Key Points
- Kiwis eager to bounce back
- England looking for major improvement against France
- Tonga look to move closer to last four
The opening rounds of the Rugby League World Cup saw an absolute classic, a disappointment and a number of blowout scores. What does the second week of the RLWC have in store for us?
Australia and New Zealand played out a classic in the opening game with Australia securing victory with a late Jack Bostock try that completed his hat trick. Three of the remaining four games were complete blowouts with Samoa hammering France 78-4, Papua New Guinea defeating Lebanon 42-18 and Fiji seeing off the Cook Islands 40-12.
The most disappointing game was England's defeat against Tonga. For whatever reason, Brian McDermott's men looked out of sorts and despite plenty of possession, they hardly troubled the Tongans. Tonga themselves were not fantastic, they were helped by some generous officiating, but they deserved their win.
This page will see a couple of RLWC match previews, while I have also done an
RLWC acca with some special Betfred price boosts,
BetMGM UK Highlights
- Many favourable odds
- Wide range of sporting events and matches
- Quite extensive sports betting markets
New customers: Deposit £10+ and place a sports bet within 7 days from registration. Get 4 x £10 Free Bets - 2 x Football Accas (4+) & 2 x Sports Multiples (2+), valid 7 days. Min odds apply. Excludes virtual sports, esports and non-UK/IE horse racing. Opt-in required.
18+. T&Cs Apply.
GambleAware.org.Tonga vs Lebanon - Friday, October 22 - 10:05 BST
Tonga know that victory over Lebanon on Friday will all but secure their place in the semi-finals of the Rugby League World Cup. Tonga got off to a great start last weekend with a 30-12 win over England. It was not a fluent performance from Kristian Woolf's men but they outmuscled England in the middle and tired them out. Lebanon suffered a heavy defeat in their opening game against Papua New Guinea as they went down 42-18. There was some good news for Lebanon as Abbas Miski played in his first competitive game for over a year and scored a brace of tries. Huddersfield Giants stand-off Tui Lolohea will start on Friday after coming off the bench for the injured Latu Fainu. Paul Alamoti and Sione Katoa have been included with Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Rob Toia dropping out. Miski is expected to start from the bench again for Lebanon, while Moustafa Dirani at hooker for Yehya Ayache is the only change for the Cedars. Lebanon will always fight for the cause, but I cannot see them troubling Tonga. The Tongans have their sights set on a comfortable win so they can move that step closer to the semi-finals. I am backing them to win by 26-30 points with tries from Katoa, Alamoti and Lehi Hopoate. For Lebanon, I am backing Miski to come off the bench and score again. He is dangerous with ball in hand and having sat out the whole Super League season, he will be eager to get more minutes under his belt ahead of the upcoming season.
Tonga vs Lebanon RLWC Betting Tips
- Tonga to win - 1/1000 @ Betfred
- Tonga to win by 26-30 points - TBC
- Sione Katoa to score a try anytime - 1/4 @ Betfred
- Paul Alamoti to score a try anytime - 1/2 @ Betfred
- Lehi Hopoate to score a try anytime - 1/2 @ Betfred
- Abbas Miski to score a try anytime - 7/2 @ Betfred
Get £50 in Free Bets When You Bet £10
Betfred Highlights
- Variety of betting markets
- "Pick Your Punt" feature
- Daily draw prizes of £800 from a £1 stake
New customers only. Register, deposit with a Debit Card, and place a first bet of £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports, to be settled within 7 days, to get £30 in Sports Free Bets and £20 in Bet Builder Free Bets within 24 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply.
RLWC Round 2 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.
Tonga vs Lebanon Anytime Try Scorer Acca
- Sione Katoa - 1/4
- Paul Alamoti - 8/13
- Jason Saab - 15/4
- Abbas Miski - 9/2
- Anytime Try Scorer Acca - 30/1 @ Bet365
Papua New Guinea vs Samoa Anytime Try Scorer Acca
- Robert Denby - 7/5
- Roderick Tai - 12/5
- Sualauvi Fa'alogo - 2/7
- Izack Tago - 11/10
- Anytime Try Scorer Acca - 17/1 @ Bet365
England vs France Anytime Try Scorer Acca
- Dom Young - 1/6
- George Williams - 15/8
- AJ Brimson - 4/5
- Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet - 11/4
- Anytime Try Scorer Acca 23/1 @ Bet365
New Zealand vs Cook Islands Anytime Try Scorer
- Jamayne Isaako - 2/11
- Ronaldo Mulitalo - 2/11
- Casey McLean - 1/3
- Keano Kini - 8/15
- Anytime Try Scorer - 15/8 @ Bet365
Australia vs Fiji Anytime Try Scorer
- Jack Bostock - 2/7
- James Tedesco - 1/2
- Bradman Best - 4/5
- Tom Trbojevic - 2/7
- Anytime Try Scorer - 7/2 @ Bet365
Bet365 Highlights
- New customer offer: £30 in free bets
- Promotional offers linked to specific sports
- Excellent football betting odds
Open Account Offer Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. The bonus code can be used during registration but does not change the offer amount in any way. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required.
