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Pool | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
B | France | 8 | 12 | Lebanon |
Women | England | 25 | 4 | PNG |
B | England | 25 | 4 | Wales |
C | Tonga | 7 | 30 | Cook Islands |
C | Samoa | 32 | 17 | Fiji |
Women | Australia | 22 | 8 | New Zealand |
A | Australia | 25 | 12 | New Zealand |
A | PNG | 27 | 10 | USA |
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The Rugby League Nines World Cup has arrived, with Friday night our first chance to see all eight men’s and four women’s teams in action. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage of each match on Day 1 from 6:20pm (AEDT).
The Nines have been on the scrapheap since they were canned as a club competition, but return in an international format at the end of the 2019 season with a busy couple of weeks ahead for international sides.
This tournament will see twelve men’s teams split across three pools of four teams each, and one women’s pool of four teams.
In the men’s tournament, all the usual suspects are the favourites, with strong squads named right across the board.
Tournament hosts Australia come in as favourites and rightly so, with the class of Kalyn Ponga, Daly Cherry-Evans and Wade Graham to be joined by exciting youngsters Ryan Papenhuyzen, AJ Brimson and Josh Addo-Carr in a side which is dripping with talent and speed.
They will be hard to slow down, but New Zealand, who they play on the opening night of competition, will be equally up for the challenge to create one of the games of the tournament, with Shaun Johnson back in the Nines format.
Pool A also features Papua New Guinea and the USA, who seemingly have little chance of advancing.
England and France will be the favourites to move through from Pool B, but it could be Pool C which carries the most intrigue, and opening-night matches will play a big role in the final outcomes of the group.
Tonga and Fiji might be the favourites to push out of the group stage, but the Cook Islands and Samoa aren’t just going to lie down without a fight.
Fiji’s clash with Samoa could be a cracker, with Fiji chock full of strong outside backs, including Maika Sivo and Suliasi Vunivalu, while Tonga will unleash the likes of John Asiata, Andrew Fifita and Jason Taumalolo on the Nines concept – and they are hard enough to slow down in the 13-man a side game.
On the women’s side of things, Australia come in as the favourites, but we will find out exactly how they are matching up against their likely finals opponents in New Zealand in the opening game, while England and Papua New Guinea will also look to give themselves a springboard to launch off heading into a busy Saturday.
Be sure to join us here on The Roar from 6:20pm (AEDT) for live coverage of the opening session at the 2019 Rugby League Nines World Cup and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.
Start time: 6:20pm (AEDT)
Venue: Bankwest Stadium, Parramatta
TV: Live, Fox League 502
Online: Live, Kayo Sports, Foxtel App, Foxtel Now
Day 1 match schedule
Men’s
6:20pm: Pool B – France vs Lebanon
7:10pm: Pool B – England vs Wales
7:35pm: Pool C – Tonga vs Cook Islands
8:10pm: Pool C – Samoa vs Fiji
9pm: Pool A – Australia vs New Zealand
9:25pm: Pool A – Papua New Guinea vs United States of America
Women’s
6:45pm: England vs Papua New Guinea
8:35pm: Australia vs New Zealand
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