Rugby League World Cup semi-finals preview: England on brink of making home finals

The semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup kick off on Friday night as four teams battle it out to make it through to next Saturday’s final at Old Trafford.

We preview both fixtures below.

Australia v New Zealand – Friday 19:45

Australia have arguably been the standout performers in this year’s edition of the Rugby League World Cup, with four devastating performances that have accumulated 240 points, whilst remarkably shipping only 18. The Kangaroos have won the tournament 11 times in their history, including eight of the last nine editions, and are odds-on at 4/9 to add another trophy to their stellar collection.

Before they achieve that, they will need to overcome a New Zealand side who have likewise won all four of their tournament fixtures. The Kiwis edged out Fiji 24-18 in a thriller at the Hull City Stadium on Saturday – a match that could give them impetus to push on against debatably the world’s best. They are firm underdogs for Friday evening’s fixture in Leeds at 4/1, but this matchup will most likely not adhere to the recent blowout scores we’ve saw in the preliminary stages of the tournament. As such, New Zealand’s 80-minute handicap of +12 looks a good punt at 11/10.

Australia have opened the try scoring in every match so far, with Josh Addo-Carr scoring a hattrick in the first 19 minutes of their last game against Lebanon, and are unsurprisingly priced at 1/2 to get over the line first on Friday. If you fancy the 11-time winners to win both halves of this contest, their price of EVS looks somewhat generous.

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England v Samoa – Saturday 14:30

England are the top point-scorers in the World Cup this year with a dazzling 242 racked up across their four tournament fixtures. The hosts have made it to three World Cup finals in the past, including in the most recent edition against Australia in 2017, but are yet to win the tournament since competing individually from the other GB nations.

They will start as 1/3 favourites to reach next Saturday’s final against a Samoa side who they have already crushed in the group stage, winning that contest 60-6 and scoring 10 tries in the process. Whilst that score line is unlikely to be replicated, England to win at a -8 handicap in front of a raucous home crowd at EVS seems an appealing price

Samoa edged a pulsating encounter against Tongo in Warrington on Sunday to book their semi-final place. The battle of the Pacific Islands served up three tries apiece, with Stephen Crichton holding his nerve to score four penalty goals.

They will start as 5/2 underdogs for Saturday’s fixture at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. While England should be in the ascendency for the majority of the game, a rejuvenated Samoa to score the final try and set up a nervy finish can be backed at 11/8.