After a year-long delay for the Rugby League World Cup, we finally got to enjoy the best of international footy and have now arrived at the pointy end. Australia’s men’s and women’s teams have both enjoyed solid campaigns and have made it through to the finals.
The Kangaroos remained undefeated throughout the tournament, cruising through the group stages, and then taking out a convincing 48-4 win over Lebanon in the quarter-finals. They faced their toughest test during their semi-final match against New Zealand, eventually sealing a narrow 16-14 win over the Kiwis.
Samoa’s journey hasn’t been as easy. They began their campaign with a shock 60-6 thumping at the hands of host nation England. They moved past the shock loss by winning the rest of the group games and held on for a 20-18 quarter-final win against a determined Tonga. Their semi-final match against England was far from the earlier 54-point thrashing, booking their ticket to the final with a 27-26 golden point victory thanks to a Stephen Crichton field goal.
Just like the Kangaroos, the Jillaroos haven’t dropped a game during World Cup, and have scored a whopping 258-10 throughout the tournament. And like their fellow countrymen, their toughest challenge was against New Zealand during the pool stage, hanging on for a 10-8 victory. A huge 82-0 walloping of Papau New Guniea in the quarter-finals see the Aussies once again face their toughest opponents.
The Kiwis Ferns only loss has been that two-point defeat to the Jillaroos, and unlike the men’s side, they got the job done in the quarter-finals with a convincing 20-6 win against England. Now they are ready to go one step further against Australia.
Whether you power on through and stay awake for the games in the early hours of Sunday morning, or get some shut-eye before waking up to the alarm clock, you won’t want to miss our teams fighting it out for international glory.
For the first time ever, the Rugby League World Cup is not available on free-to-air channels with the right exclusively belonging to Foxtel. The only way to watch live is on Fox Sports Channel 502 and Kayo.
Sunday, November 20, 12.15am AEDT
Sunday, November 20, 3am AEDT
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.
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.…
The Jillaroos’ winning record is no more following an heroic defensive showing from the Kiwi Ferns, with a late Leanne Tufuga try and a…
What to look out for in this weekend's round of international footy.
Tamika Upton can do it all. She can now add Test matchwinner to her Dally M Medal and her two Karyn Murphy Medals after a…
Test footy is back in Australia - here's what to expect.
Jillaroos coach Brad Donald has named a strong squad for the upcoming Tests.
