League Express editor MARTYN SADLER recommends five Rugby League matches that will be good to watch in October.
OCTOBER is arguably the biggest month of the year in rugby league in both hemispheres.
It is usually the month in which Grand Finals are played and international tournaments or Test series get under way.
This year we have both sorts of events and, given that at the time of writing we didn’t yet know who will feature in any Grand Final, we will concentrate on the international action that will be unfolding this month.
Here are the games we recommend you look out for in October, even if you can’t attend some of them or watch them on TV.
Saturday, 12th October
Women’s World Cup qualifier
Greece v Ireland
Venue to be determined in Athens
This is one of those fixtures that I would never have dreamed of witnessing only a few years ago.
This clash is billed as a World Series play-off game, with the winner going into the 2025 World Series to face the winner of similar play-off games in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Middle-East Africa.
Greece are currently ranked ninth in international women’s rugby league, with Ireland in tenth place, so that bodes well for an even contest between the two nations.
The Greek men’s team qualified for the last World Cup held in England in 2022 and the baton has now passed to their women to take their place in Australia in 2026, with Ireland in a similar position.
Greece reached this stage by beating Serbia 32-4 in May, while the Irish qualified by beating the Netherlands 16-12, also in May with stand-off Storm Cobain scoring two tries and two conversions.
Tuesday, 22 October
Men’s World Cup qualifier
Wales v Serbia
Stade d’Albert Domec, Carcassonne (4.00pm BST)
There are already eight teams in the next World Cup, with two places open for qualifying teams.
The initial qualifying tournament will involve four European nations – France, Wales, Serbia and Ukraine – and it will be played in October in the south of France. The first game will be this one between Wales and Serbia, with the winner due to face the winner of France v Ukraine a week later in Perpignan.
The winner of that game will then go forward to play against the Cook Islands, Jamaica and South Africa next year in the inter-confederation qualification tournament in 2025, with the top two teams joining the other eight in 2026.
Wales will surely expect to beat an improving Serbian side, but they will find it more difficult to beat France, who will surely outclass Ukraine. Wales suffered three straight defeats in their World Cup group in 2022 and this will be their first official game since that tournament although they will face Jamaica in warm-up game a week earlier.
Saturday, 26th October
ABK Wheelchair International
England v France
Robin Park, Wigan (2.30pm)
England Wheelchair will kick off the ABK Beer International programme when they host their oldest and fiercest rivals France at the Robin Park Arena, Wigan. The two nations have met previously on 22 occasions, with France currently holding a 13-9 advantage.
The Wheelchair rivalry between England and France is one of the fiercest in any form of the sport, with the honours shared last year in fixtures in Leeds and Marseille after England’s magnificent triumph in Manchester in the 2022 World Cup Final.
The game will be played on the day before the first Men’s Test against Samoa, which will be played at the Brick Community Stadium and it will guarantee a great weekend of rugby league action in the town.
Sunday, 27th October
Pacific Championship
New Zealand v Australia
Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch (5.05am BST, Sky Sports)
Last season New Zealand shocked Australia by hammering them 30-0 in Waikato in the final of the Pacific Championship competition under the guidance of their then coach Michael Maguire, with Jamayne Isaako scoring 18 of their points with two tries and five goals.
Maguire was subsequently dismissed by the NZRL when he agreed to become the New South Wales coach, leading them to a triumph this year against Queensland.
The Australians have re-appointed Mal Meninga as the national coach while the Kiwis have turned to the iconic Stacey Jones and he will face a difficult task against an Australian team that will be thirsting for revenge.
The Australians will come into the match after having played Tonga a week earlier in Brisbane, while it will be the Kiwis’ first game in this year’s tournament. It has all the hallmarks of a potential thriller.
Sunday, 27th October
2024 Test series
England v Samoa
The Brick Community Stadium, Wigan (2.30pm, BBC)
For much of this year we didn’t know whether we would have a Test series or not this autumn, but fortunately an agreement was finally reached to bring Samoa to England and we will now have a two-match series at Wigan and Leeds in the space of just seven days.
Of course this game gives England the chance to gain revenge for their defeat by Samoa in the World Cup semi-final two years ago at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, when Stephen Crichton kicked a golden-point field-goal in front of 40,489 spectators to shatter England’s World Cup hopes on home soil.
And with the majority of that England team selected in Shaun Wane’s 31-man squad to prepare for the series, there will be no shortage of motivation.
However, the Samoans will be at least as strong as they were two years ago and they will be strengthened by some notable NRL stars, such as former Golden Boot winner Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, electing to play for them.
It would be good to see a full house at Wigan for what could be a wonderful opening match of the first ever Test series between these two international teams.
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 501 (October 2024)
Click here to subscribe to the print edition of Rugby League World
