The second week of the Rugby League World Cup gets underway with a clash between Australia and France. Kick-off is scheduled for 8pm (AEDT) on Friday, November 3.
The game is set to be played at Canberra Stadium, with it being the second of three in the nation’s capital after France played Lebanon there last Sunday. The final game in Canberra will see Fiji play Italy next Friday evening.
This is a hugely important game for France. They suffered a loss at the hands of Lebanon last week and while not expected to win a game now, they must find a way to beat either Australia or England if they are going to advance to the quarter-final stage of the tournament.
Australia, on the other hand are now favourites to finish at the top of Group A after a strong win over England last week by 18 points to 4 in Melbourne.
Finishing at the top of their group should mean they avoid a semi-final confrontation with New Zealand, setting that up as the possible final of the tournament.
Kick-off: 8pm (AEDT)
Venue: Canberra Stadium
TV: Live, Channel 7
Online: Live, 7live
Betting: Australia $1.01, France $41
Overall record: Played 59, Australia 43, France 14, drawn 2
Last meeting: 2009 Four Nations – France 4 defeated by Australia 42 at Stade Sebastien Charlety, Paris
Referee: Robert Hicks
Australia
1. Billy Slater 2. Tom Trbojevic 3. Will Chambers 4. Josh Dugan 5. Josh Mansour 6. Michael Morgan 7. James Maloney 8. Jordan McLean 9. Cameron Smith 10. Regan Campbell-Gillard 11. Wade Graham 12. Tyson Frizell 13. Josh Mcguire
Interchange: 14. Cameron Munster 15. Felise Kaufusi 16. Aaron Woods 17. David Klemmer 18. Valentine Holmes 19. Matt Gillett 20. Boyd Cordner 21. Dane Gagai
France
1. Mark Kheirallah 2. Fouad Yaha 3. Bastien Ader 4. Olivier Arnoud 5. Ilias Bergal 6. Remy Marginet 7. Theo Fages 8. Maxime Herold 9. Eloi Pelissier 10. Julian Bousquet 11. Benjamin Garcia 12. Benjamin Jullien 13. Jason Baitieri
Interchange: 14. Thibault Margalet 15. Mickael Rouch 16.Romain Navarrete 17. John Boudebza 18. Lucas Albert 19. Antoni Maria 20. Nabil Djalout 21.Lambert Belmas
The only way to watch the Rugby League World Cup in Australia is through Channel seven. While a majority of games throughout the tournament are being shown on 7Mate, it’s important to check your electronic programming guides for Australian games as, in some areas, they are on the main Channel seven.
Their pre-game show will start half an hour before kick-off – or at 7:30pm (AEDT).
Because seven are the exclusive broadcasters of the tournament in Australia, you’ll need to use one of their streaming services if you want to be able to watch the match online.
That can be done either through their 7 live website if you are on a desktop or laptop, or through a mobile application in the same name if you are on mobile or tablet. Both are free to use.
The Roar is also going to be covering the match live blog and highlights.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Australians are among the sportiest people on Earth. Much as we like to play code wars with each other, the fact that we can…
Over the years 47 players have represented Australia in rugby league and union - so who is the best of the dual code internationals?
Proposed rule changes to Origin eligibility might be that rarest of things: a solution that works for everyone.
The shortlist for the International Rugby League (IRL) Golden Boot Award has been announced, with a host of hard-runners listed for the top prizes.…
After Australia's 30-nil thumping in the Pacific Championship final, there could be a vastly different Kangaroos team in the next international competition.
A famous day for New Zealand as the Kiwis thrash Australia to take the Pacific Championships title.
