WORLD CUP holders Australia go into the 2026 tournament as favourites – and is there any wonder why? The Kangaroos won all of their games…

THE eighth-ranked team in the competition and the lowest-ranked in Pool A, the Cook Islands have their work cut out to inflict any upsets on…

AT the helm of Fiji is Mick Potter, who oversaw the Bati’s greatest win when they eliminated the Kiwis in 2017 to reach the semi-finals…

IF Australia are favourites, then New Zealand are surely second favourites. The Kiwis’ last fixture against Australia ended in a 22-10 defeat during the Pacific…

ENGLAND will hope that domestic legend Brian McDermott can finally bring some long-awaited international success. A disappointing Ashes series in 2025 has meant it’s all…

WERE it not for their second straight quarter-final appearance four years ago securing them automatic qualification, Lebanon wouldn’t have even been eligible for this World…

SAMOA will have to go some way to replicate their success from their World Cup campaign four years ago when they made it all the…

THE World Cup’s downsizing means France are one of only two European nations in the men’s tournament. They haven’t made it to the last four…

THE Kumuls always bring colour to the World Cup party, and they’ll certainly do that this year with two fixtures in Port Moresby. Papua New…

AFTER a horror Pacific Cup last autumn saw them slip out of the top four in the world rankings, Tonga have drawn the short straw…