Andrew Pelechaty previews the 2021 Rugby League World Cup Final …
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Australia Vs Samoa
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester.
Date: Saturday November 19, GMT 16:00; Syd 03:00 Nov 20; NZ 05:00 Nov 20.
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Embed from Getty ImagesAustralia: 9 Josh Addo-Carr, 6 Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 13 Pat Carrigan, 2 Daly Cherry-Evans, 14 Nathan Cleary, 16 Reuben Cotter, 17 Angus Crichton, 18 Tino Fa’asuamaleuai, 20 Harry Grant, 4 Valentine Holmes, 3 Ben Hunt, 21 Liam Martin, 8 Latrell Mitchell, 7 Cameron Munster, 11 Cameron Murray, 1 James Tedesco (captain), 5 Jake Trbojevic, 10 Jack Wighton, 24 Isaah Yeo.
Embed from Getty ImagesSamoa: 4 Stephen Crichton, 20 Chanel Harris-Tavita, 15 Royce Hunt, 23 Oregon Kaufusi, 25 Tim Lafai, 27 Connelly Lemuelu, 16 Spencer Leniu , 6 Jarome Luai, 2 Taylan May, 7 Anthony Milford, 8 Josh Papali’i, 10 Junior Paulo (captain), 11 Ligi Sao, 26 Ken Sio, 12 Jaydn Su’a, 1 Joseph Sua’ali’i, 17 Martin Taupau, 5 Brian To’o, 22 Kelma Tuilagi.
Referee: Ashley Klein
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
After a fairly one-sided Rugby League World Cup (especially in the group stages), at least we finish with some history, as Samoa will be running in from the James Anderson End in their first RLWC Final.
It’s the first Rugby League World Cup Final not to feature New Zealand, England, or Great Britain since 1968 (when Australia beat France).
Samoa beat England in an epic semi-final, with Penrith’s Stephen Crichton scoring 17 points: two tries, four goals, and the game-winning Golden Point field goal.
Australia survived their first real test, beating New Zealand 16-14 in the semi-final. New Zealand led 14-10 at half-time, with Cameron Murray’s 52nd minute try putting Australia ahead.
Australia have played Samoa twice in RLWC history: winning 46-0 in the 2017 quarter final and 66-10 in 2000. Even the 2017 result is misleading as the current Samoan team is packed with a Penrith side riding off two straight premiership and three years of near-invincibility.
While Samoa have done brilliantly to get this far (especially after the heavy opening day loss to England), it’s hard to see them getting past Australia. Samoa’s NRL experience should keep it competitive for a while, but Australia will secure their 12th Rugby League World Cup title.
Embed from Getty ImagesHEAD-TO-HEAD STATS
Played 2, Australia 2, Samoa 0
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
| Matt Pritchard | Andrew Pelechaty | Shannon Meyer | Lachlan Jefferey | Jack Harbidge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia by 18 | Australia by 20 | Samoa by 4 | Australia by 30 | Australia by 18 |
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