The delayed Rugby League World Cup finally gets underway on Saturday and it does so with a double header of action which has two crackerjack matches on the card. There is no easing our way into this tournament as great games hit us right from the off!
The hosts and the defending champions headline the opening day card but there are a couple of Pacific Islands nations who will be looking to stamp their own authority on their respective group so we are in for a great day.
England vs Samoa (14.30 – BBC 1)
Venue: St James’ Park
The tournament opens up at the scene of the Super League Magic Weekend as the host nation England will begin what they hope will be a huge month for the sport in this country when they take on a very dangerous looking Samoa side.
England have had to wait a year for this opening hit out in what is still the first competitive match for them under Shaun Wane. He is known for his solid defence with his teams and in a warm up match against Fiji last week there was evidence of that but England ran up the points which bodes well for them, with Dom Young a potential star of this side on the wing and Victor Radley a perfect Wane disciple through the middle. Samoa are touted to go well at this tournament and why wouldn’t they be when there are no fewer than six NRL champions from the Penrith Panthers in their squad not to mention the likes of Danny Levi and Tyrone May from Super League. One concern over the Samoans is that they haven’t had a lead up game of any kind and it might be that they build their way into the tournament. This England team played last week and played against the All Stars earlier in the season so they have had a bit more time together and should be more cohesive as a result of that. While I understand why Samoa are favourites, miles from home against a hostile English crowd I think the hosts have been overlooked a little and represent value at odds against.
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Australia vs Fiji (19.30 – BBC 2)
Venue: Headingley
The second match of the day takes us into the first evening of the tournament where the defending champions Australia will look to get their title defence off to a winning start against a Fiji side who they would have been expected to beat anyway, but are now expected to dominate.
That is largely because Fiji were walloped 50-0 by England last week. I don’t think that was a true representation of the Fiji side who hadn’t long touched down in the country but at the same time it is a concern for them when you consider that Australia are a better side than England and are often completely ruthless even this early in a tournament. The fact that it is so early in a tournament and nobody wants to peak this soon is about the only thing Fiji have going for them here. Bookmakers give them no chance with Australia being asked to cover a handicap around the 40 mark. That is perfectly doable based on the England demolition of Fiji but there’s enough NRL players for Fiji to be better than that. There isn’t a huge amount of wiggle room on either side of this handicap so I’m happy to take a watching brief in this one.
Tips
Back England to beat Samoa for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with William Hill
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