After 59 matches in three disciplines over the past 35 days, Saturday marks the final day of a historic Rugby League World Cup as the men's and women's tournament comes to a head at Old Trafford.
British rugby league's iconic season-ending venue plays host to the Australian Jillaroos' attempt to retain the trophy they have won in back-to-back World Cups, and then their male counterparts meet first-time finalists Samoa in the men's event.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s final day of action…
Australia v New Zealand - Women's Final
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester.
When: 1:15pm (GMT)
TV: BBC One and BBC iPlayer
AUSTRALIA
RLWC2021 so far:
Group B: Winners (beat Cook Islands 74-0, France 92-0 and New Zealand 10-8)
Semi-finals: Beat Papua New Guinea 82-0
RLWC History:
Champions twice (2013, 2017)
Australia squad:
1 Kezie Apps, 2 Sam Bremner, 3 Ali Brigginshaw, 4 Simaima Taufa, 5 Isabelle Kelly, 6 Emma Tonegato, 7 Tallisha Harden, 8 Keeley Davis, 9 Holli Wheeler, 10 Julia Robinson, 11 Jess Sergis, 12 Tarryn Aiken, 13 Shaylee Bent, 14 Lauren Brown, 15 Jaime Chapman, 16 Kennedy Cherrington, 17 Shenae Ciesiolka, 18 Yasmin Clydsdale, 19 Taliah Fuimaono, 20 Caitlan Johnston, 21 Keilee Joseph, 22 Olivia Kernick, 23 Shannon Mato, 24 Evania Pelite
NEW ZEALAND
RLWC2021 so far:
Group B: Runners-up (beat France 46-0 and Cook Islands 34-4, lost to Australia 8-10)
Semi-finals: Beat England 20-6
RLWC History:
Champions three times (2000, 2003, 2008)
New Zealand squad:
1 Apii Nicholls, 2 Katelyn Vaha'akolo, 3 Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly, 4 Page McGregor, 5 Madison Bartlett, 6 Laishon Albert-Jones, 7 Raecene McGregor, 8 Mya Hill-Moana, 9 Krystal Rota, 10 Annetta Nu'uausala, 11 Roxy Murdoch-Masila, 12 Amber Hall, 13 Georgia Hale, 14 Nita Maynard, 15 Abigail Roache, 16 Charlotte Arnopp-Scanlan, 17 Christyl Stowers, 18 Otesa Pule, 19 Hailee-Jay Ormond-Maunsell, 20 Crystal Tamarua, 21 Shanice Parker, 22 Karli Hansen, 23 Brianna Clark, 24 Mele Hufanga
The women's final may well come down to a question of preparation. Australia edged the Group B fixture between the pair nine days ago and were rewarded with a more straight-forward semi-final against Papua New Guinea, and coach Brad Donald has promised to bring in all seven of the players who missed out on that 82-0 win. New Zealand, on the other hand, had a much tougher task in the last four, eventually beating England 20-6 in York, and Ricky Henry may well claim that that served as better preparation for his players ahead of the final.
The Jillaroos do have most of the bigger names, in the likes of Ali Brigginshaw and Sam Bremner, but in Amber Hall and Mele Hufanga the Kiwi Ferns boast a pair of the most dominant runners in the game. With both sides stocked with full-time professional NRLW stars, this one could be an absolute barn-burner.
Sportsman stat: This is the fourth successive final between the same two teams, following on from New Zealand's 34-0 win in Brisbane in 2008 and Australia's 22-12 and 23-16 triumphs in 2013 and 2017 respectively. This is the first time in any of the three main disciplines of the sport that the same fixture has been repeated in four straight finals, surpassing the three men's showpieces between Australia and New Zealand between 2000 and 2013.
Betfred tournament odds: Australia 1/8, New Zealand 9/2
Australia v Samoa - Men's Final
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester.
When: 4pm (GMT)
TV: BBC One and BBC iPlayer
AUSTRALIA
RLWC2021 so far:
Group B: Winners (beat Fiji 42-8, Scotland 84-0 and Italy 66-6)
Quarter-finals: Beat Lebanon 48-4
Semi-finals: Beat New Zealand 16-14
RLWC History:
Champions 11 times (1957, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1988, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2013, 2017)
Overall record: 71 wins, two draws, 11 defeats (84.5% win rate)
Australia squad:
1 James Tedesco, 2 Daly Cherry-Evans, 3 Ben Hunt, 4 Valentine Holmes, 5 Jake Trbojevic, 6 Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 7 Cameron Munster, 8 Latrell Mitchell, 9 Josh Addo-Carr, 10 Jack Wighton, 11 Cameron Murray, 12 Matt Burton, 13 Pat Carrigan, 14 Nathan Cleary, 15 Lindsay Collins, 16 Reuben Cotter, 17 Angus Crichton, 18 Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, 19 Campbell Graham, 20 Harry Grant, 21 Liam Martin, 22 Jeremiah Nanai, 23 Murray Taulagi, 24 Isaah Yeo
SAMOA
RLWC2021 so far:
Group A: Runners-up (lost to England 6-60, beat Greece 72-4 and France 62-4)
Quarter-finals: Beat Tonga 20-18
Semi-finals: Beat England 27-26 (after extra time)
RLWC History:
First-time finalists (previous best: Quarter-finals - 2000, 2013, 2017)
Overall record: 11 wins, one draw, 10 defeats (50% win rate)
Samoa squad:
1 Joseph Sua'ali'i, 2 Taylan May, 3 Izack Tago, 4 Stephen Crichton, 5 Brian To'o, 6 Jarome Luai, 7 Anthony Milford, 8 Josh Papali'i, 9 Danny Levi, 10 Junior Paulo, 11 Ligi Sao, 12 Jaydn Su'A, 13 Josh Aloiai, 15 Royce Hunt, 16 Spencer Leniu, 17 Marty Taupau, 19 Mat Feagai, 20 Chanel Harris-Tavita, 21 Fa'amanu Brown, 22 Kelma Tuilagi, 23 Oregon Kaufusi, 25 Tim Lafai, 26 Ken Sio
While the presence of the Kangaroos is basically a given when it comes to Rugby League World Cup finals, the presence of Samoa on the greatest stage makes this a real event to savour. Stephen Crichton's dramatic golden-point drop-goal against England completed the most incredible of turnarounds for a side who were hammered 60-6 by the hosts in their opening Group A fixture. Toa Samoa come armed with nine stars who took part in the NRL Grand Final between Penrith Panthers and Parramatta Eels, making them every bit as stern a test for Australia as were New Zealand in Friday's epic Elland Road semi-final.
That encounter in Leeds saw the perma-champions deliver their best performance of the tournament so far even if it was only Cameron Murray's second-half try and some stern late defence which saw them over the line. Having found victories easy to come by in their first four fixtures, Mal Meninga's side will have been grateful for a proper battle against the Kiwis. The legendary former centre has finally showed his hand over his first-choice half-back by selecting Nathan Cleary over Daly Cherry-Evans, which he will likely repeat at Old Trafford.
For Samoa boss Matt Parish the run to the final is a massive response to some questions over his leadership after that defeat at St James' Park five weeks ago, but he will be intent on causing what would undoubtedly be the greatest upset in the history of rugby league. Now that Anthony Milford and Jarome Luai are firing in the halves and Junior Paulo is leading a pack that is really singing from the same song sheet they truly look like a team which could cause Australia more problems than many might expect. And with late injury replacement Tim Lafai scoring tries aplenty they also have the strike out wide to turn chances into points.
Sportsman stat: Australia are playing in their 13th successive men's Rugby League World Cup final. In the previous 12, they have won 10, drawn one and lost only the 2008 edition to New Zealand. They have scored 231 points across those 12 finals, conceding 105.
Betfred match odds: Australia 1/12, Samoa 13/2, draw 22/1
Betfred handicap betting (Australia 18.5-point start): Australia 10/11, Samoa 5/6
First try scorer odds: Josh Addo-Carr (Australia) 7/2, Campbell Graham (Australia) 6/1, James Tedesco (Australia) 6/1, Murray Taulagi (Australia) 6/1, Valentine Holmes (Australia) 7/1, Latrell Mitchell (Australia) 8/1, Taylan May (Samoa) 11/1, Brian To'o (Samoa) 11/1
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change
