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Rugby League World Cup preview: USA ready to take on the world

Roar Guru
19th October, 2013
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Roar Guru
19th October, 2013
25
2564 Reads

The United States will be making their debut at the 2013 RLWC and they plan on ensuring that the world sits up and takes notice.

The Tomahawks guaranteed their maiden appearance at the World Cup by taking out the Atlantic group during the qualifying period.

Currently ranked 12th in the world, the Americans will be hoping to make their mark on the world stage.

USA Tomahawks
RLIF World Ranking: 12
Best Result: First appearance at World Cup
2008 Finish: Did not qualify
2013 RLWC Odds: $1501

The USA are not new to the international rugby league scene having played Tests in the early 1950s.

In 1953 an American all-stars side completed a 26 game tour of Australia and a match against a Sydney XIII at the Sydney Cricket Ground was attended by 64,000 people. It wasn’t until 1987 though, when the national side now known as the Tomahawks was formed.

Over the last decade, the US side has been playing international matches on a more regular basis against fellow rugby league minnows – the most publicised of those matches being a 54-10 loss to Russia in Moscow witnessed by 30,000 fans in 2002.

The only recent match against the stronger nations was a match on home soil against Australia in 2004.

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The Tomahawks looked like they were going to cause the biggest boil-over in rugby league history leading 24-12 at halftime before the exceptionally talented Darren Lockyer led the Kangaroos to a 36-24 victory.

The game of rugby league has been developing nicely in the US over the past decade however the split competitions have halted some of the progress.

With reconciliation between the AMNRL and USARL on the table for 2014, a strong World Cup performance may just be the boost the sport needs.

The US booked their place in this year’s RLWC after defeating both the Jamaican and South African sides during the 2011 qualifiers.

The first time they’ve been successful in gaining entry after failed attempts at reaching the past two tournaments.

They were denied by Lebanon in 2000 and by Samoa in 2008, both games being a play-off for the final position in the World Cup.

Coached by Terry Matterson, the 2013 Tomahawks will be looking to continue their recent good form in international matches albeit this time against much stronger opposition.

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Team Line Up (likely)
1. Kristian Freed
2. Brett Faramio
3. Michael Garvey
4. Ryan McGoldrick
5. Matt Petersen
6. Joseph Paulo (c)
7. David Marando
8. Junior Paulo
9. Joel Luani
10. Mark Oafferdahl
11. Matthew Shipway
12. Clint Newton
13. Eddy Pettybourne

14. Daniel Howard
15. Mark Cantoni
16. Judah Luvalo
17. Tui Samoa

Squad Members: Gabriel Farley, Roman Hifo, Stephen Howard, Craig Priestly, Lelauloto Tagaloa, Taylor Welch, Les Soloai

Key Player
The skipper Joesph Paulo will have the responsibility of leading the Tomahawks as well as being the chief playmaker for the side.

Paulo had a reasonable season for a poor Eels outfit and was quite often the best on-field for Parramatta.

The USA will certainly need Paulo in peak form to be a chance of winning games in this tournament.

Fixtures and Opponents
Vs Cook Islands @ Memorial Stadium, Bristol Kick Off – Thur 31st Oct 7am AEDT
Vs Wales @ Racecourse Stadium, Wrexham Kick Off – Mon fourth Nov 1am AEDT
Vs Scotland @ Salford City Stadium, Salford Kick Off – Fri eighth Nov 7am AEDT

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Key Match
The debut match against Cook Islands will be a memorable moment for the Tomahawks in more ways than one if they can manage to be victorious at full time.

The Americans are currently six places higher than the Cook Islanders on the world rankings.

If USA can grab a win here, they may only need to cause an upset against either Wales or Scotland to find themselves progressing to the next stage which would mark an incredible debut.

RLWC 2013 Prospects
Qualifying for the rugby league World Cup has been a major achievement in itself for the USA.

The Americans will be out to do the stars and stripes proud however the squad may be a little behind the pace in 2013.

If the Tomahawks can grab a victory on debut, it will be testament to the great work that the administrators have put in over in the US.

A solid campaign backed up by a reconciliation of the two domestic competitions will be a major boost for the sport in the states and we may see the Tomahawks in action at the RLWC every four years moving forward.

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