Australia won the 2008 World Student Cup thanks to a nail-biting 26-16 victory over England in the final at Langlands Park, Brisbane.

It was one-way traffic in the first half with England captain Mark McKinley slotting an early penalty goal and converting a try from Tom Lever before kicking a second kick to give his side a 10-0 lead at half-time.

Australia fought back in the second half thanks to some inspirational play from half-back and man of the match Drew Dalton, scoring 26 unanswered points before England responded in the 78th minute with Kristian Hodson running the length of the field for their second try.

New Zealand came from 16-0 down to beat Wales 24-18 in the third-place play-off while Scotland finished with the wooden spoon after losing 22-18 to Ireland, for whom winger Tom Gaffney scored a hat-trick of tries.

Greece won the plate final with a 14-12 win over France.

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