Who will win the WC - Poll

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

Kiwis pack is insane 

I think it gets them in the final to beat England 

Edited October 11, 2022 by Bedfordshire Bronco

[Gerrumonside ref]

England, land of milk and honey...and Dom Young!

[Spidey]

Anybody but Australia will do for me

[Jughead]

Australia, though I have a suspicion the Kiwis could be a tough side. 

[graveyard johnny]

Scotland - every other WC camp will be struck down by a new variant of covid thus enabling them to get a bye in every game - a strict diet of haggis - deep fried mars bars and Buckfast will have made them immune to the new strain 

[Moe syszlak]

NZ will do us a favour and knock the aussies out, then we'll do them in the final.

[moorside roughyed]

Head says New Zealand,heart obviously says England.

[Maximus Decimus]

If anyone is not picking Australia they need their heads testing.

[GeordieSaint]

27 minutes ago, Moe syszlak said:

NZ will do us a favour and knock the aussies out, then we'll do them in the final.

Head and heart are leaning this way for me too…

[DI Keith Fowler]

Irrespective of the poll, I do suspect that indeed a Pole might win the WC. Ahem.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

2 hours ago, Maximus Decimus said:

If anyone is not picking Australia they need their heads testing.

Plenty of noise out in the Aussie media thinking NZ have an equal chance 

[Spotty Herbert]

New Zealand pack or Australia spine and outside backs? I think NZ might just do it.

[Stuff Smith]

Gone for Australia in the hope that I jinx them.

To make sure that they are jinxed, I should put some money on them too. Not going to do that though: you could bathe me in bleach twice-daily for the rest of my life and I still wouldn't feel clean.

(Please, please, any deities out there: make anyone other than Australia win.)

[jacksy]

Head says aussies but heart wants an England win.

Gone with my heart.

[Maximus Decimus]

2 hours ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Plenty of noise out in the Aussie media thinking NZ have an equal chance 

I'm going to use the last 50 odd years as evidence that they don't!

[Maximus Decimus]

13 minutes ago, jacksy said:

Head says aussies but heart wants an England win.

Gone with my heart.

I'd be pretty happy with a final and a decent effort in that.

The thought that we could very reasonably go out in the quarters is genuinely crazy.

[Eddie]

5 hours ago, Spidey said:

Anybody but Australia will do for me

ABA 

[Gerrumonside ref]

2 minutes ago, Eddie said:

ABA 

You are the dancing queen, 

Feel the beat of the tambourine

Oh yeah!

[The Rocket]

4 hours ago, Maximus Decimus said:

If anyone is not picking Australia they need their heads testing.

If anyone is not picking anyone but Oz they need their hearts testing.

[Wolford6]

I just hope that  Wales will not be too knackered in the semis after thrashing Tonga and PNG.

[UTK]

1 hour ago, Maximus Decimus said:

I'm going to use the last 50 odd years as evidence that they don't!

Never before in the last 50 years have Australia gone with 50% winning record between World Cups, including a loss to a tier 2 nation. 

We're in unprecedented times for the international game, past performance may not be a reliable indicator of future success anymore.

[jacksy]

1 hour ago, Maximus Decimus said:

I'd be pretty happy with a final and a decent effort in that.

The thought that we could very reasonably go out in the quarters is genuinely crazy.

Nah seen 40 years of decent efforts against the aussies. I want a win.

Seen my Airlie Birds win at Wembley now its time to see my country win a big one.

[Stuff Smith]

20 minutes ago, jacksy said:

Nah seen 40 years of decent efforts against the aussies. I want a win.

Seen my Airlie Birds win at Wembley now its time to see my country win a big one.

Me too. (Not quite 40 years though...)

I've seen us as gallant losers too many times.

I want us to win for once: I don't care how we do it.

Edited October 11, 2022 by Stuff Smith

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

45 minutes ago, UTK said:

Never before in the last 50 years have Australia gone with 50% winning record between World Cups, including a loss to a tier 2 nation. 

We're in unprecedented times for the international game, past performance may not be a reliable indicator of future success anymore.

Even more unprecedented how many of their best and first choice players have said no thanks to the snot green and yellow 

Again.......good times

[Dunbar]

So, I will put my England hat to one side for a second and think this through logically. 

The winner of the World Cup will come from the winner of the Australia vs. New Zealand semi final.

The best teams in Rugby League (perhaps more now than ever before) are the one's with the best spines.

Look at Australia. They could start with this...

1. Tesdecso

6. Munster

7. Cleary

9. Grant

13. Yeo

The best spine in the competition.  And if they decided to go with something different (injury or form) it could be...

1. Mitchell 

6. Burton/Wighton 

7. Cherry-Evans

9. Hunt

13. Murray

Still probably the best spine in the competition.

And do they still have quality centres, wings, middles and edge forwards.  Of course they do.  They are talented all across the squad with no weak links should injury or suspension hit.

The only team who can beat Australia is New Zealand.  They have quality 1 to 17 and Australia have an easy group and quarter final.  They could ambush Australia in the semi but that game decides the tournament. 

On the other side of the draw it is between England, Samoa and Tonga.  I see England and Tonga in the semi... Tonga are stronger than Samoa across the park and England are better prepared for this Saturday which will mean Samoa and Tonga play each other in the quarters.

If it is England amd Tonga, I can't pick that semi final (maybe will closer to the day).  But I think the winner finishes second in World Cup.

Hat back on.

England of course.