Rugby League World Cup

Ireland and Scotland have become the eighth and ninth countries to earn their places at the 2008 World Cup in Australia.

A 16-16 draw with Lebanon in Dewsbury on Friday was good enough to give Ireland top spot in their qualification group.

And on Sunday Scotland joined them in next year's finals despite losing 18-16 to Wales, who needed an eight-point win to qualify themselves.

Wales now go into the repechage to compete for the last available place.

They will play Lebanon in the first game with the winners meeting USA or Samoa for a place in the final. The winners of that match will be travelling to Australia for the finals in October and November next year.

Qualified: Holders Australia, New Zealand, England, France, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Fiji, Ireland and Scotland.

Pacific Group:

Tonga became the first team to qualify from the group stages after beating Samoa 18-10 in the final match of the Pacific group.

The Tongans' victory means runners-up Fiji also go through to the main draw.

Samoa, who beat Fiji and the Cook Islands in earlier group matches, lost out on automatic qualification on points difference but could make the finals from the repechage.

Results:

Tonga 56-14 Cook Islands
Samoa 30-28 Fiji
Fiji 30-28 Tonga
Samoa 46-6 Cook Islands
Fiji 40-4 Cook Islands
Tonga 18-10 Samoa

Atlantic Group:

The United States beat Japan 54-18 to qualify for the repechage.

The two teams were the only ones left in the group after South Africa and the West Indies withdrew.

Result:

USA 54-18 Japan

European Group:

Results:

Round one:

Russia 40-14 Netherlands
Georgia 45-10 Serbia
Georgia 57-16 Netherlands
Russia 44-6 Serbia
Netherlands 38-26 Serbia
Russia 24-0 Georgia

Round two:

Group One:
Wales 14-21 Scotland
Scotland 16-18 Wales

Group Two:
Russia 12-50 Ireland
Lebanon 22-8 Russia
Ireland 18-18 Lebanon
Ireland 58-18 Russia
Russia 0-48 Lebanon
Lebanon 16-16 Ireland

Repechage:

Game One: Wales v Lebanon (10 Nov)

Game Two: USA v Samoa (10 Nov)

Winner of Game One v Winner of Game Two (14 Nov)
Winners qualify for World Cup finals

Source: BBC Sport