For those of you suffering withdrawals symptoms after a season of rugby league, you haven’t got long to wait.
The World Cup is less than two weeks away and the five-week competition will keep league fans entertained until early December.
As always, Australia will go in as favourites and there will be some blow outs along the way. However, there will be some games that are compulsory viewing and I’ve listed five pool games below that will be well worth a look, prior to the finals beginning.
Australia versus England – Friday 27th October
This is a good start to the tournament. The Kangaroos should win however an England team including two of the Burgess brothers, James Graham, Gareth Widdop, Josh Hodgson and a number of the UK Super League’s best won’t prove to be a pushover. Holding it in Melbourne should ensure a big crowd.
(AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK)
Papua New Guinea versus Wales – Saturday 28th October
In reality, any of Papua New Guinea’s games during the pool rounds would do fine. That’s because all of them will be played in Port Moresby. Papua New Guinea has a sprinkling of NRL players but the largest contributor to the team is the Papua New Guinea Hunters, this year’s Queensland Cup winners.
They play Wales, Ireland and the USA through the pool rounds, and with a fanatical Papua New Guinea crowd behind them, you would expect a spot in the quarter finals.
France versus Lebanon – Sunday 29th October
Call me crazy but this one is worth a view. The bulk of France’s team comes from the Catalan Dragons and other Super League teams and they will likely go in as favourite. However, I’m tipping an upset from a Lebanon team featuring Mitchell Moses, Robbie Farah, Michael Lichaa and Tim Mannah.
There is a question mark as to how Farah and Lichaa will be used on the field, but I think you will see Farah spending plenty of time in the halves with Moses.
Samoa versus Tonga – Saturday 4th November
Rather than largely providing criticism, the rugby league community should be thanking Andrew Fifita and Jason Taumalolo for electing to play for Tonga. They’ve created more attention on the World Cup than would otherwise be the case.
Tonga have assembled a strong squad and will likely go deep into the tournament, but don’t totally discount a boilover here. The Samoan squad has largely gone under the radar but is stacked full of NRL players and will be keen to cause an upset.
New Zealand versus Tonga – Saturday 11th November
Ever since Taumalolo elected to pull on a red jersey rather than the black one, this game has been on the radar. Much will depend on the fitness of Shaun Johnson and the effectiveness of the Tongan halves, which is arguably Tonga’s weak link. You can guarantee there will be a large build up to this clash, so the opening skirmishes will be a must watch.
So there you go, five weeks of league coming up and there are at least five matches worth a watch before the finals get underway. Happy viewing.
Benji
Guest
Is this a compromised draw like last RLWC? where the minnows avoided the big guys...
Rabbits
Guest
Ireland all day.
Dean
Guest
As you say David, Samoa have flown under the radar. Samoa v Tonga in either of the Rugby codes is always a must see. Think Australia v England in any sport. One key to who wins in the Samoa v Tonga is who gives away the most penalties. Both teams can be lacking discipline at crucial times in their matches. For casual viewers of rugby league, I rate this as a must see game.
chris gow
Guest
I did a bit of counting: 334 players in the final teams. 145 NRL players 75 Superleague players 55 Non-SL English teams players 44 Non-NRL Australian team players (including 10 from PNG Hunters) 23 from other national leagues, including a gutsy 11 from the American domestic league. 2 players are currently unassigned. Tonga, Fiji and Samoa are virtually all-NRL squads while Scotland and Ireland have strong Superleague squads. There are going to be a lot more than 5 interesting games, let's hope the RLWC gets the support it deserves.
Fred
Guest
I think Australians are underestimating France for the simple reason that, unlike the Island teams, Australians don't know the players in the French team given none are from the NRL. France put in an impressive performance against Jamaica over the weekend, with their halves clicking really well. Theo Fages (who plays for St Helens not Catalans or Toulouse) led the team around with skill. The Jamaica team was stacked with Super League and Chamionship players and was itself unlucky not to have qualified for the world cup. The next world cup will have two qualifiers from the Americas - unlike one this time - so the it will be very interesting to see who makes the cut next time out of the US, Canada and Jamaica.
Fred
Guest
I can't wait for these matches as well. France v Lebanon will be very interesting - both of those countries could have done very well in Group B, C or D, unfortunately being in Group A means this match is essentially a knockout for both of them. Also can't wait for Tonga v NZ. In fact, every match in Group B will be tough. I think people are underestimating Scotland, who did great in last year's 4 Nations, including a draw with NZ.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Looking forward to all these matches.