Key Points
- Brisbane to host World Cup Final
- Australia backed for fourth successive RLWC title win
- Bostock & Trbojevic the key to victory?
Who will be crowned Rugby League World Cup Champions on Sunday?
The RLWC Final will be held at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane with Australia looking to win the tournament for a 13th time and the fourth competition in succession, while New Zealand are looking to win it for just the second time in their history. They have not lifted the World Cup trophy since 2008.
If you listen to reports in Australia, they will say the tournament has been a huge success. Yes, the crowds have been good, but this competition always looked designed to get the Final we have. The whole set up looked wrong, but it is what it is and we will get a good final on Sunday.
This page will cover the Final in detail with the best betting tips and markets, while you can check out my
RLWC acca and 1st try scorer options for the final.
Australia vs New Zealand RLWC Final - Sunday, November 15 - 08:35 GMT
This is the second time the Aussies and Kiwis will have met in the Rugby League World Cup, but everything is on the line this time. Australia narrowly won the first game 24-22 in a match they were clearly second best in.
Jack Bostock scored a hat-trick in the win - his third coming in the 75th minute that won them the game. It was an excellent game and was worthy of opening the tournament. Unfortunately, we have not seen a game like that since with a number of miss-matches along the way.
Hopefully, the Final will live up to all expectations and we will remember it for the action on the field and not how the tournament was formatted. I expect a tough and entertaining battle - which we all deserve.
Australia were not at their best in game one but still won. They have grown into the competition with Reece Walsh, Tom Trbojevic and Bostock all playing well.
Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters has kept with the same 19 he selected last weekend, meaning Walsh will start at fullback with Latrell Mitchell, Sam Walker, Cameron Murray and Ethan Strange all on the interchange bench.
The Australian side contains eight players who were part of the 2022 World Cup Final win over Samoa in England - Cameron Munster, Harry Grant, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Isaah Yeo, Liam Martin, Murray, Carrigan and Mitchell.
New Zealand welcome back Ronaldo Mulitalo after he missed the semi-final through suspension after landing a one-match ban for a high tackle on Fiji's Ronald Philitoga. Mulitalo was shown a red card for the tackle, but coach Stacey Jones has brought him straight back with St Helens transfer target Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad named as a reserve.
Roosters Grand Final winner Naufahu Whyte has been named on the bench despite coming off in the semi-final with an ankle injury. If he does not prove his full fitness, then Leo Thompson is likely to replace him.
I have backed Australia from the start of the tournament, but I do have an inkling New Zealand could pip them in the final 10 minutes. Despite that, I am sticking with my first instinct that Australia will win the World Cup for a 13th time.
I expect quite a few points in the Final. This is not because I think the defences are poor, this is because there are so many talented players on show that there will be a lot of try-scoring opportunities.
I am going with the Kangaroos to win this match by 6-10 points. It will probably be closer than that, but I am giving myself a chance. When it comes to try scorers, Bostock and Trbojevic have scored 15 tries between them with Bostock scoring seven and Turbo Tom scoring 8 out of position on the wing instead of fullback. I am backing them both to score at anytime.
I expect New Zealand to score some tries as well. They have too many quality players to not be able to post points. I am going with Kalyn Ponga to have a great World Cup Final. Ponga broke his arm in the opening day defeat, but he managed to return for the semi-final win over Tonga. I am backing him to score a try, while I am backing Casey McLean to add to the 8 tries he has already scored in this tournament.
Australia vs New Zealand RLWC Betting Tips
- Australia to win - 8/11 @ 10Bet
- Australia to win by 6-10 points - 9/2 @ 10Bet
- Jack Bostock to score a try anytime - Evens @ 10Bet
- Tom Trbojevic to score a try anytime - Evens @ 10Bet
- Casey McLean to score a try anytime - 5/4 @ 10Bet
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RLWC Final 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 Final tips.
Australia vs New Zealand Anytime Try Scorer Acca
- Jack Bostock - 20/21 @ Bet365
- Tom Trbojevic - 11/1o @ Bet365
- Jamayne Isaako - 5/4 @ Bet365
- Casey McLean - 7/5 @ Bet365
- Anytime Try Scorer Acca - 21/1 @ Bet365
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Betfred RLWC Price Boosts
Betfred might not be sponsoring Super League from next season, but they have put in the hard work when it comes to the Rugby League World Cup with plenty of price boosts to keep the punters happy. Below is a number of RLWC Price Boosts that you might prefer to some of my tips, although some are quite similar.
Australia vs New Zealand Betfred RLWC Price Boosts
- Tom Trbojevic & Jamayne Isaako to score a try - Was 7/2 NOW 9/2
- Australia to win & Reece Walsh to score a try - Was 21/10 NOW 5/2
- Dane Gagai to score a try - Was 11/4 NOW 10/3
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