Rugby League World Cup: Quarterfinals Previews

Rugby League World Cup quarterfinals are taking place this weekend. The top teams are going to fight for the Paul Barrière Trophy.

Australia and Lebanon are playing in the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday 5th November at 6:30 am AEDT at John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield. Australia won all three of their group games. Lebanon won their last two matches against Ireland and Jamaica. They are short-priced favourites. They have played just once before in their history. The game will be a chance for Australia to build their team's synergy. It will also be an opportunity for Lebanon to keep their players fresh.

England and Papua New Guinea are playing each other in the Rugby League World Cup quarterfinals on Sunday 6 November at DW Stadium, Wigan. England won all three of their group stage matches. PapuaNewGuinea won over Cook Islands and Wales and came close to upsetting Tonga in their World cup opener. They have never qualified for a World Cups semi-final. England's forwards will have their work cut out for them against a strong pack headed by Thomas Burgess, Victor Radley, and John Bateman.

New Zealand will play Fiji at MKM Stadium, Hull on Sunday 6 November at 6:30 am AEDT. Fiji knocked New Zealand out of the 2017 World Cup in Wellington. New Zealander won three of their three group games. They are favourites despite their clunky trio of group stage wins. Fiji bounced back from their first-start loss to Australia with wins over Italy and Scotland. Many of Fiji's stars are unavailable for this match. The match is a final warm-up for the semi-final against Australia. It will be played at the same time as the other two matches.

Tonga and Toa Sāmoa are meeting in the Rugby League World Cup quarterfinals on Monday 7th November at Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington. Tonga finished atop Group D with a trio of wins and finished with the tournament’s fourth-best attack (65.3 ppg), fourth strongest defence (11. 3 pPG), and fourth highest average margin (38.0 pg). SámoA bounced back from a shock 60-6 defeat to England in their World cup opener to get the job done against Greece and France. They have the fifth-highest average score and fifth best defence.