The Best Of Rugby: Rugby League World Cup 2017 
Held for the first time in 1954, this year’s Rugby League World Cup will feature 14 men’s and 6 women’s teams from around the world battle it out in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
The Rugby League World Cup is one of the longest running World Cup tournaments in sports. We take a look at 7 of the games being played this week, and you can get betting on them online at Luxbet too.
Australia Vs. England – October 27th
Melbourne will host the official opening match of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup when the defending champions, the Kangaroos, take on the English on October 27th. England is sure to be Australia’s most challenging opponent, and the pressure will be turned on full blast for Australia to deliver a dominating performance from the get go.
Australia remains the stronger team of the two and it would be surprising if they do not walk away the victors, especially since the match is going down on home turf.
Papua New Guinea Vs. Wales – October 28th
October 28 is a day for the history books as it will be the very first time that Papua New Guinea stage a Rugby World Cup match – ever. The action will go down at the National Football Stadium in Port Moresby. Despite having struggled in the past, especially when playing in the major leagues, many of Papua New Guinea’s players have recently gained major club experience, which should serve the team well.
Wales will have done some extensive travelling in order to get to the venue, and this may serve Papua New Guinea well.
New Zealand Vs. Samoa – October 28th
The New Zealand Kiwis will be looking to prove a point as they play host to Samoa at the Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland, especially after their draw against Scotland in the 4 Nations. Samoa will however come into the match as the decided underdogs having lost each of their last 5 matches.
Fiji Vs. USA – October 28th
Both teams performed well in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, with Fiji having reached the semi-finals and the USA making it all the way through to the quarter-finals. It’s bound to be close call with Fiji currently ranked world number 8 and the USA graded in 10th position.
Ireland Vs Italy – October 29th
Both teams come into the play-offs knowing that they are on the outskirts as far as bets are concerned. That having been said, Ireland did defeat Russia as well as Spain in order to make it through to the World Cup.
France Vs Lebanon – October 29th
France will meet Lebanon in the Australian capital of Canberra. This is a crucial match as only one of the two teams will join England and Australia in making it out to the other side of this delicate group. Lebanon will most probably pose a challenge to the French, having a number of NRL players at their disposal.
Scotland Vs. Tonga – October 29th
France and Tonga round up the opening matches. Tonga stands out as the match favourite based purely on the stellar performance that they have rendered in the run-up to the World Cup.
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Fred Johnson is an avid sports betting enthusiast and a qualified journalist. He discovered online betting while at college, and it piqued his interest. Fred has found a way to combine his love of sports and betting with his journalism career, and he always has his finger on the pulse of what’s happening in every arena. He’s not only keen on sports of all kinds, he is set on providing readers with an unbalanced, unbiased view of what’s going on in the world. He’s a valuable member of the australianbettingsites.org team, and brings a wealth of expertise to the table.
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