All eyes were on Seven this weekend to catch the highly anticipated Rugby League World Cup semi finals. Across the two blockbuster games, 6.5 million people tuned in.
The Rugby League World Cup has been a major win for the international game, which has traditionally been a three-horse race between Australia, New Zealand and England. This year however, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji all proved they can mix it with the traditional powerhouses, adding a new dimension to the competition.
The tournament also delivered incredible scenes of national pride, with supporters around the world getting behind their teams. Tonga, in particular, took celebrations to another level, with victory parades staged across Tonga, Australia, New Zealand and even the United States.
View this post on Instagram
Unfortunately for Tonga, the team’s campaign came to an end on Saturday night, losing 34-10 against New Zealand in Newcastle. This game reached 2.9 million people on Seven and raked in a national average audience of 1.5 million.
At half-time New Zealand led by a slim two points. This margin quickly blew out in the second half as Tonga ran against torrential winds.
In one of the most unluckiest scenes in rugby league, the wind picked up massively in the second half. This was to the Tongan team’s detriment who was running directly into it. This is a major disadvantage in rugby league as it means Tonga could not kick the ball down-field. Allowing New Zealand to have all the field position.
The second semi — which aired last night on Seven — Australia put a brave Samoa to the sword. The game reached an enormous 3.7 million people and had an average audience of 2.1 million.
Despite an impressive World Cup campaign, Samoa seemed to be running on empty last night. Australia capitalised, scoring eight tries to Samoa’s two.
Last week’s narrow two point loss to Tonga had clearly taken its toll on the Pacific Nation.
