Rugby League World Cup Final

Australia v England

The Kangaroos have cruised through the tournament with minimal fuss, reflected by the fact that they’ve conceded just 16 points across their five games to date, including a 34-0 victory over Lebanon and a 46-0 win over Samoa. Australia completely outclassed Fiji 54-6 in their semi-final clash, with Sharks winger Valentine Holmes scoring six tries to become the first Australian to score six tries in a Test. It’s been an outstanding World Cup for Holmes, scoring 11 tries in his past two matches for the Kangaroos. Both teams have injuries heading into the final, with concerns around Aaron Woods, Josh McGuire and Josh Dugan from an Australian perspective, while England will be without Josh Hodgson who has done his ACL, and Sean O’Loughlin is dealing with a quad injury. England had some nervous moments against Tonga in their semi-final. They ran out to a 20-0 lead before falling across the line by 20-18 to book their spot in the final against Australia. Gareth Widdop’s move to fullback has been a revelation for England, with the St George-Illawarra star scoring a try and setting up two others in the narrow win over Tonga. The Australian brick wall defence will prove a tougher nut to crack. The Kangaroos beat England 18-4 in the World Cup opener and have now won 12-straight against England dating back to 1995. The loss of Hodgson is a massive blow for England and it’s impossible to ignore that Australia has conceded an average of 3 points per game at this World Cup, and has been completely dominant over England. The Wolf is expecting a similar result to the 18-4 victory in the group stage and making the Under 40.5 game total his best best.

Best: Under 40.5 ($1.90)Value: Australia 21-30 points/England 0-10 points ($5)
First Tryscorer: Valentine Holmes ($6)