Rugby League World Cup predictions: Lions to push Kangaroos all the way

Free rugby league tips, best bets and analysis for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup which starts in Newcastle on Saturday.

Where to watch

Every game will be covered live on the BBC

Best bets

Australia v England final
3pts 11-4 Betfair, Coral, Ladbrokes

England to win the World Cup
1pt 16-1 Betfred, Hills

Tonga to win the World Cup
1pt 14-1 general

Tournament preview

You'd have to be hopping mad to fancy anyone other than Australia to win the rugby league World Cup but that seems to be the common theme ahead of the delayed 2021 tournament, which begins on Saturday at Newcastle's St James' Park.

The Kangaroos, the 11-time champions, are 4-9 favourites to round it up to a dozen but this may just be the time to take on Mal Meninga's men as the chasing pack all hold genuine claims of finally wresting the trophy away from the Green & Golds.

The Aussies arrive in the unusual position of not being the number one side in the world rankings - top dogs are New Zealand with Tonga and England also above the reigning world champions.

And Australia also pitch up in the UK with 13 uncapped names in their 24-man party. It's a brave move from Meninga to carry so many rookies even given the undoubted quality of those selected, and they will need to gel quickly if they are to retain their trophy they won when beating England in Brisbane just under five years ago.

It was 6-0 to Australia on that occasion and England will fancy their chances of going one better on home soil, and the old rivals are fancied to meet again in this year's decider.

The Lions have a lovely blend of Super League and NRL experience, while coach Shaun Wane was a serial winner in his time at Wigan.

Wane will have his side well drilled and they will be a tough nut to crack with home crowds firmly behind them and they just look too big to dismiss at 16-1.

A 50-0 win over Fiji last week suggests England will start on the front foot and they will need to hit the ground running.

England begin their campaign as underdogs for their opener against Samoa on Saturday, while things should be more routine for the Kangaroos who face Fiji later in the day.

Australia's biggest test is likely to come in the semi-finals, where they look set to face New Zealand.

The Kiwis are 7-2 to land only their second world crown, but no matter how strong they look they usually find a way to come up short.

They made a real mess of it in 2017 when they suffered an embarrassing 4-2 quarter-final defeat to Fiji on home soil in Wellington and they were hammered 34-2 by Australia in the 2013 final.

The Kiwis have named a fearsome squad in a bid to redeem themselves and they should waltz through their group which also features Lebanon, Ireland and Jamaica.

How they perform when the pressure is really on in the knockout stages is the big question and they could be usurped by Polynesian powerhouses Tonga or Samoa.

Both sides are dripping with talent - Samoa's squad features six of Penrith's back-to-back NRL title-winning side - but Tonga have the advantage of being coached by serial winner and former St Helens boss Kristian Woolf.

Woolf led St Helens to their fourth consecutive Super League title recently and took Tonga to the World Cup semi-finals in 2017.

Tonga have moved up to second in the world rankings under Woolf's watch and they look a decent-priced alternative to crack the Australia-New Zealand-England cartel.

Woolf's men have beaten all three nations in the last five years and their star-studded line-up could give punters a good run for their money at 14-1.

The biggest obstacle facing the Tongans is a possible quarter-final showdown with either Samoa or England. If they get through that, they look genuine contenders.

An opening round tussle with Papua New Guinea also looks tricky but it should mean they are fully focused right from the start and that can only aid their challenge for long-awaited glory.

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