The 2017 Rugby League World Cup European qualification tournament was a rugby league tournament held in October and November 2016 to decide the three European qualifiers for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
It consisted of a round-robin tournament which saw Wales and Ireland qualify by winning their respective tables. Italy claimed the final qualifying spot in the World Cup after winning a second place play-off against Russia on 4 November 2016.
Background On 3 October 2014, the 2017 Rugby League World Cup qualifying competition was announced.QUALIFICATION DETAILS FOR 2017 RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP ANNOUNCED , rlef.eu.com, 3 August 2014 Three European teams were granted automatic qualification, as they had reached the quarter-finals of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup; England, France and Scotland.
Ten teams were able to qualify for the qualification tournament, with the first being eliminated when Spain defeated Latvia on 9 May 2015.Spain defeat Latvia to take first step towards RLWC2017, rlif.com, 10 May 2015
Wales and Ireland were granted entry to the qualification tournament. Both teams already had a chance to qualify for the World Cup during the 2014 European Cup, but failed to do so.Extra incentive for Wales & Ireland this Euro Championship, rlif.com, 13 October 2014 One of the other tournament places was allocated to the winner of the European Championship C tournament, and the other three were allocated to the top three teams from the European Championship B.
Italy, Russia and Serbia finished as the top three teams in the European Championship B, with Ukraine being eliminated.Serbia claim a historic first-ever victory over Russia - 2017 World Cup qualifying , rlef.eu.com, 16 May 2015
Spain finished as the top team in the European Championship C, with Greece and Malta eliminated.
Teams Qualified teams for final phase: were granted automatic entry as 1st seed were granted automatic entry as 2nd seed qualified as 3rd seed after finishing top of the Rugby League European Championship B. qualified as 4th seed after finishing 2nd in the Rugby League European Championship B. qualified as 5th seed after finishing 3rd in the Rugby League European Championship B. qualified as 6th seed after finishing top of the Rugby League European Championship C.
Squads
Ireland The final Ireland 22-man squad as of 9 October 2016 is as follows:IRELAND NAME SQUAD AFTER TRIAL MATCH , rlef.com, 9 October 2016
Coach: Mark Aston Club Team Players Athboy Longhorns Casey Dunne Ballynahinch Rabbitohs Gareth Gill Belfast Met Scholars Chris Hall Bradford Bulls Joseph Keyes Dublin City Exiles James Kelly, Mikey Russell Galway Tribesmen Alan McMahon Halifax Luke Ambler Huddersfield Giants Scott Grix, Oliver Roberts Ireland Students Matthew Cahoon Leigh Centurions Greg McNally Oldham R.L.F.C. Will Hope Parramatta Eels James Hasson Redcliffe Dolphins Danny Bridge Rochdale Hornets Matty Hadden St. Helens Shannon McDonnell Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Liam Finn Warrington Wolves George King, Toby King, Joe Philbin Whitehaven David Allen
Italy The final Italy 22-man squad as of 8 October 2016 is as follows:ITALY NAME COSMOPOLITAN 22-MAN SQUAD FOR WORLD CUP QUALIFIER, rlef.com, 8 October 2016
Coach: Cameron Ciraldo Club Team Players Blacktown Workers Dean Parata Brianza Tigers Patrik Ziliotti Cairns Brothers Joel Riethmuller Canterbury Bulldogs Joseph Tramontana Cronulla Sharks Jayden Walker Hull Kingston Rovers Terry Campese, Josh Mantellato Lézignan Corbieres Christophe Calegari Lions Brescia Giuseppe Pagani Mackay Cutters Gavin Hiscox Newcastle Thunder Gioele Celerino Northern Pride Justin Castellaro, Ryan Ghietti, Colin Wilkie North Queensland Cowboys Kieran Quabba Oldham R.L.F.C. Richard Lepori *Sacramento Express Mirco Bergamasco St. George Illawarra Dragons Shannon Wakeman South Wales Ironmen Chris Vitalini Townsville Blackhawks Brenden Santi Windsor Wolves Ryan Tramonte Wyong Roos Chris Centrone * Denotes a rugby union club.
Russia The final Russia 22-man squad as of 6 September 2016 is as follows:RUSSIA NAME NEW LOOK SQUAD FOR WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS , rlef.com, 6 October 2016
Coach: Denis Korolev Club Team Players CSKA Moscow Kirill Kosharin Dinamo Viacheslav Eremin, Andrey Kuznetsov *Ivanovo White Sharks Ivan Troitskii RC Lokomotiv Moscow Vadim Buryak, Leonid Kalinin, Maxim Tsinkovich Nara Petr Botnarash, Mikhail Burlutskii, Sergey Gaponov, Anatoly Grigorev, Sergei Konstantinov, Aleksandr Lysokon, Maksim Suchkov, Denis Tiulenev, Vladimir Vlasyuk, Nikolay Zagoskin Moscow Fili Anton Iunisov, Iustin Petrushka Moscow Storm Dmitry Bratko, Igor Chuprin, Vadim Fedchuk * Denotes a rugby union club.
Serbia The final 22-man squad as of 5 October 2016 is as follows:THREE DEBUTANTS IN SERBIA 22-MAN SQUAD FOR QUALIFIERS , rlef.com, 6 October 2016
Coach: Ljubomir Bukvic Club Team Players Blacktown Workers David Andjelić Cabramatta Two Blues Reece Grkinić Collegians Daniel Burke Dewsbury Rams Jason Muranka Dorćol Spiders Dalibor Samardžić, Dalibor Vukanović, Stefan Nedeljković, Stevan Stevanović Kawana Dolphins Joshua Marjanović RLK Partizan Belgrade Džavid Jašari, Vlado Kušić RLK Radnički Nova Pazova Pero Madžarević, Žarko Kovačević RLK Red Star Belgrade Miloš Ćalić, Miloš Zogović, Vladislav Dedić, Vojislav Dedić St Clair Comets Chad Grant Villeneuve Leopards Vladica Nikolić Western Suburbs Magpies James Mirceski Wests Tigers Jordan Grant Unattached Ilija Radan
Spain The final 22-man squad as of 4 October 2016 is as follows:FIVE DEBUTANTS IN SPAIN 22-MAN SQUAD FOR QUALIFIERS , rlef.com, 4 October 2016
Coach: Darren Fisher Club Team Players Army Rugby League Chris Lopez Custodians Madrid Antonio Puerta, Daniel Moreno Hull F.C. Joel Marquez-Laynez Irreductibles Ivan Ordaz Los Gossos Clement Laguerre Palau XIII Broncos Alexandre Doutres, Cedric Bringuier, Leandre Torres, Mathieu Griffi, Pierre Negre Paterna Dragons Matt Dulley Seaton Rangers Miguel Charters-Blanco *Stade Français Kevin Aparicio Tonneins XIII Gonzalo Morro Torrent Tigres Aitor Davila, Juan Pablo Rango, Raul Simo Valencia Warriors Adrian Alonso, Andrew Pilkington, Luis Thorp Woolston Rovers Daniel Garcia * Denotes a rugby union club.
Wales The final Wales 22-man squad as of 7 October 2016 is as follows:WALES CONFIDENT FOR WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS , rlef.com, 7 October 2016
On October 14, Dai Evans was brought into the squad to replace Calvin Wellington who withdrew due to a hamstring injury.DAI EVANS DRAFTED IN TO WALES' 22-MAN SQUAD, WALES RUGBY LEAGUE, 14 October 2016
On October 21, 19-year old Ben Morris was called up to the squad to play in a mid-qualifying campaign test match against Jamaica.MORRIS HOPING TO FEATURE FOR WALES AFTER CALL-UP, WALES RUGBY LEAGUE, 21 October 2016
On October 29, Danny Ansell was called up to the squad with a possibility of playing in the last qualifying game against Italy.ANSELL READY FOR WALES DEBUT IF CALLED UPON, WALES RUGBY LEAGUE, 28 October 2016
*Sam Hopkins was called into the team for the final qualifier against Italy after Jacob Emmitt withdrew due to a hamstring injury.International dates for Leigh Centurions pair, Leigh Journal, 29 October 2016
Coach: John Kear Club Team Players Gloucestershire All Golds Morgan Evans, Steve Parry, Lewis Reece Hunslet Hawks Danny Ansell Leigh Centurions Sam Hopkins London Broncos Elliot Kear, Rhys Williams Mackay Cutters Andrew Gay Oldham R.L.F.C. Joe Burke Salford Red Devils Philip Joseph, Craig Kopczak Sheffield Eagles Matty Fozard Souths Logan Magpies Ollie Olds South Wales Ironmen Courtney Davies, Dai Evans, Connor Farrer, Ian Newbury, Christiaan Roets St. Helens Regan Grace, Ben Morris Swinton Lions *Jacob Emmitt, Rhodri Lloyd Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Anthony Walker Widnes Vikings Gil Dudson, Lloyd White,
Group stage
Group A
Wales vs Serbia
FB 1 Elliot KearRW 2 Regan GraceRC 4 Christiaan RoetsLC 18 Andrew GayLW 5 Rhys WilliamsSO 6 Courtney DaviesSH 7 Ollie OldsPR 8 Gil DudsonHK 9 Lloyd WhitePR 10 Craig Kopczak (c)SR 11 Rhodri LloydSR 15 Joe BurkeLF 13 Philip JosephSubstitutes:IC 14 Steve ParryIC 16 Jacob EmmittIC 17 Anthony WalkerIC 19 Matty FozardCoach: John Kear FB 1 Vojislav DedićRW 2 Joshua MarjanovićRC 3 Miloš ĆalićLC 4 Stevan StevanovićLW 5 Pero Madžarević FE 6 Daniel BurkeHB 7 Dalibor Vukanović (c)PR 8 David AndjelićHK 9 Vladislav DedićPR 10 Jordan GrantSR 11 Chad GrantSR 12 Jason MurankaLK 13 Stefan NedeljkovićSubstitutes:IC 14 Ilija RadanIC 15 James MirceskiIC 16 Reece GrkinićIC 17 Džavid JašariCoach: Ljubomir Bukvic
Serbia vs Italy
FB 1 Vojislav DedićRW 2 Miloš ZogovićRC 3 Miloš ĆalićLC 4 Stevan StevanovićLW 5 Joshua MarjanovićFE 6 Daniel BurkeHB 7 Dalibor Vukanović (c)PR 8 Ilija RadanHK 9 Reece Grkinić PR 10 Jordan GrantSR 11 James MirceskiSR 12 Jason MurankaLK 13 Chad GrantSubstitutes:IC 14 David Andjelić IC 15 Miodrag Tomić IC 16 Vlado KušićIC 17 Vladislav DedićCoach: Ljubomir Bukvic FB 1 Mason CerrutoRW 2 Chris CentroneRC 3 Justin CastellaroLC 4 Mirco BergamascoLW 5 Richard LeporiFE 6 Terry CampeseHB 7 Ryan GhiettiPR 8 Shannon WakemanHK 9 Dean ParataPR 10 Gavin HiscoxSR 11 Jayden WalkerSR 12 Brenden SantiLK 13 Joel RiethmullerSubstitutes:IC 14 Colin WilkieIC 15 Christophe CalegariIC 16 Kieran QuabbaIC 17 Gioele CelerinoCoach: Cameron Ciraldo
Italy vs Wales
FB 2 Chris CentroneRW 3 Justin CastellaroRC 15 Christophe CalegariLC 4 Mirco BergamascoLW 5 Richard LeporiFE 6 Terry CampeseHB 7 Ryan GhiettiPR 8 Shannon WakemanHK 9 Dean ParataPR 10 Gavin HiscoxSR 11 Jayden WalkerSR 12 Brenden SantiLK 13 Joel RiethmullerSubstitutes:IC 1 Mason CerrutoIC 14 Colin Wilkie IC 16 Kieran QuabbaIC 17 Gioele CelerinoCoach: Cameron Ciraldo FB 1 Elliot KearRW 2 Rhys WilliamsRC 26 Ben MorrisLC 16 Andrew Gay LW 3 Dai EvansSO 6 Courtney DaviesSH 17 Matty FozardPR 8 Gil DudsonHK 9 Lloyd WhitePR 10 Craig Kopczak (c)SR 11 Rhodri LloydSR 12 Philip JosephLF 13 Steve Parry Substitutes:IC 14 Joe Burke IC 15 Anthony WalkerIC 23 Sam HopkinsIC 24 Danny AnsellCoach: John Kear
Group B
Russia vs Spain
FB 1 Nikolay ZagoskinRW 5 Vadim BuryakRC 21 Kirill KosharinLC 3 Leonid KalininLW 18 Dmitry BratkoSO 6 Aleksandr LysokonSH 7 Denis TiulenevPR 8 Sergei Konstantinov (c)HK 4 Petr BotnarashPR 10 Ivan TroitskiiSR 12 Mikhail BurlutskiiSR 11 Andrey KuznetsovLF 13 Viacheslav EreminSubstitutes:IC 17 Igor ChuprinIC 2 Maksim SuchkovIC 9 Vladimir VlasyukIC 15 Sergey GaponovCoach: Denis Korolev FB 1 Daniel GarciaRW 2 Clement LaguerreRC 3 Antonio PuertaLC 4 Alexandre DoutresLW 5 Chris LopezFE 6 Ivan OrdazHB 7 Miguel Charters-BlancoPR 8 Luis Thorp HK 9 Gonzalo MorroPR 10 Adria AlonsoSR 11 Cedric BringuierSR 12 Matt DulleyLK 13 Aitor Davila (c)Substitutes:IC 14 Andrew PilkingtonIC 15 Leandre TorresIC 16 Kevin AparicioIC 17 Juan Pablo RangoCoach: Darren Fisher
Spain vs Ireland
FB 1 Daniel GarciaRW 2 Clement LaguerreRC 3 Antonio PuertaLC 4 Alexandre DoutresLW 5 Chris LopezFE 6 Ivan OrdazHB 7 Miguel Charters-BlancoPR 8 Luis Thorp HK 9 Nicolas MunozPR 10 Joel Marquez-LaynezSR 11 Leandre TorresSR 12 Cedric Bringuier LK 13 Kevin AparicioSubstitutes:IC 14 Andrew PilkingtonIC 15 Aitor Davila IC 16 Matt Dulley IC 17 Adria Alonso Coach: Darren Fisher FB 1 Shannon McDonnellRW 2 Casey DunneRC 3 Stuart LittlerLC 4 Oliver RobertsLW 5 Alan McMahonFE 6 Scott GrixHB 7 Liam Finn (c)PR 8 James HassonHK 9 Joseph KeyesPR 10 Luke AmblerSR 11 David AllenSR 12 Will HopeLK 13 George KingSubstitutes:IC 14 Haydn PeacockIC 15 Matty HaddenIC 16 James KellyIC 17 Gareth GillCoach: Mark Aston
Ireland vs Russia