Roar Guru
Footy heavyweights the Kangaroos take on the underdogs that just won’t quit, the Tomahawks of the USA, in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup quarter-finals in Wrexham. We’ll have live scores and commentary from midnight AEDT.
Rugby league has had its fair share of fairytale stories and famous upsets.
Think Manly and Newcastle in the 1997 grand final, Sheffield over Wigan in the 1998 Challenge Cup final or even New Zealand defeating Australia in the 2008 World Cup final.
Footy fans love a shock result.
But a USA win here today would beat all of those a million times over.
The dog walkers and personal trainers of America against the millionaires and superstars of Australia’s NRL. It’s some mismatch.
The USA weren’t even supposed to get this far. Wales were expected to reach the quarter-finals, hence the staging of this game in Wrexhham.
No-one thought the Tomahawks would win one game, let alone two, and they’ve win three when you add in the warm-up uspet over France just before the tournament started.
The Yanks have injected some romanticism, some spirit and some adventure into this World Cup. It’s not just about big stars and highly-paid professionals.
It’s about people having a go and working hard for each other. Teams coming together and lifting as a result. The Tomahawks have certainly done that and then some.
With the Wiggles behind them they have shocked the world so far. But all good stories have to come to an end.
Theirs is at the hands of Australia in Wrexham. Bureta Faraimo against Darious Boyd. Joel Luani against Cameron Smith. Michael Garvey against Greg Inglis. It goes on.
This game can only go one way.
If the Tomahawks can break the Kangaroos defence and score a try, which Fiji and Ireland couldn’t do, then that will be a victory in itself.
If they can limit the Australia attack, and perhaps restrict it to just a 20 point, then that would be a massive effort.
Anything else would be a bonus.
We’ll have live scores and all the match action in Wrexham from midnight AEDT.