The 2018 New Zealand rugby league tour of England was a tour by the New Zealand national rugby league team. The tour saw New Zealand play a three match series against and England for the Baskerville Shield. The hosts, England, won the series by two matches to one.
| 2018 New Zealand rugby league tour of England | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Host country |  England |
| Winner | England (2nd title) |
| Matches played | 3 |
| Attendance | 76,069 (25,356 per match) |
| Points scored | 102 (34 per match) |
| Tries scored | 17 (5.67 per match) |
| Top scorer |  Shaun Johnson (22) |
| Top try scorers | Tommy Makinson (3) Ken Maumalo (3) |
< 2015 | |
Background
editNew Zealand and England previously took part in a competitive event in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, New Zealand lost to Fiji in the quarter-finals, while England made the final, losing to Australia by a score of just 6-0.
New Zealand and England previously played against each other in a mid-season international on 23 June 2018 at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. England won 36-18.
New Zealand was last in Great Britain for the 2016 Rugby League Four Nations. During that tournament New Zealand defeated England 17-16 in Huddersfield.[1] They last played a three match test series against England during the 2015 New Zealand rugby league tour of Great Britain, losing the series 2-1.[2] With the completion of these three tests, New Zealand and England played each other four times in 2018.
Squads
editNew Zealand
editA wider squad was named on 3 September 2018 consisting of the best New Zealand eligible players in the running to play in the upcoming tour.[3] The final touring squad of 23 players was named on 1 October.[4]
On 4 October, Corey Harawira-Naera withdrew from the touring 23-man squad due to a groin injury. Agnatius Paasi and Peta Hiku were subsequently added to the squad.[5]
Ages are as of 27 October 2018, the day of the first test.
Pre-tour matches
edit| 13 October 2018 | New Zealand | 26 – 24 |  Australia | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland |
| 17 October 2018 | England | 44 – 6 |  France | Leigh Sports Village, Leigh |
Baskerville Shield
editNew Zealand announced three matches on tour, all test matches against England.[6][7]
First test
edit| England | 18 – 16 | New Zealand |
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| Tries: Connor, Gildart, Tomkins Goals: Connor (3/4) | Report | Tries: Marsters, Watene-Zelezniak Goals: Johnson (4/4) |
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Notes:
- Oliver Gildart (England) made his Test debut.
Second test
edit| England | 20 – 14 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Makinson (3), Connor Goals: Tomkins (1/1), Connor (1/4) | Report | Tries: Maumalo, Watene-Zelezniak Goals: Johnson (3/3) |
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Third test
edit| England | 0 – 34 | New Zealand |
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| Report | Tries: Maumalo (2), J. Bromwich, Liu, Nikorima, Tapine Goals: Johnson (4/5), Papali'i (1/1) |
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Notes:
- Joe Greenwood (England) made his Test debut, while Isaiah Papali'i made his debut for New Zealand having previously represented Samoa.