Old Trafford lived up to its title as the “Theatre of Dreams” for Australian fans early on Sunday morning, with the men’s Kangaroos and women’s Jillaroos teams being crowned Rugby League World Cup champions.
And the Queenslanders at the centre of that success have declared that, far from being a crowning coup de grace, their respective Cup triumphs are just the start of future success.
Trophy-magnet Mal Meninga continued his incredible success as coach by steering the Kangaroos through the tournament undefeated, culminating in a classy 30-10 win over Samoa in the World Cup final.
Meninga now has two World Cup victories to his credit as Kangaroos coach, on top of the incredible nine State of Origin series wins he banked in his 10 years as Queensland coach.
Like with that Maroons dynasty, Meninga said after Australia’s win that the youth and unity of the Kangaroos playing squad was seeing them move into a new period of dominance – despite the rapid improvement of many nations at the World Cup – and would continue Australia’s six-decade rule at the top of international rugby league.
“This is only the beginning of this team, I can assure you,” Meninga said in his press conference after the game.
“All these guys are going to be together over the next three, four, five, six years. We go back to the early 70s with the Kangaroos … it has been a dominant time for an Australian team.
“The expectation is that we win tournaments. It is not a burden to us. We carry that with great humility and respect.”
Similarly, the Jillaroos proved their dominance over the rest of the rugby league world, with a 54-4 demolition of New Zealand in the Women’s Cup Final.
Australia had only snuck home with a 10-8 win when they played the Kiwi Ferns in the third round of the tournament.
But the Jillaroos put a foot on the throat of their opponents with a try in the fourth minute in the final and never let up, with a focus on defensive integrity that drove New Zealand into the ground.
Queensland legend Ali Brigginshaw was named player of the match, the second time in a row she has been awarded that honour in a World Cup final, and many expected her to use the enormity of the occasion to draw the curtain on what has been a remarkable career.
But the 32-year-old quickly put that idea to bed, walking from the field after another playmaking masterclass to declare she was fully committed to returning with the Jillaroos when the 2025 World Cup is staged in France.
“All the people who said I am too old, I am still here, and I am going to France,” Brigginshaw said after the game.
“I don’t think I want to put a (date) on when I finish playing. I will be the decider of when I stop. I am going to keep going. I set my sights on France, so let’s go.”
Hosts England were crowd the winners of the Wheelchair World Cup, beating reigning champions France 28-24.
Australia were beaten by the French in the semi-finals.