The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league tournament which has been played at various intervals since 1954. Hat-tricks have been achieved 72 times at the tournament, 70 times with tries and twice with field goals. The first player to do this was Alex Watson, who achieved the feat for Australia against New Zealand in the inaugural tournament. Players who have played for Australia have scored the most hat-tricks with 30 (29 tries 1 field goal), while Papua New Guinea representatives have conceded the most with 11 (all tries).
Hat-tricks are a more common occurrence in the group stages, as the match-ups usually place higher-ranked teams against lower-ranked teams. Just ten hat-tricks have occurred in the knockout stages, six happening in the quarter-finals and four in the semi-finals. They have been scored by Bryan Fletcher and Robbie Paul in the 2000 tournament, Billy Slater and Johnathan Thurston in the 2008 edition, Jarryd Hayne (twice) and Brett Morris in the 2013 competition, Valentine Holmes (twice) in the 2017 tournament and Josh Addo-Carr in the 2021 edition. No hat-tricks have been scored in a final.
Out of the 72 hat-tricks scored, seven people have achieved the feat twice, these being Ian Schubert, Billy Slater, Akuila Uate, Manu Vatuvei, Jarryd Hayne, Suliasi Vunivalu, Valentine Holmes and Josh Addo-Carr. 15 people have scored an additional try on top of the hat-trick. Holmes and Addo-Carr have scored five tries in a single game, whilst Holmes is the only player to score six tries in a single game. Five players have scored hat-tricks while being on the losing side, these being Bob Fulton, Ian Schubert, Damien Blanch, and Chris Taripo with tries, and Don Ladner, whose hat-trick of field goals for New Zealand came in their loss to Australia in the 1970 tournament. Billy Smith was the first player to score a hat-trick of field goals, doing so for Australia against France in the 1968 tournament.
Hat-tricks
Key PlayerThe player who scored the hat-trick ForThe team the player scored the hat-trick for AgainstThe team the player scored the hat-trick against StageThe stage of the tournament at which the hat-trick was scored ResultThe result of the match VenueThe stadium and city where the match was played DateThe date the hat-trick was scored4Player scored four tries5Player scored five tries6Player scored six tries
Tries +Rugby League World Cup hat-tricks by playerNo.PlayerForAgainstStageResultVenueDateReference1Group34–15Stade Vélodrome, Marseille7 November 19542Group21–15Headingley, Leeds1 October 19603Group38–14Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney8 June 19684Group21–27Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan29 October 197254Group48–2Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux11 October 19756Group18–6St. Helen's, Swansea19 October 19757Group27–12Odsal Stadium, Bradford25 October 19758Group13–16Central Park, Wigan1 November 197594Group52–0Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne13 December 198610Group52–0Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne13 December 198611Group66–14Carlaw Park, Auckland10 July 198812Group66–14Carlaw Park, Auckland10 July 1988134Group70–8Eric Weissel Oval, Wagga Wagga20 July 198814Group34–0Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne3 December 198915Group34–2Pioneer Oval, Parkes27 June 199016Group40–6PNG Football Stadium, Port Moresby13 October 199117Group66–10Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland5 July 199218Group28–6Ninian Park, Cardiff9 October 199519Group86–6Gateshead International Stadium, Gateshead10 October 199520Group66–0Kirklees Stadium, Huddersfield14 October 1995214Group66–18Stade Sébastien Charléty, Paris28 October 200022Group38–12Craven Park, Hull29 October 200023Group38–6Racecourse Ground, Wrexham29 October 2000244Group66–8Gateshead International Stadium, Gateshead1 November 200025Group76–4Knowsley Road, St Helens1 November 200026Group66–10Headingley, Leeds4 November 2000274Group110–4, Hull4 November 200028Group110–4, Hull4 November 200029Group58–18Millennium Stadium, Cardiff5 November 200030Group56–6Stadium Municipal, Toulouse5 November 200031Quarter-final66–10Vicarage Road, Watford11 November 200032Quarter-final54–6Wheldon Road, Castleford12 November 200033Group32–22Willows Sports Complex, Townsville25 October 200834Group20–22Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta27 October 200835Group42–6Wollongong Showground, Wollongong1 November 200836Group52–4Docklands Stadium, Melbourne2 November 200837Group34–16Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta5 November 2008384Group36–24Newcastle International Sports Centre, Newcastle8 November 200839Group46–6Willows Sports Complex, Townsville9 November 200840Semi-final52–0Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney16 November 200841Semi-final52–0Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney16 November 200842Group42–24Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington27 October 201343Group32–14Spotland Stadium, Rochdale28 October 201344Group42–0Kirklees Stadium, Huddersfield2 November 201345Group38–4Craven Park, Hull4 November 201346Group16–22Leigh Sports Village, Leigh5 November 201347Group56–10Headingley, Leeds8 November 2013484Quarter-final62–0Racecourse Ground, Wrexham16 November 2013494Quarter-final62–0Racecourse Ground, Wrexham16 November 201350Semi-final64–0Wembley Stadium, London23 November 201351Group50–6PNG Football Stadium, Port Moresby28 October 201752Group50–4Barlow Park, Cairns29 October 2017534Group52–6Canberra Stadium, Canberra3 November 201754Group74–6Rugby League Park, Christchurch4 November 201755Group72–6Willows Sports Complex, Townsville5 November 201756Group38–10Canberra Stadium, Canberra10 November 201757Group28–22Waikato Stadium, Hamilton11 November 201758Group64–0PNG Football Stadium, Port Moresby12 November 2017595Quarter-final46–0Darwin Stadium, Darwin17 November 2017606Semi-final54–6Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane24 November 201761Group28–4Kingston Park, Newcastle16 October 2022624Group84–0Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry21 October 202263Group84–0Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry21 October 2022644Group68–6MKM Stadium, Hull22 October 202265Group32–6Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens24 October 2022664Group94–4Bramall Lane, Sheffield29 October 202267Group92–10Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough30 October 2022684Group92–10Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough30 October 2022694Group62–4Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington30 October 2022705Quarter-final48–4Kirklees Stadium, Huddersfield4 November 2022
Field goals +Rugby League World Cup field goalsNo.PlayerForAgainstStageResultVenueDateReference1Group37–4Lang Park, Brisbane8 June 19682Group11–47Central Park, Wigan21 October 1970
Multiple hat-tricks +Multiple Rugby League World Cup hat-tricks by playerPlayerNo.Tournament(s) 21975 22008 22008, 2013 22008, 2013 22013 22017 22017 22021
Hat-tricks by each national team +Rugby League World Cup hat-tricks by national teamTeamHat-tricks for (tries)Hat-tricks against (tries)Hat-tricks for (field goals)Hat-tricks against (field goals)Hat-tricks for (total)Hat-tricks against (total)29011301115101257300736200625700572110021125002522002223002311001111120012110011110011050005040004030003030003010001010001010001
References