Rugby league’s international profile received a significant boost in Australia over the weekend as several matches in the Rugby League World Cup outperformed traditional rugby union fixtures in television ratings. Notably, the women’s and men’s rugby league World Cup games attracted substantially larger audiences than the Bledisloe Cup Test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies.
On Saturday night, the rugby league match between England and Tonga drew an average audience of 1.03 million viewers, nearly double the 537,000 who tuned in to watch New Zealand’s 38-0 victory over Australia earlier that day. Tonga’s 30-12 win was also watched by a total reach of 2.3 million people, underscoring strong public interest. This marked a sharp increase compared to the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, where games that did not feature the Kangaroos failed to surpass 500,000 viewers.
In another striking development, the Jillaroos’ dominant 40-0 win over Samoa in the women’s rugby league World Cup on Friday evening attracted 578,000 viewers—41,000 more than the Bledisloe Cup match. Similarly, the England-Wales women’s rugby league game recorded an audience of 310,000, while the men’s game between Papua New Guinea and Lebanon in Port Moresby drew 305,000 viewers.
These rating figures follow a strong opening night performance for the Rugby League World Cup, with Australia’s victory over New Zealand on Thursday averaging 1.73 million viewers and a peak reach of 3.29 million.
The Australian Rugby League (ARL) Commission has attributed this surge in interest to reforms implemented earlier this year. Specifically, the removal of the tier-one restriction for State of Origin eligibility has allowed players to represent New Zealand or England while still playing for New South Wales and Queensland in the State of Origin series. According to ARL executive chairman Peter V’landys, this change has revitalized international rugby league, enhancing fan engagement and enthusiasm.
In contrast, rugby union’s women's contest between the Wallaroos and Scotland, a preliminary match before the Bledisloe Cup, attracted a comparatively modest 123,000 viewers on the Nine Network.
The weekend’s ratings highlight a shifting landscape for rugby viewership in Australia, with international rugby league fixtures gaining unprecedented traction and, in some cases, surpassing traditional rugby union contests in audience size.