Australia favourites but face genuine threats at Rugby League World Cup hosts' campaign
As hosts of the men's Rugby League World Cup, Australia head into the tournament as clear favourites but their success is not guaranteed, with the only match in New Zealand scheduled for Christchurch on 25 October.
Critics have dismissed the men's Rugby League World Cup as a "world" cup in name only, noting participants mainly come from the trans-Tasman coastlines, Pacific archipelagoes and parts of northern Europe, with Lebanon represented largely via Lakemba in western Sydney. The tournament has generated intense local interest at specific fixtures: Commbank Stadium is sold out for the pool clash between Tonga and Samoa, Port Moresby will host two Kumuls home matches, and Toa Samoa drew strong support at a fan day in Mount Druitt. Organisers expect strong turnouts at several games despite broader questions about the event's reach.
Samoa arrive with experienced campaigners and NRL pedigree, including State of Origin veterans Stephen Crichton, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Brian To'o and Spencer Leniu, and carry the memory of their runners-up finish in 2021 when they lost to the Kangaroos in the final. The Samoan squad is presented in the source as capable of improving on that result, with the article noting their lineup "can go one better than their breakout runners-up finish in 2021." The combination of community pride and on-field talent is emphasised as a driving force behind their prospects.
Tonga are highlighted as a rejuvenated force, anchored by Jason Taumalolo, whose decade-old commitment to Mate Ma’a Tonga is credited with invigorating the international game. The article singles out Isaiya Katoa as a potential future playmaker and Robert Toia as a benchmark centre for Tonga. Those "tier two" nations, the piece argues, draw passionate support and benefit from loosening eligibility laws that have redistributed NRL depth around the international scene.
Organisers expect sell-outs for the Tonga v Samoa fixture, the Port Moresby contests and the match in Christchurch, even if tickets remain available for some of the hosts' other games. The opening-night crowd will be a record for a Rugby League World Cup opener and will almost double the 22,724 who watched Australia play England in the first match of the last edition held in Australia, the article reports. Tournament revenue is projected to be positive, a claim attributed to organisers and to the commitment of stretched staff at NRL headquarters who are described as doubling up at the back end of a long season.
Some commentators and sections of the public are said to regard the tournament with indifference, citing the men's cricket tour of South Africa and comparisons with rugby union ticket sales, where Wallabies matches at next year's Rugby World Cup are mentioned as selling more tickets despite higher prices. The article also notes the competition struggled to find a host after false starts in the USA and France, a point used by detractors to question the event's stature. Those difficulties sit alongside the view that the competition nevertheless represents the sport's best showing in recent times.
Australia remain the tournament favourites but the article stresses that success is not guaranteed, recalling New Zealand's upset over the hosts at Lang Park in the 2008 final when Australia fielded players such as Johnathan Thurston, Darren Lockyer, Billy Slater and Cameron Smith. New Zealand are described as the main threat to the Kangaroos, with a strong pack featuring Naufahu Whyte coming off the bench behind captain James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota, while Joe Tapine wears No 13. The Kiwis also include fullback Kalyn Ponga, who "will play for New Zealand for the first time at this tournament," and Melbourne half Jahrome Hughes.
The men's tournament runs alongside the women's and wheelchair editions, and the article concludes that the promise and potential of emerging contenders, backed by passionate support, is central to the event's appeal; it adds that "Anything but another trophy held aloft by Kangaroos captain Isaah Yeo after the final in Brisbane on 15 November will be below par."