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Rugby League World Cup Betting Previews, Tips & Anytime RLWC Try Scorer Odds

Dave Kuzio

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Publish Date: 27/10/2026

Fact checked by: Jordan Noble

Key Points

RLWC Group Stages End This Weekend
Can England Overcome Huge Points Difference?
Young To Fill His Boots?

By the end of the weekend, we will know who the semi-finalists of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup will be. A lot of cynics will say we knew who would be the final four before a ball was kicked, but we will officially know on Sunday.

Australia are going to win Pool A as predicted by everyone. They have already defeated New Zealand and Fiji and will be expected to hammer Cook Islands. Despite their two wins, they have not been that impressive, but they will probably grow into the tournament and hit their top form when it matters.

New Zealand and Fiji lock horns on Saturday with the winner joining Australia in the semi-finals. Both the Kiwis and Fiji pushed Australia close, so this should be an entertaining game and a close one - which the tournament desperately needs.

In the other group - Pool B/C - which still baffles me, Samoa and Tonga are both undefeated and they clash in the final game of the weekend. They are at an advantage because they will both know exactly what they need before they kick off.

This is because England play on Friday and they will need to win by a huge score and hope Samoa lose comfortably as well in order to advance to the knockout stages.

This page will see me cover the best games of the weekend, while I have also done an RLWC acca with first try scorer options for you to take a look at.

England vs Papua New Guinea - Friday, October 30 - 09:05 GMT

England claimed their first win of the RLWC last Saturday with an 82-0 win over a hapless France side. They will need to produce something similar if they are to have any chance of reaching the semi-final stage of the Rugby League World Cup.

England have a points difference of 64, while Samoa have 132. England need a huge score to get close or even better that points difference and hope Tonga beat Samoa.

If Samoa win then England are out anyway because they will be on the same points as Tonga but it will go on the head-to-head record and seeing as Tonga beat England in round one, they will go through. England and Samoa have not played each other, so it will go on points difference if Samoa lose.

England coach Brian McDermott has made two changes to his starting line-up with explosive hooker Jez Litten replacing Brad O'Neill, while Morgan Knowles returns from injury to replace Victor Radley at loose forward. Matty Ashton keeps his place on the wing, while Harry Smith remains in the halves with Mikey Lewis on the bench.

PNG have made a couple of changes from the team that lost 64-6 to Samoa last Saturday. Zac Laybutt moves from centre to fullback, while Josh Feledy replaces him and Nene MacDonald is the other centre. Liam Horne replaces Jack De Belin at loose forward, while Luca Moretti starts in the front row.

England started slow against France and did not post any points until the 23rd minute. It looked like a calculated move as they grew into the game and posted a lot points in short bursts. They will need to do the same against a big PNG unit. I expect a slow start again with Smith and George Williams keeping it simple in the halves.

In the end, England will run out comfortable winners. I am not sure it will be enough to overturn the points difference, but they will be too good for the Kumuls in every single department. I expect England to hit the 50 mark and then they will hope and pray that Tonga put a big score on Samoa.

Dom Young and Herbie Farnworth both scored hat-tricks against France, so I am backing them both to score two or more tries each. Ashton did not receive a lot of ball against France, although he did score a try and dropped one over the line, so he is dangerous when he gets the service. I am backing him to score at anytime.

I am thinking out of the box in terms of this World Cup for my next pick. Junior Nsemba is one of the best young back rowers in the world, but he has not impressed so far. He doesn't seem to be running the lines he does for Wigan, but I am backing him to get some success against PNG and cross over for a try.

England vs Papua New Guinea RLWC Betting Tips

England to win - 1/50 @ Bet365
Dom Young to score 2+ tries - 1/2 @ Bet365
Herbie Farnworth to score 2+ tries - 5/4 @ Bet365
Matty Ashton to score a try anytime - 3/10 @ Bet365
Junior Nsemba to score a try anytime - 2/1 @ Bet365

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RLWC Round 3 Player Anytime Try Scorer Accas

This is a new section I have added to my rugby league tips. These are some of the personal bets I place each weekend. I choose the Super League games I want to watch - normally all of them that do not clash with Wigan - and I place a four player try scorer acca on each game. I thought I would include this in my Rugby League World Cup tips.