England have never failed to reach the semi-finals in Rugby League World Cup history but the 2021 event promises to give them their sternest test yet. In a competition which has arguably more potential winners than ever before, Shaun Wane’s side will need to set the tone early in a hugely competitive Group A.
Ahead of Saturday’s massive opening fixture between England and Samoa in Newcastle, here is The Sportsman’s run-down of a fascinating headline group…
ENGLAND
World ranking: 3
Betfred odds: Group winners: Evens, To reach final: 15/8, To win RLWC: 16/1
Best RLWC: Runners-up (1975, 1995, 2017)
2017: Runners-up (lost 6-0 to Australia)
Finalists last time around, England have a lot of work on if they are to emulate their feats of 2017. They are second favourites to win the group behind a star-studded Samoa side, and are likely to meet Tonga in the knockout phase in a repeat of their heart-stopping semi-final five years ago.
With a severe lack of competitive games in recent years – they’ve played only four matches since the 2018 autumn series win over New Zealand under Wayne Bennett – Shaun Wane might still be trying to build squad cohesiveness well into the Group A campaign.
Player to watch: Dom Young
SAMOA
World ranking: 7
Betfred odds: Group winners: 5/6, To reach final: 13/8, To win RLWC: 9/1
Best RLWC: Quarter-Finalists (2000, 2013, 2017)
2017: Quarter-Finalists (lost 46-0 to Australia)
Simply put, this is the best Samoa squad in the country’s history. With six players from Penrith Panthers’ NRL Grand Final-winning squad and two of the Parramatta Eels’ runners-up, Matt Parish’s side is absolutely stacked with quality.
There is a great mix of experience and talent on show, with Martin Taupau, Josh Papali’i and Anthony Milford among a cast of established NRL superstars. If they beat England first up and practically guarantee top spot and a favourable quarter-final draw, they could pace themselves for a big tilt come semi-final and final time.
Player to watch: Brian To’o
FRANCE:
World ranking: 9
Betfred odds: Group winners: 100/1, To reach final: 150/1, To win RLWC: 250/1
Best RLWC: Runners-up (1954, 1968)
2017: Group stage (bottom of Group A)
A squad rammed with Catalans Dragons players might well wish the World Cup had gone ahead in 2021 as planned. The Dragons won the Betfred Super League Leaders’ Shield last year and were Grand Finalists to boot, but in 2022 they were unable to back up that solid season.
The 13 Dragons in the group are supplemented by a host of other Super League stars, with only Albi’s Maxime Puech coming from the French domestic game. In any other World Cup they might have fancied their chances of progressing from the group, but they are distinctly third favourites given Samoa’s rise to power.
Player to watch: Arthur Mourgue
GREECE
World ranking: 11
Betfred odds: Group winners: 500/1, To reach final: 500/1, To win RLWC: 2000/1
Best RLWC: Debutants
2017: Did not qualify (bottom of European pre-qualifying group)
Former Penrith and Canterbury Bulldogs coach Steve Georgallis will be realistic enough about his Greece team’s chances at their first ever World Cup finals after they hammered Serbia in Belgrade to qualify.
With only five players from the NRL and two from the Betfred Championship, this is a group who will be trying to keep scores down more than anything. Captain Jordan Meads has been playing rugby union on the Sunshine Coast recently but moonlights for the Titans having formerly played for Gateshead Thunder in the third tier of the English game.
Player to watch: Lachlan Ilias
Group A fixtures:
Saturday: England v Samoa (Newcastle, 2:30)
Monday: France v Greece (Doncaster, 7:30)
Saturday 22nd October: England v France (Bolton, 5:00)
Sunday 23rd October: Samoa v Greece (Doncaster, 5:00)
Saturday 29th October: England v Greece (Sheffield, 2:30)
Sunday 30th October: Samoa v France (Warrington, 5:00)
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
Pictures courtesy of swpix.com
