The World Cup is finally here! My predictions for Week 1 (Tuesday 11th October 2022)

 

Finally! It feels like we have been waiting years but the World Cup is finally upon us. It's a tournament that is sure to bring lots of thrills over the next month. After a year's delay, 16 teams will finally flock to the UK to take part in this historic competition. England may be hosts but they are far from favourites, and will face tough competition in Samoa to just finish top of their group! For the first time in a while, the usual 3 of England, Australia and New Zealand look like they have other competition for the title, with both Samoa and Tonga looking strong and flying the flag for the Pacific Islands. Without further ado, let's get into my predictions for Gameweek 1!

England v Samoa (St. James' Park, Saturday 15th October, 2.30pm, Group A)

What a huge game to start off the tournament! It's a changed up and refreshed England side for this World Cup with head coach Shaun Wane picking a good mix of inexperience and experience. England regulars Ryan Hall and George Williams feature, while there is multiple new faces such as Salford boys Marc Sneyd and Andy Ackers. The NRL are represented through the 100% English Dom Young and Roosters' player Victor Radley. While we are yet to see a proper run out and competitive appearance using this team, they recorded an impressive 50-0 win over Fiji on Friday. Going off that game, playing Sneyd behind a big pack could prove a profitable shock decision by Wane. It goes without saying that England are missing some big names, however. Liam Farrell and Alex Walmsley both miss out through injury, but I have no doubt those stepping in will be pumped up and ready to go come Saturday afternoon.

Their opponents though? Well, Samoa have brought over a very strong contingent and will be no pushovers but rather stern competition. A number of household NRL names feature for the Samoans. Jerome Luai is no doubt going to cause England issues going forward while players like Papali'i and Kaufusi are no doubt going to help a strong defence. Hull player Ligi Sao comes in as a late replacement for Luciano Leilua, bringing the total to 3 Super League players. There is a wealth of experience and a great amount of on form NRL players. 8 NRL grand finallists from this year feature for the Samoans and they will no doubt be eager to upset the home nation early on. In fact, I pick them to win this game.

Prediction: England 14-26 Samoa

Australia v Fiji (Headingley Stadium, Saturday 15th October, 7:30pm, Group B)

Well, where do you start with the Aussies? They are always a top side and regularly the best in the world. They are the current holders of the World Cup after winning the 2017 one 6-0 over England down under and they'll look to repeat the same feat again. When you look at the team, there are threats all over the place. Captain James Tedesco will create problems from fullback. Valentine Holmes is still in the Australia lineup and he made his threats known at the last world cup, by being top try scorer. There is rumours of rifts between DCE and Mal Meninga so it will be interesting to see how that works out, but both he and Cleary offer threats from the halves. Latrell Mitchell is incredible, and no doubt his Souths teammate Cameron Murray will bring some stability to the forward pack. Names like Campbell-Gillard and Fa'asuamaleaui join him in the forward pack. This team will cause problems for everyone!

Fiji are an interesting one. There was a lot of talk about them and the strength they had, but they did lose 50-0 to an already written off England side. Nevertheless, they are still a very threatening side. Naiqama will be  a star and key man for the Fijians. They have pace all over the field, with Joe Lovodua being an example of pace in centre field. Kamikamica and Kikau bring size to the team, while the Rabbitohs break through star Taane Milne will look to have a good tournament. They have a good combination of size and pace on the wings through Vulikijapani and it'll be an interesting battle between him and the electrifying pace of Australia's wingers. They've been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons due to the horrible comments from Ralph Rimmer and no doubt they'll look to change that with a statement win over the Kangaroos. However, I think they'll be far off the pace here.

Prediction: Australia 46-12 Fiji

Scotland v Italy (Kingston Park, Sunday 16th October, 2:30pm, Group B)

This could be a brilliant clash up on Tyneside! Scotland have a number of players that have cemented their name in the English game. Super League stars Ryan Brierley and Kane Linnett feature for the Scots, while Salford star Sam Luckley will also feature. Championship stars Lachlan Walmsley and Ben Hellewell will also play a part. There are few NRL representatives, but the main man is Euan Aitken. He is the player playing at the highest domestic level for the Scots and consequently one of the most experienced. It's a good team, but one that lacks experience and so could struggle in the group stages. Italy are very similar to Scotland. There is a lot of representation from down under for the Italians. Most notably, Nathan Brown will play for Italy, and will likely be one of their biggest threats. He was part of Parramatta's fantastic season after all. Boscolo is a representative from France, while Arena, Occhialini and Rojatto are the only 3 who play in the Italian league. There are few representatives from the English system, but the most notable are Dean Parata and Richard Lepori. There are threats in this Italy side, but I think they'll struggle like their opponents. It'll be a hugely entertaining game. 

Prediction: Scotland 24-20 Italy

Jamaica v Ireland (Headingley Stadium, Sunday 16th October, 5:00pm, Group C)

Jamaica come into this game off a hugely disappointing warm up game. They lost 28-12 to Cumbria, which is no doubt a poor result. However, it would be wrong to write off the Jamaicans yet. It is a very experienced team full of players from the English system. The Jones-Bishop brothers will provide a lot of attacking prowess and cause issues. Golding will play a similar role in the back line, as well as Halifax player James Woodburn-Hall. Micheal Lawrence has a wealth of experience of pressure games from the top flight and will likely use this experience where possible. Championship regulars Farrell, Ogden and Peltier add to the threat of the Jamaican side. Ireland meanwhile, have a number of Super League stars in their ranks. Grand Finallists James Bentley, Richie Myler and Dan Norman will all play big roles for the Irish. Mulhern, George King and Frankie Halton will also add experience to the team, while still providing a threat to the Jamaicans. They have big names from the NRL in their ranks too. Luke Keary will be the star that headlines the Ireland team and will comfortably be one of the best halves in the competition. He will add structure and organise the attack. The experienced James Hasson also features. They will be an exciting watch this year and I think they'll pick up the win too.

Prediction: Jamaica 6-30 Ireland

New Zealand v Lebanon (Halliwell Jones Stadium, Sunday 16th October, 7:30pm, Group C)

New Zealand currently sit 1st in the world rankings and look very good money for it. Their warm up game was a comfortable 74-0 win over Leeds Rhinos. Nicoll-Klokstad stole the show with his pace and backup play and was well deserved man of the match. Sebastian Kris stood out on his debut, scoring twice for the Kiwis. Mulitalo and Rapana were threatening on the wings for the full 80 minutes, while Bromwich and Asofa-Solomona never seemed to tire out. They played at a ridiculous tempo and that's all while resting Dallin Watene-Zelezniak. Lebanon won't be push overs but won't be a match for the Kiwis. Lebanon have a strong NRL contingent. Doueihi, Mansour, Moses and Rahme are likely to star for Lebanon. Miski also represents the Lebanese, and will look for a strong tournament off the back of a strong Super League campaign with Wigan. It's a good side and much improved from the 2017 World Cup, but the Kiwis will definitely pass the test of the Eastern Europeans quite comfortably.

Prediction: New Zealand 58-14 Lebanon

France v Greece (Eco-Power Stadium, Monday 17th October, 7:30pm, Group A)

It's certainly interesting scheduling having the second Group A game so long after the first Group A game, but it provides us with a Monday night clash between France and Greece. France have an exciting youthful team that will no doubt want to go out and play an exciting brand of rugby league. The likes of Laguerre, Rouge, Mourgue and Romano have gained crucial Super League experience over the last few seasons and will likely be the spearheads of France's youthful attack. They have a lot of size in their forward pack too, with the likes of Sangare and Dezaria leading the forwards. We also can't forget the tallest professional player, Corentin Le Cam is also named. It's a team primarily made up of Catalans and Toulouse players who are not only two good teams but it also means the players will no doubt know each other well and not take long to gel. They should do well here and show a good account of themselves before they host this prestigious tournament in 2025. Greece, well, they are going to struggle. They deserve a lot of credit for getting here and progressing past tough opposition to qualify. However, when looking at the team, I just can't see a way they win a single game. Souths players Lachlan Ilias and Peter Mamouzelos are likely the biggest names in the team and will have a lot of weight on their shoulders to perform. Tsikrikas adds to an impressive NRL contingent in the Greek team. Ex-Warrington player Billy Magoulias also features. They have a lot of quality, and I don't want it to seem like I'm being overly harsh on them, but they lack big tournament experience which may be costly and so I think they'll struggle. It will be good to see the commentators try pronounce Grigoris Koutsimpogiorgos however!

Prediction: France 48-6 Greece

Tonga v Papua New Guinea (Totally Wicked Stadium, Tuesday 18th October, 7:30pm, Group D)

This is easily one of the games of the round! If you can have a derby in international RL, this sure is one of them. Tonga host an absolute wealth of NRL players and could even now be finding themselves in a position where they could challenge for the world title. 3 of the NRL's grand finallists feature- Pensini, Luke and Katoa. The incredible size and brute force is what really stands out, however, when looking at Tonga's squad. David Fifita is named in the forwards, with Olakau'atu and Koloamatangi too. Ex- Super League forward Murdoch-Masila is named while current Huddersfield playmaker Tui Lolohea is named too. The experience is still there too, with Taukeiaho, Taumalolo and Tupou all flying over to the UK. Under the direction of Kristian Woolf, I'd expect a big tournament from them. 

PNG also have a strong team in the UK ready for this tournament. What stands out is the experience and the NRL talent they posess. Olam and Xavier Coates feature from the Storm, while prolific try scorer Alex Johnston also features. Alick is another name that features from the NRL. Leigh have made their mark on the team, with three of their incredible team from the 2022 season named. The experienced Lachlan Lam is likely to start and play a crucial role, while Edwin Ipape (a player to watch at this years tournament) and Nene Macdonald also feature from the centurions. Rhyse Martin will also play, bringing some Super League experience in. This will be a really exciting game, and one that I think will be closer than most people expect. However, I think Tonga will just have enough to claim the victory.

Prediction: Tonga 30-18 Papua New Guinea

Wales v Cook Islands (Leigh Sports Village, Wednesday 19th October, 7:30pm, Group D)

The final game of the round is sure to be a brilliant one! Wales have a team that is primarily made up of notable championship names. Leigh have two more of their players featuring in the World Cup (Luis Roberts and Caleb Aekins), this time in the Wales team. Salford star Rhys Williams is definitely one to look out for, as his electrifying pace will no doubt be useful at this tournament. The experienced Rhys Evans is also named for the Welshmen. Matty Fozard is definitely one to watch and is someone who will want to prove themselves on the highest stage. Keep an eye out for Elliot Kear and Rhodri Lloyd too! I think Cook Islands have surprised us all with the strength of the team they've named. They have named a stunning mix of Super League and NRL talent. Catalans star Dylan Napa is named and will not just bring talent, but also a lot of size and forward to Cook Island's forwards. Four other Super League stars are named; Arona from Wakefield, Peyroux from Toulouse, Takairangi from Hull KR and Tetevano of runners up, Leeds. NRL finallist Makahesi Makatoa is named in the team, while Esan Marsters of the Gold Coasr is named too. Steven Marsters of Thhirroul is also named. Norths Devils have had a good domestic season so watch out for Noovao-McGreal. Johnathan Ford of Featherstone also finds him self in the squad, and no doubt his flair, kicking and playmaking skills will shine through so keep an eye out for that! This game will be incredibly tight but I pick the Islanders to just edge this one, in what is looking like a very tight and competitive group.

Prediction: Wales 12-19 Cook Islands

They are my predictions then. All 8 of the games will be televised live on the BBC. Please let me know your predictions and follow for more World Cup content over the next month. Thankyou for reading and enjoy the rest of your week. There's one thing left to say though... COME ON ENGLAND!!!