The first week of the 2013 RLWC is down, with action aplenty throughout the matches thus far. If you were still apprehensive about the quality of games before the beginning of the tournament, that should disappear as we move into the second week. It is good to see a balance between predictable results and the upsets. After the “rest day” on Friday, Week 2 of matches will kick off with a Group B battle between New Zealand and France. Both sides will be looking to improve on their first round efforts and making this game more exciting will be the fact that each team is coming off a victory. The Kiwis were particularly strong early against Samoa, however their opponents fought their way back into the match towards the end of the game. It was too little too late for the Samoans but there was a stage there where the Kiwis appeared to be worried and quickly running out of steam. That is expected in first-round fixtures and you only have to take notice of how well they played in the first half to be reminded of how hard they are going to be to stop in this competition. As for the French, they will be thankful that David Mead missed a late conversion that would’ve handed PNG a hard-fought victory. They again remain at home and will hope that their home crowd can give them a large lift over their opponents. Their last match was always going to be a close contest, however the French will be disappointed by how narrow the margin of victory was. Full credit must go to their star Thomas Bosc for getting his team through the match with his individual efforts. The job for them becomes even more difficult this week and while there no one is giving them a hope of victory, there is the slight chance that they can play themselves into form and push the Kiwis right until the final whistle.
New Zealand
It comes as no surprise that the stronger teams in the competition are beginning to rest players as they face weaker opponents. It says a lot about the respect the Kiwis have for the French when at the conclusion of this game, 23 of their 24-man squad will have played at least one game. The key positions (6,7 & 9) remain the same but around that, Jason Nightingale (for Vatuvei), Kevin Locke (for Hoffman) and Krisnan Inu (for Whare) come into the backline. In the forwards, the new faces are Ben Matulino (for Bromwich) and Alex Glenn (for SBW). On the bench, Greg Eastwood (for Moa) will gain a start at some stage during the game and push for regular inclusion in the side. Coach Stephen Kearney has left his options open with naming an extended bench, although it appears likely that Jesse Bromwich and Josh Hoffman will be only included if there is a late injury to the team. This is the ideal time for the Kiwis to rest a few players that suffered continuing niggling injuries in their opening match, while also being a testament to the depth within their squad.
France
The French are giving nothing away to the Kiwis in naming their team this week as they have chosen to name a 19-man squad. That was the same for their last match and they are expected to take an identical team into this contest. All it does is leave their coach, Richard Agar, with plenty of options depending on the conditions that the match will be played under. If they are looking to improve on their efforts against PNG, they can begin with increasing their completion rate from 68.3%. In defence, they must improve on the amount of penalties they concede as 8 was too high and gave the Kumuls too many attacking opportunities at their line.
Odds
**BOOKIES ARE NOT OFFERING HEAD TO HEAD BETTING**
Verdict
It comes as no surprise that this match is going to come down to a matter of “how much” the Kiwis win by rather than the question of whether or not they can win. They are the superior team in every area of the field and despite all of their changes; they have a host of quality players taking the field. On top of that, maintaining the core group of players from the “spine” should assist them further in their question for victory. In order to find value in this match, you are going to have to select a winning margin in favour of the Kiwis. Unfortunately for the French, unless they lift to another level, it could become very ugly for them. Do not been thrown off by the new players coming into the team, they are going to be desperate to prove themselves worthy of a permanent spot in this team.
Suggested Bet
Kiwis 31-45 points @ $3.25
Shauny-boy = Shaun Johnson FTS and/or LTS @ $11 – Johnson is one of the key pieces to the Kiwis puzzle and as the tournament goes forward, he is only going to grow in confidence. The French have not been exposed to his electric play on the field and this could have him crossing the line either first or last, delivering some very juicy odds.
Good luck!
Scooby
