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The Rugby League World Cup will kick-off with a battle between old rivals Australia and England on Friday, October 27 with kick-off scheduled for 8pm (AEDT) at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
While the draw officially shows the match as being played at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, regular Australian sports followers would better know the ground as AAMI Park, however, naming rights are not allowed in international tournaments such as the Rugby League World Cup.
The Kangaroos are ten-time champions of the World Cup and, on home soil, are almost unbackable favourites to make that 11.
Wayne Bennett’s England side, as one of the ‘big three’ alongside the Kangaroos and New Zealand, are expected to be one of their strongest challengers, yet are in no way favoured to win the tournament opener.
Kick-off: 8pm (AEDT)
Venue: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
TV: Live, Seven Network
Online: Live, Plus7
Betting: Australia $1.13, England $6.50
Overall record: Played 14, Australia 11, England 2, drawn 1
Last meeting: 2016 Four Nations – Australia 36 defeat England 18 at London Olympic Stadium
Referee: Matt Cecchin
Australia
1. Billy Slater 2. Dane Gagai 3. Will Chambers 4. Josh Dugan 5. Valentine Holmes 6. Michael Morgan 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Aaron Woods 9. Cameron Smith 10. David Klemmer 11. Boyd Cordner 12. Matt Gillett 13. Jake Trbojevic
Interchange: 14. Wade Graham 15. Jordan McLean 16. Josh Mcguire 17. Tyson Frizell 18. Regan Campbell-Gillard 19. Ben Hunt 20. Tom Trbojevic 21.Felise Kaufusi
England
1. Jonny Lomax 2. Jermaine McGillvary 3. Kallum Watkins 4. John Bateman 5. Ryan Hall 6.Gareth Widdop 7. Luke Gale 8. Chris Hill 9. Josh Hodgson 10. James Graham 11. Sam Burgess 12. Elliot Whitehead 13. Sean O’Loughlin
Interchange: 14. Alex Walmsley 15. Chris Heighington 16. Thomas Burgess 17. James Roby 18. Ben Currie 19. Kevin Brown 20. Mark Percival 21.Scott Taylor
The only way to watch the World Cup on TV in Australia is be through the Seven Network. They hold the exclusive rights to the tournament and will be providing a comprehensive coverage of Australian games.
Coverage of the Kangaroos opener will begin an hour before kick-off (at 7pm AEDT) on 7Mate, before switching to Channel Seven half an hour before kick-off.
Check your local guides, as some states will remain on 7Mate for the game’s entirety.
If you are looking to stream the game, then you will need to use one of Channel Seven’s streaming services, either through their 7 live website or mobile application. Both of these allow you to stream all the channels of seven in your local area, so you’ll be able to pick up exactly the same coverage being shown on TV.
Both the website and application are free to download and use.
The Roar will also be running a live blog and highlights of the match.
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