Rugby League World Cup Group A Preview: England challenge, Samoa dark horse and more

The Rugby League World Cup kicks off on Saturday 15 October. England take on Samoa at Newcastle's St James' Park. Australia are looking to make it three World Cups in a row.

Rugby League World Cup Group A Preview: England challenge, Samoa dark horse and more. Head Coach: Shaun Wane. Captain: Sam Tomkins.

England were runners up in the 2017 World Cup. Shaun Wane's team has played just one game in two years. England will be expected to get out of the group. Samoa is a dark horse.   England play Samoa in Group A. Sam Tomkins, Kallum Watkins, Victor Radley, Jack Welsby, Elliott Whitehead, George Williams, Dominic Young, Luke Thompson, Mikolaj Oledzki, Kai Pearce-Paul, Ryan Hall, Chris Hill, Matt Hall and Chris H Hill are also in.

Rugby League World Cup Group A Preview: England challenge, Samoa dark horse and more. Head Coach: Matt Parish. Captain: Anthony Milford.

Samoa are playing in the Rugby League World Cup. Matt Parish has assembled a strong squad. The team is coached by him. Samoan team beat Cook Islands 42-12 in June. They play England in their opening match. Samoans are coached and managed by Matt parish. He is a former player. Samoa are currently ranked No. 1 in rugby league. Their team has a lot of NRL players. It includes Brian To’o, Taylan May, Izack Tago, Isobel Taga, Joseph Suaalii, Martin Taupau, Josh Papalius, Junior Paulo, Oregon Kaufusi, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, and Kelma Tuilagi.

Rugby League World Cup Group A Preview: England challenge, Samoa dark horse and more. Head Coach: Laurent Frayssinous. Captain: Benjamin Garcia.

France lost to England 10-30 last Autumn. Theo Fages won't play in the tournament due to injury. Catalans Dragons have a squad with a lot of players from Toulouse. Samoa is a dark horse in Group A. England and Samoa are the favourites. France are looking to build on a poor run of World Cup performances. They lost 10 to Wales last autumn. The French have some flair in their ranks, most notably from Tony Gigot and Morgan Escaré.

Rugby League World Cup Group A Preview: England challenge, Samoa dark horse and more. Head Coach: Steve Georgallis. Captain: Jordan Meads.

Greek rugby league is entering its first ever World Cup tournament. They have players from the NRL and the domestic competition. Their group includes France, Samoa and England. They face a tough group. The tournament is a celebration of the progress made in recent years. It's also a chance to celebrate the game's legalisation. Greece will qualify for the 2019 World Championship in Serbia. Greek players have played for Warrington, Hull FC Reserves and Doncaster. Greeks have also played in Rhodes Knights and Aris Eagles.