Now that the “Group Stage” is finished, we can focus on the teams that actually have a chance of winning the tournament. In saying that, some of the remaining teams could consider themselves “lucky” to be here. Despite the criticism of many “fans of the game”, the past few weeks of rugby league action has surprisingly been enjoyable viewing. Many thought that there were several matchups that were going to be boring an uneventful, yet it wouldn’t be a game of rugby league without some form of controversy either on or off the field. What lies ahead of the remaining teams is a shot at making the semi-finals a week later, where they would be only 80 minutes between that match and a berth in the Final. At this stage of the competition, anything is possible and while on the surface everything appears to be going to plan, this game always has an element of shock left in it. There is still plenty of rugby league left to play and fans are going to be the beneficiaries of this. Sit back and enjoy what is left of this competition; and hopefully we can unearth a winner or two that will enhance your viewing pleasure.

New Zealand v Scotland

In what most people would consider surprising, Scotland progressed ahead of Italy and Tonga in Group C. Full credit must go to their side and along with the USA, they have been the “surprise packets” of the tournament. What is more impressive for their personal endeavours is that now they have reached the Quarterfinals, they automatically qualify for the next RLWC. Unfortunately, their run must come to an end here, at the hands of the Kiwis. They have been imposing in their group fixtures and they look as though they are heading to the Final in a few weeks time. They are suffering no serious injuries at this stage of the tournament and this game is going to be a matter of how much they win by. The only real challenge they have had thus far has been against Samoa and even then, they had a dominate first half to fall back on and their performance was somewhat overshadowed by a late comeback by their opponents. Despite winning two games, the Scots still averaged 20.6 points on defence and that was against sub-par opponents. The Kiwis have averaged 48.6 points in their victories and their scoring isn’t exactly going to be put to a halt just here.

Suggested Bet = New Zealand 61+ @ $6

FTS/LTS = Shaun Johnson

Australia v USA

Much like the Kiwis, the Aussies have been playing strongly in the group stages and they appear as though they will face their rivals from across the ditch in the final. However they have not looked as “slick” in their movements around the field like the Kiwis. Their last match against Ireland was testament to this and despite a 50-nil victory, there were still question marks hanging over their team. They are back to full strength and this should mean that we are going to see the best they have to offer. Thankfully, DCE has won a spot on the bench and will add another dimension to their attack when he takes the field. As for the Tomahawks, they have worked very hard to be here and despite progressing through in the weakest group, they will be egger to make a bold statement. Sadly, that is going to be very difficult for them to do. The Aussies are sure to send a message to the rest of the competition with a victory here and if their defence is anything to go by so far, the USA are going to find points very hard to come by.

Suggested Bet = Australia 51-70 @ $2.30

FTS/LTS = Darius Boyd

England v France

Now that the two “predictable” games have concluded, the more interesting contests can begin. The English have had a few tough games to contend with and it appeared at one stage in their game last week, that Fiji were going to grab an upset victory. The final score was 34-12, but it was locked up at 6-all at HT. Eventually, the Poms were too strong for their opponents but unlike the Aussies match against them, they were tested. Once they sprung into action, it was some exciting rugby league to view. Perhaps they are going to peak at the right stage of the tournament but first, they must move past a disappointing French team. They have been lacklustre in all their matches and they have failed to send a message that they are a team that should be respected. This culminated with a 22-8 loss last week to Samoa and there is a lot of pressure falling upon the shoulders of Thomas Bosc. The English will not fear them and while they will make the contest a close one early, the Poms should pull away towards the end of the match. They have averaged 32 points per match, while the French have conceded an average of 26-points. The French are going to put up a fight early, but it should be the Poms that head towards a semi-final matchup against the Kiwis.

Suggested Bet = England 21-40 @ $2.40

FTS/LTS = Ryan Hall

Samoa v Fiji

The concluding Quarterfinal match is promising to be a thrilling encounter between two emerging pacific island nations. Both teams have had a tough campaign to get here and the matches they have had against tough opponents is going to serve them well. At the beginning of the tournament, I tipped Samoa as a team to make a run towards the semi-finals and my opinion of them has grown in their matches. They are a quality outfit that is playing with strong structure and discipline. Anthony Milford has also been firing on all cylinders and at the moment, anything he touches turns to gold. He is one man that the Fijians will need to target if they are hoping to win this match. They too, have gone from strength to strength in their matches but will still be disappointed with their efforts against the Aussies where they only managed to score 2-points. Both sides are going to be desperate to progress further in their campaign and this is leaning towards being a very close contest. Samoa has had little trouble scoring points and the Fijians last match against England suggests they have tightened up around the ruck. If you can, try to watch this match because it is going to be a brutal contest, with Samoa likely to prevail in the end.

Suggested Bet = Samoa 1-12 @ $3.10

FTS/LTS = Joseph Leilua

Multi-bet = All suggested Bets @ $98.20

Good luck!
Scooby