Rugby League World Cup Final Preview
Australia v England
8pm AEDT Saturday 2 December 2017
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Has this been the greatest Rugby League World Cup of all time? Many would say yes, and it all comes down to Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium, where tournament favourites the Kangaroos meet England in the final. Not an entirely unpredictable match up, but it's been a wild ride to get us here, with upsets, controversy and some stunning scenes of support for the minnow nations. It has been a tournament that deserves a cracking final.
So let's talk about the controversy. Rugby League knows how to make a mountain out of a molehill better than almost any other sport, and they have outdone themselves this week. Protests in the street over Matt Cecchin’s call in the dying stages of Tonga's loss to England are one of the more ridiculous sights of all time. Let's be very clear, that was a loose carry. It has been a knock on all year. The call was 100% correct, and going to the video referee would have changed nothing. Fans advocate on a weekly basis for referees to make more decisions on the field, and when one finally makes a pressure call himself, and gets it right, we lose our minds? The reaction has been embarrassing for the game. The Tongans need to ask themselves why they were down by 20 points with 8 minutes to play, not look for others to blame. All of the Pacific nations need to acknowledge that playing with all the passion and physicality in the world will come to nothing if you don't have a class halfback. Development of quality number sevens must be their priority if they want to consistently compete with the big guns. Until then, let's not lambast referees for making a correct decision.
But that's history, now, and it is the English who progress to this daunting final with the rampant Kangaroos. Despite the efforts of the Tongans, England are clearly the second best team in the tournament, and have justified their place in the final with a structure and polish that that the islands couldn't overcome. They have a big, mobile forward pack who will need to lift again to compete with the Aussie pack, who have dominated each of their games. Josh Hodgson will be a massive loss, and the pressure will be on the experienced James Roby to get his forwards on the front foot early. There is more size and pace out wide, and Gareth Widdop has been outstanding moving to fullback.
They will need everything to go right, though, to compete with the Kangaroos, who dismantled Fiji with such disdain last week. Despite a couple of niggling injuries, they are hoping to take an unchanged line up into the final, just reward for a 17 that have rarely looked troubled. Valentine Holmes continues to convince us that he is a winger and not a fullback, knocking up 11 tries in two games in an outstanding finishers performance. Reagan Campbell-Gillard must start for NSW next year, and Jordan McLean must be on the bench. They have been the finds of the tournament. Cameron Smith collected the Golden Boot award this week, and a World Cup win would top off one of the greatest individual seasons of all time for the skipper. He is simply unstoppable.
So how does this one play out? The Kangaroos are almost unbackable favourites, and deservedly so, so the value lies in the handicap. We've nailed the last two weeks with our calls that the Aussies would cover the start, and at 18.5 it looks tempting again. But finals are funny things, and you would expect the English to be right up for this one. So while it will be the Kangaroos who are crowned world champions on Saturday night, it won't be a blowout, so take England with the start. Enjoy you World Cup final!
Australia $1.12
England $6.50
Line
+/- 16.5 $1.90
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