After enduring a hellish one-week break, the greatest game of all returns to our screens this Thursday night for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
Australia are familiar favourites in the Futures market but the recent rise of the Pacific Islands, an all-star New Zealand squad and an England side that relishes the underdog tag should make for one of the most competitive Series in memory.
Assuming things play out as expected for the Kangaroos, I’ve previewed their four most likely opponents in the 2026 Rugby League World Cup Final. Let’s Eat!
All eyes are on the Kiwis this week as they unleash the scariest forward rotation in rugby league history.
James Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota, Joseph Tapine, Naufahu Whyte, Erin Clark & Xavier Willison make for a frankly ridiculous middle combination and the man who profiles to benefit most from all that brute power is dummy-half Jeremy Marshall-King.
Fresh off a career year in Redcliffe, the time is now for JMK to establish himself as New Zealand’s premier dummy-half. Capable of controlling the middle and freeing up a running spine to play the edges, Marshall-King can be a deciding factor in New Zealand’s Cup campaign.
While an army of top-tier prop-forwards battles it out for a jersey in this monster Kiwis pack, the rest of this New Zealand side will run out on Thursday night in their preferred, specialist positions.
Kalyn Ponga is the man of the moment and the best fullback in the world at time of writing, Dane Gagai & Casey McLean were two of the best centres on their respective edges this year and Ronaldo Mulitalo & Jamayne Isaako are on familiar wings.
Compared to Australia this week (just nine players starting where they would in club football), New Zealand have purpose-picked an in-form and specialist starting 13.
While there’s a risk of overhyping this Kiwis squad before a ball is kicked, it’s easy to see why New Zealand have shorted into $3 second-priced favourites this week…
My World Cup Preview for Samoa had highlighted what I’d considered a strength for them this year; a genuine, first-grade calibre spine.
Chanel Harris-Tavita is coming off a career year at five-eighth, Benaiah Ioelu was on the bench in a Grand Final last week and Jarome Luai – while not a genuine halfback – has the experience to be Samoa’s on-field general in this World Cup.
The difference this time around for me was boom fullback Sua Fa’alogo in the No.1 jumper, but instead it’s Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow who will start at the back for Samoa on Friday night. Perhaps it’s just a chance to trial some different combinations because on paper, Fa’alogo at fullback and Hammer in the centres gives Samoa a spine and backline to compete with the best.
Like their fellow Pacific Nations, Samoa have an embarrassment of riches in the forwards – particularly in the backrow.
Connelly Lemuelu & Jermaine McEwen will start on their preferred edges on Friday, leaving Francis Manuleleua as a surprise selection at lock. He’s done his best work in a breakout year running hard lines on Newcastle’s edges but will instead be asked to get through a little more dirty work here.
Elsewhere, there’s plenty of NRL and international experience on the bench but the challenge for Samoa – especially through the middle – will be to go with the top forward packs once fatigue sets in.
Without an established backup hooker (Jazz Tevaga looks likely to spot up there for a spell) or a big-minute middle to complement Junior Paulo around the ruck, how Samoa handle the fatigue of the grind is a factor to consider in the big games.
All things to plan though, Samoa can pose a myriad of attacking questions on either edge through three strike backrowers while also fielding the best defensive centre pairing in the World Cup through Tabuai-Fidow & Stephen Crichton.
Tips: Preliminary Finals
Kristian Woolf’s first teamlist of the competition has answered a few questions but I’m still not sure even he knows Tonga’s best 13 (and 19) for the World Cup.
Isaiya Katoa picks himself at halfback and is the point-of-difference between Tonga and the rest of the competition bar Australia; a genuine, on-the-ball halfback who holds the keys to their attack. How Katoa handles that pressure and expectation amidst a makeshift spine of Lehi Hopoate, Latu Fainu and Soni Luki will, fairly or not, decide Tonga’s 2026 World Cup campaign.
In the passenger seat is hooker Soni Luke; Tonga’s only recognised dummy-half and typically a running one at that. Luke will no doubt enjoy a few darts behind a few quick rucks but how he serves Katoa in good-ball – his decision making and pass execution – will have a major influence on Tonga’s attack.
If Luke can make the right decisions behind a ruck that Tonga should dominate most games (courtesy of the second-best middle forward rotation in the Cup), Katoa will have time to pull the right trigger down to strike attacking edges.
It mightn’t all be smooth sailing for Tonga with a difficult matchup first up (vs an underrated England side) but I like them to play themselves into form at the right time.
There’s never much coverage Down Under of the travelling English squads and whatever mention they’ve had regarding this World Cup hasn’t been overly positive.
Without pretending to understand the politics or ins & outs of the English National Team, I’m taking this squad on face value and the value is… encouraging.
With eight NRL regulars named in Saturday’s side, there’s plenty of familiar faces for Australian fans to watch out for.
As he did the last time he wore an England jersey, AJ Brimson returns to his preferred position of fullback with Jack Welsby in the reserves. The question for England is whether Brimson has the hands to get the ball to either strike edge; Herbie Farnworth is undoubtedly England’s best attacking threat while Hugo Savala and Dominic Young will form a likely pairing on the right.
If the ball stops with Brimson in every other attacking shift though, England will die wondering what could’ve been while Savala and Farnworth go begging one channel wider.
It’s difficult to know how this English forward rotation will fare against more fancied opposition but there’s enough between Max King, Morgan Knowles, Victor Radley and Luke Thompson to assume England will at least be competitive in yardage.
From there, I like them to spring a few surprises this Series, perhaps starting this Saturday night…