Australia are red hot favourites to retain the Rugby League World Cup and will meet England in next week’s final.
With the 2017 tournament culminating in the 2 December showpiece in Brisbane, can England stop the Kangaroos winning on home soil?
We look at the predictions, betting odds, results and fixtures.
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Pundit predictions
NRL.com: the National Rugby League website’s pool of eight writers all predict Australia to win the title, with seven of them saying they will beat England in the final. Tony Webeck writes: “A Kangaroos team without Johnathan Thurston, Darius Boyd, Matt Scott and Greg Inglis doesn’t look quite as fearsome as years gone by but the Aussies should still be too good.”
Daniel Lang, RealSport101: “Can anyone challenge the Aussies? There have been plenty of one-sided World Cups in the past, but 2017 is shaping up with Australia first and daylight second.”
Two-time Super League winner Ian Millward, SportingLife.com: “As the odds suggest, Australia will win the World Cup. They’ve had great preparation and have the best players.”
Rugby League World Cup betting odds
Australia are firm favourites with the bookies to win the Rugby League World Cup. Here’s the best prices from Oddschecker.com as of 25 November:
- Australia to win 1/5
- England 13/2
How to watch the Rugby League World Cup on TV in the UK
Premier Sports is showing all matches live on Sky channels 428 (HD) and 462 (SD), and also on Virgin channel 551. Fans can subscribe to the online Premier Player to watch live coverage.
Meanwhile, BBC Two will show all England group matches live.
Rugby League World Cup results and fixtures (all times UK)
Friday, 27 October
- Australia 18 England 4
Saturday, 28 October
- Papua New Guinea 50 Wales 6
- Samoa 8 New Zealand 38
- Fiji 58 United States 12
Sunday, 29 October
- Ireland 36 Italy 12
- Lebanon 29 France 18
- Scotland 4 Tonga 50
Friday, 3 November
- Australia 52 France 6
Saturday, 4 November
- New Zealand 74 Scotland 6
- Samoa 18 Tonga 32
- England 29 Lebanon 10
Sunday, 5 November
- Italy 46 United States 0
- Papua New Guinea 14 Ireland 6
- Fiji 72 Wales 6
Friday, 10 November
- Fiji 38 Italy 10
Saturday, 11 November
- New Zealand 22 Tonga 28
- Samoa 14 Scotland 14
- Australia 34 Lebanon 0
Sunday, 12 November
- Papua New Guinea 64 United States 0
- Wales 6 Ireland 34
- England 36 France 6
Friday, 17 November
- Quarter-final: Australia 46 Samoa 0
Saturday, 18 November
- Quarter-finals: Tonga 24 Lebanon 22; New Zealand 2 Fiji 4
Sunday, 19 November
- Quarter-final: England 36 Papua New Guinea 6
Friday, 24 November
- Semi-final: Australia 54 Fiji 6
Saturday, 25 November
- Semi-final: Tonga 18 England 20
Saturday, 2 December
- Rugby League World Cup final: Australia vs. England (Brisbane, 9am)
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