The Cup final was won by New Zealand, defeating Australia by 27–24 in front of a sold-out crowd of over 37,000 fans.

[2] Fiji defeated South Africa in the third place play-off.

Points were awarded for each match as 3 for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 for a loss.

The top two teams from each pool advanced to the play-offs for the Cup and Plate.

The bottom two teams in each pool progressed to the play-offs for the Bowl and Shield The sixteen participating teams for the tournament were: ^a The match was Australia's fourth Cup final on home soil.