41 Increase 4  Brazil 0.50%
42 Steady  Belgium 0.30%
43 Increase 4  Denmark 0.13%
44 Increase 4  Bulgaria 0.10%
45 Increase 4  Latvia 0.07%
*Change from July 2019
IRL World Rankings
Official Women's Rankings as of November 2019[2]
Rank Change* Team Pts%
1 Steady Australia Australia
2 Steady New Zealand New Zealand
3 Steady England England
4 Increase 2 Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea
5 Decrease 1 Canada Canada
6 Decrease 1 France France
7 Decrease 2 Cook Islands Cook Islands
8 Steady Italy Italy
9 New entry Serbia Serbia
10 New entry Fiji Fiji
11 New entry Turkey Turkey
12 New entry Samoa Samoa
13 New entry Brazil Brazil
14 Decrease 6 Lebanon Lebanon
15 New entry Greece Greece
*Change from July 2019

February[]

Brazil vs Uruguay men in Australia[]

28 February 2021
Brazil  60 – 0  Uruguay
Try: Nunes (3), Fleury (2), Campina, Levy, De Araujo, Hilberto, Jackson, Ricau
Goal: Nunes (8/11)
Hillier Oval, Sydney[3]
Attendance: 300
Referee: Logan Neilsen (Australia)

March[]

Peru vs El Salvador men in Australia[]

6 March 2021
19:30 AEDT (UTC+11:00)
Peru  10 – 18  El Salvador
Try: Sommers (2)
Goal: Altamirano (1/1), Parker (0/1)
 Try: Kiwi Kiwi (2), Orellano, Maatouk
Goal: Fernandez (1/3), Maatouk (0/1)
Waminda Oval, Sydney[4]
Attendance: 513
Referee: Matt Middleton (Australia)

June[]

Serbia men tour of the Balkans[]

6 June 2021
14:00 CEST (UTC+2:00)
Bosnia and Herzegovina  4 – 50  Serbia
Try: Banovic
Goal: Ljubanic (0/1)
 Report (IRL)
Report (ERL)
Report (SRL) 		Try: Krnjeta (2), Nedeljkovic (2), Marinkovic, Jevdjic, Ilic, Popovic, Bibic
Goal: Stojilkovic (6/7), Bibic (1/2)
NK Rijeka, Vitez[5]
Referee: Slobodan Manak (Serbia)
19 June 2021
14:00 CEST (UTC+2:00)
Bulgaria  16 – 28  Serbia
Try: Ivanov, Debreliev, Kostadinov
Goal: Rasol (2/3)
 Report (IRL)
Report (ERL)
Report (SRL) 		Try: Ilic (2), Mladenovic (2), Krnjeta
Goal: Stojiljkovic (4/6)
FC Trebich, Sofia[6]
Referee: Slobodan Manak (Serbia)
27 June 2021
18:30 CEST (UTC+2:00)
  16 – 24  Serbia
Try: Kusic (3)
Goal: Popovic (2/3)
 Report (IRL)
Report (ERL)
Report (SRL) 		Try: Zivojinovic (2), Krnjeta (2), Bibic
Goal: Arnold (2/2), Bibic (0/2), Djordjevic (0/1)
FK Arsenal Stadium, Tivat
Referee: Slobodan Manak (Serbia)
4 July 2021
14:00 CEST (UTC+2:00)
  12 – 22  Serbia
Try: Cela, Tushaj
Goal: Gucaj (2/2)
 Report (SRL) Try: Jevdjić (2), Arnold, Živojinović
Goal: Simovic (3/4)
Kompleksi Zmijani, Shkodra[6]
Attendance: 100
Referee: Slobodan Manak (Serbia)

Magellan Cup[]

13 June 2021
15:00 AEST (UTC+10:00)
Brazil  8 – 40  Philippines
Try: Guzzo (2)
 Report Try: Tootell (2), Stephenson, Cartwright, Sheedy, Jones, Phillips, Godfrey
Goal: Russell (3), Cartwright
Kensington Oval, Sydney[7]

Wales women in England[]

25 June 2021
18:00 BST (UTC+01:00)
England  60 – 0  Wales
Try: Rudge (2), Roberts, Jones, Cunningham, Hoyle, Goldthorp, Roche, Beevers, Wilson, Dodd
Goal: Stanley (6/7), Stott (2/4)
 Report (ERL)
Report (RFL)
Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington[8]
Attendance: ≈4,000
Referee: Aaron Moore (England)

October[]

Griffin Cup[]

See also: Griffin Cup
2 October 2021[9]
16:00 CEST (UTC+2:00)
Germany  16 – 48  Netherlands
Try: Amefia, Heinrichsen, Ngondi
Goal: Amefia (1/1), Doughton (1/1), Seelweger (0/1)
 Report Try: Schoenmaker (3), Schultz (2), Dirkzwager, Ngirubiu, Longhurst, Neves, Wilce
Goal: Idzerda (3/5), Thomson (1/4)
Düsseldorf Rugby Club, Dusseldorf
Referee: Moray Gilland (Belgium)

European Championship B[]

Main article: 2021 Rugby League European Championship B
Pos Team
  • v
 Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  Serbia 2 2 0 0 120 28 +92 4 Promotion to
2  Ukraine 2 1 0 1 114 72 +42 2
3  Russia 2 0 0 2 28 162 −134 0
Source: [1]
3 October 2021[10]
14:00 CEST (UTC+2:00)
Serbia  66 – 10  Russia
Try: Djordjević (3), Arsić (2), Vl. Dedić (2), Pavlović (2), Bibić, Djurić, D. Janković, Trifunović
Goal: Jašari (7/13)
 Report (IRL)
Report (ERL)
Report (SRL) 		Try: Egorov, Sazonov
Goal: Vabishchevich (1/2)
City Stadium, Paraćin
Attendance: ≈500
Referee: Stephane Vincent (France)
6 October 2021[10]
13:00 CEST (UTC+2:00)
Russia  18 – 96  Ukraine
Try: Chuprin, Troitskii, Vabishchevich
Goal: Vabishchevich (3/3)
 Report (IRL)
Report (ERL) 		Try: Skorbach (4), Adamyk (2), Hrankovskyi (2), Kolesnik (2), Kozak (2), Trusov (2), Beznoshchuk, Puchkov, Shcherbyna, Troyan
Goal: Skorbach (12/17), Beznoshchuk (0/1)
 [sr], Belgrade
Referee: James Jones (Wales)
9 October 2021[10]
14:00 CEST (UTC+2:00)
Ukraine  18 – 54  Serbia
Try: Hrankovskyi (2), Shcherbyna
Goal: Skorbach (3/3)
 Report (IRL)
Report (ERL) 		Try: Trifunović (3), Milutinović (3), Arsić, Vl. Dedić, Stevanović, Zogović
Goal: Jašari (7/10), Vo. Dedić (0/1)
 [sr], Belgrade
Attendance: ≈150[11]
Referee: Andrew Pilkington (Spain)

European Championship D[]

Main article: 2021 Rugby League European Championship D
14 October 2021
13:00 CET (UTC+1:00)
Malta  16 – 40  Czech Republic
Try: Scholey, Barlogio, Galea
Goal: Galea (2/3)
 Report (IRL)
Report (ERL) 		Try: Bělohlávek, Preininger, Řičica (2), Hudrlík (2), Horák
Goal: Hudrlík (6/7)
Huseyin Akar Tesisler Stadium, Bodrum
Attendance: ≈500
Referee: Aris Dardamanis (Greece)
14 October 2021
15:30 CET (UTC+1:00)
Netherlands  40 – 18  Turkey
Try: Shoenmake (2), Ngirubiu, Farrell (2), Renac
Goal: Idzera (8/8)
 Report (IRL)
Report (ERL) 		Try: Demir, Ertürk, Çeliktutan
Goal: Bayram (3/3)
Huseyin Akar Tesisler Stadium, Bodrum
Attendance: ≈500
Referee: Eamonn Whelan (Ireland)
Third place play-off
17 October 2021
13:00 CET (UTC+1:00)
Malta  12 – 36  Turkey
Try: Zammit, Cutajar
Goal: Galea (2/2)
 Report (IRL)
Report (ERL) 		Try: Demir, Işik, Çeliktutan, Bayram, Balçin, Tayyar Berktav, Tirendez
Goal: Bayram (4/7)
Huseyin Akar Tesisler Stadium, Bodrum
Referee: Jarda Bzoch (Czechia)
Final[a]
17 October 2021
15:30 CET (UTC+1:00)
Czech Republic  10 – 36  Netherlands
Try: Veselý, Kasík
Goal: Veselý (1/2)
 Report (IRL)
Report (ERL) 		Try: Schoenmaker (3), Lavia, Razoux Schultz, De Ruiter
Goal: Idzera (6/9)
Huseyin Akar Tesisler Stadium, Bodrum
Referee: Eamonn Whelan (Ireland)
  1. ^ Netherlands promoted to the as well as progressing to the qualifying tournament for the 2025 Rugby League World Cup.[12]

Ireland women in Wales[]

17 October 2021
15:00 BST (UTC+1:00)
Wales  24 – 26  Ireland
Try: Lewis (3), Norkett (2), Michael
Goal: Lewis (0/5), Salter (0/1)
 Report (ERL)
Report (RFL) 		Try: Lambert, Greenwood, Cobain, McGuinness, Dunne
Goal: Pua (2/3), McGuinness (1/1), Birchall (0/1)
Stadiwm Zip World, Colwyn Bay[13]
Referee: Luke Fenton (Scotland)

England women in France[]

23 October 2021
13:00 CEST (UTC+2:00)
France  4 – 40  England
Try:
Goal: (0/1)
 Report (ERL)
Report (RFL) 		Try: Rudge (2), , , Cunningham, Stanley, Beevers
Goal: Stanley (5/6), (1/1)
Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan[13]
Attendance: ≈2,000

England men in France[]

23 October 2021
15:30 CEST (UTC+2:00)
France  10 – 30  England
Try: , Sangaré
Goal: Kheirallah (1/2)
 Report (ERL)
Report (RFL) 		Try: Makinson (2), Bateman (2), Farrell, Davies
Goal: Abdull (3/6)
Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan[13]
Attendance: ≈5,500
Referee: Ben Casty (France)

Jamaica vs Scotland men in England[]

24 October 2021
15:00 BST (UTC+1:00)
Jamaica  30 – 30  Scotland
Try: Jones Bishop (2), , J. Brown, , A. Brown
Goal: Farrell (3/5)
 Report (IRL)
Report (ERL) 		Try: (2), Oakes, Hellewell, Ferguson
Goal: (5/5)

December[]

Macedonia vs Vietnam men in Australia[]

19 December 2021
15:00 AEDT (UTC+11:00)
  58 – 0  

Non-IRL international matches[]

ANZAC Day match
25 April 2021
13:50 AEST (UTC+10:00)
46 – 0†  Turkey
Try: Simington (2), Tabuai (2), Mason, McGregor, Munro, Rutley, Walton
Goal: Munro (4/7), Walton (1/2)
 Report (NRL)

Notes:

Combined Nations All Stars match
25 June 2021
20:15 BST (UTC+01:00)
England  24 – 26† Combined Nations All Stars
Try: Farrell (2), Knowles, Davies
Goal: Ratchford (4/4)
 Report (Sky Sports)
Report (BBC) 		Try: Sio (2), Mata'utia, McGillvary
Goal: Sezer (5/6)
Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington[16]
Attendance: ≈4,000
Referee: James Child (England)
Under-20 International
21 August 2021
18:00 CEST (UTC+2:00)
Serbia U20  46 – 4†  Czech Republic U20
Try: Simovic (2), Krnjeta (2) L. Ilic, U. Ilic, Svanidze, N. Mladenovic, A. Mladenovic
Goal: Stojilkovic (3/7), Simovic (2/3)
 Report Try: Tichy
Goal: Hudrlik (0/1)
SC Inge, Belgrade
Attendance: 150
Under-16 International
22 August 2021
14:00 BST (UTC+1:00)
Wales U16  18 – 34†  England U16
Try: Hanson, Morris, Morgan, Farmer-Gratton
Goal: Morgan (1/4)
 Report Try: Billy (2), S. Egan (2), Welburn, J. Egan, Joseph
Goal: Whitford (1/4), Cooper (2/3)
Stadiwm Zip World, Colwyn Bay
Attendance: 710
Referee: Rob Apsee (Wales)
Under-17 International
21 August 2021
16:00 BST (UTC+1:00)
Wales U17  10 – 16†  England U17
Try: Ackerman, Pritchard
Goal: Walkley (1/2)
 Report Try: Richards, Stephenson, Wood
Goal: Gannon (2/3)
Stadiwm Zip World, Colwyn Bay
Attendance: 710
Referee: James Jones (Wales)
Under-20 International
4 September 2021
12:00 BST (UTC+1:00)
Scotland U20  37 – 30†  Ireland U20
Try: Anderson-Moore (2), Paladino (2), Crossley, Young
Goal: Anderson-Moore (6/6)
Drop: Anderson-Moore
 Report Try: Creaby, Kiernan, Walsh, Lynch, L. Hayes
Goal: C. Hayes (5/5)
Kings Park, Dalkeith
Under-20 International
11 September 2021
11:45 BST (UTC+1:00)
England U20  48 – 22†  Scotland U20
Try: McCurrie (4), Openshaw (2), Ennis, Gibson, O'Connor, Stephenson
Goal: Openshaw (4/5), O'Connor (0/2), O'Loughlin (0/2), Simpson (0/1)
 Report Try: Cullen (2), Anderson-Moore, Terrill
Goal: Anderson-Moore (3/4)
Twist Lane, Leigh
Referee: Alan Billington (England)
Under-20 International
25 September 2021
13:00 BST (UTC+1:00)
Ireland U20  12 – 38†  England U20
Try: McKiernan, Lynch
Goal: Crampton (2/2)
 Report Try: Gibson, Grainey, Ennis, Darby, Nash, Openshaw, McCurrie
Goal: Openshaw (4/5), Kellett (1/2)
Morton Stadium, Santry
Referee: Fiona McConn (Ireland)
25 September 2021
16:00 BST (UTC+1:00)
Ireland Club XIII  18 – 64†  England Community Lions U23
Try: Walsh (2), Kennerson
Goal: Marmion (3/3)
 Report Try: Kelly (3), Sowerby (3), Brock, Badrock, McShane, Oliver, Teare, Lewthwaite, Selby
Goal: McMahon (5/11), Teare (1/2)
Morton Stadium, Santry
Referee: Eamonn Whelan (Ireland)
15 October 2021
19:00 BST (UTC+1:00)
Jamaica  4 – 56† England England Knights
Try: Jones-Bishop
 Report (ERL)
Report (RFL) 		Try: Broadbent (2), Walker, Pryce, Smith (2), Longstaff, Ashton (2), Wrench
Goal: Pryce (7)
Mend-A-Hose Jungle, Castleford[13]
Attendance: ≈2,250
Referee: James Child (England)

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Cook Islands rise 17 places in latest Rugby League World Rankings". Rugby League International Federation. 13 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Cook Islands rise 17 places in latest Rugby League World Rankings". Rugby League International Federation. 13 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Brasil Rugby League announces new coach, fixture". Latin Heat Rugby League. Latin Heat Rugby League. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Confirmed for March 2021. Flag of El Salvador vs Flag of Peru, fixture". Twitter. Chasingroospod. 22 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  5. ^ "First test match of 2021 goes ahead". European Rugby League. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Bosnia & Herzegovina 4 Serbia 50 - Report". Chasing Roos. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Brazil to meet Philippines in June International Match". International Rugby League. 2 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Three England teams to make history in mid-season internationals triple bill". rugby-league.com. 16 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Fixture/Results". Nederlandse Rugby League Bond. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  10. ^ a b c "Squads Announced For Rugby League Euro B Championship". European Rugby League. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  11. ^ https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/matches/dates/9-october-2021/serbia-vs-ukraine.html
  12. ^ "Czech Republic 10 v 36 Netherlands". europeanrugbyleague.com. European Rugby League. 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e "SUITE OF RUGBY LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL FIXTURES CONFIRMED". europeanrugbyleague.com. European Rugby League. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  14. ^ https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-2021-macedonian-lions-shane-flanagan-paul-gallen-firstever-rugby-league-game-european-cup-2025-rugby-league-world-cup/news-story/45d092e0d6e13dde0a66676f5c9f9736
  15. ^ Walter, Brad (21 April 2021). "'It means a lot': Turkey looking forward to Anzac Day match at SCG". NRL.com. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  16. ^ "England to face Combined Nations All Stars in June in Shaun Wane's first match". BBC. 16 March 2021.
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