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The second Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament (known as the Gillette Tri-Nations due to sponsorship[2]) was contested between 16 October and 27 November of 2004. The format of the competition differed from the previous event in that the teams played each other twice, rather than once, prior to the final.
| 2004 Tri-Nations | |
|---|---|
| |
| Number of teams | 3 |
| Host country |  United Kingdom |
| Winner |  Australia (2nd title) |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Attendance | 182,288 (26,041 per match) |
| Tries scored | 47 (6.71 per match) |
| Top scorer | Darren Lockyer[1] (28) |
| Top try scorer | Luke Rooney[1] (6) |
The tournament final of the tournament was predicted by some to be a close affair, with the British team heralded as slight favourites after finishing at the top of the league table. Instead, it was a one-sided match as Australia produced their best performance of the tournament. The game was effectively over by half-time when Australia led by 38–0.
Each team was to play the other three twice during the round robin tournament. The top two finishing teams would then contest the final.
| Team | Nickname | Coach | Captain | RLIF Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia |
The Kangaroos | Wayne Bennett | Darren Lockyer | 1 |
 New Zealand |
The Kiwis | Daniel Anderson | Ruben Wiki | 2 |
| Great Britain |
The Lions | Brian Noble | Andy Farrell | 3 |
One referee from each participating nation was appointed to control matches in the Tri-Nations:
Tim Mander (2 matches)
Russell Smith (3 matches) Glen Black (2 matches)The games were played at the following venues in New Zealand and England.
| Auckland | London | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| North Harbour Stadium | Loftus Road | City of Manchester Stadium |
| Capacity: 25,000 | Capacity: 18,439 | Capacity: 47,726 |
 |
 |
 |
| Huddersfield | Wigan | Hull |
| Galpharm Stadium | JJB Stadium | KC Stadium |
| Capacity: 24,500 | Capacity: 25,138 | Capacity: 25,400 |
 |
 |
 |
The tournament final was played in Leeds.
| Leeds |
|---|
| Elland Road |
| Capacity: 37,890 |
 |
| 16 October |
| New Zealand | 16–16 | Australia |
| Tries: Vinnie Anderson Louis Anderson Francis Meli Goals: Brent Webb 2/3 | Report | Tries: Luke Rooney (2) Anthony Minichiello Goals: Darren Lockyer 2/3 |
| North Harbour Stadium, Auckland Attendance: 19,118[1] Referee: Russel Smith |
| 23 October |
| Australia | 32–12 | New Zealand |
| Tries: Luke Rooney Darren Lockyer Willie Tonga Shaun Berrigan Petero Civoniceva Goals: Craig Fitzgibbon (3/4) Darren Lockyer (2/2) Shaun Berrigan (1/1) | Report | Tries: Brent Webb Lesley Vainikolo Vinnie Anderson Goals: Brent Webb (0/3) |
| Loftus Road, London Attendance: 16,725[1] Referee: Russel Smith |
| 30 October |
| Great Britain | 8–12 | Australia |
| Tries: Martin Gleeson Brian Carney Goals: Andy Farrell (0/2) | Report | Tries: Willie Mason Luke Rooney (2) Goals: Brett Kimmorley (0/3) |
| City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester Attendance: 38,572[1] Referee: Glen Black |
| 6 November |
| Great Britain | 22–12 | New Zealand |
| Tries: Terry Newton Stuart Reardon (2) Goals: Andy Farrell (2/2) Iestyn Harris (2/2) Paul Sculthorpe (1/3) | Report | Tries: Ali Lauiti'iti Sonny Bill Williams Goals: Brent Webb (2/2) |
| Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield Attendance: 20,372[1] Referee: Tim Mander |
| 13 November |
| Great Britain | 24–12 | Australia |
| Tries: Terry Newton Stuart Reardon Stuart Fielden Keith Senior Goals: Andy Farrell (4/4) | Report | Tries: Luke Rooney Mark O'Meley Goals: Craig Fitzgibbon (1/1) Brett Kimmorley (1/1) |
| JJB Stadium, Wigan Attendance: 25,004[1] Referee: Glen Black |
| 20 November |
| Great Britain | 26–24 | New Zealand |
| Tries: Keith Senior Brian Carney (2) Andy Farrell Paul Johnson Goals: Andy Farrell (3/5) | Report | Tries: Vinnie Anderson Nigel Vagana Alex Chan Shontayne Hape Goals: Brent Webb (4/5) |
| KC Stadium, Hull Attendance: 23,377 [1] Referee: Tim Mander |
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 80 | 60 | +20 | 6 |
| Australia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 72 | 60 | +12 | 5 |
| New Zealand | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 64 | 95 | −32 | 1 |
| Great Britain |
4–44 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Stuart Reardon Goals: Andy Farrell (0/1) |
Report |
Tries: Anthony Minichiello (2) Willie Tonga (2) Matt Sing Darren Lockyer Willie Mason Goals: Darren Lockyer (6/6) Craig Fitzgibbon (2/2) |
27 November |
|
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During the series, Australia and New Zealand both played an additional test match against France.
A one-off match was also played between an ANZAC side made up of touring Australian and New Zealand players and a Cumbria side.[4][5][6]
On their way back to Australia just four days after the Tri-Nations Final, the Kangaroos played a match, known as the Liberty Bell Cup against the USA at the Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Played in quarters instead of halves, and on a synthetic field that was the size of a Grid iron field, the American's shocked the Australians by racing to an 18–0 lead nearing half time and actually went into the long break with a 24–6 lead. They managed to keep their lead until late in the game when the fitness of the Australians, who had bombed numerous try scoring opportunities through the game, told and the Kangaroos overhauled the home team to win 36–24.[7]
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