While we've only seen two of the three pool rounds of the World Cup, the Quarter Finals seem to be nearly locked in, setting up some mouth-watering clashes.
We've seen some blowouts, upsets and close affairs across the first two weeks of the tournament, but as all rugby league fans knew, the cream always rises to the top.
Valiant efforts from Papua New Guinea and Lebanon catch the eye, but there's seemingly only five nations that have the squad to make a run once the pool stages conclude.
Australia, New Zealand, England, Samoa and Tonga.
The five nations are riddled with NRL and Super League talent, and have shone across their opening games, with Samoa the only one of the five to have suffered a loss at the tournament - a 60-6 loss to England in the tournament's opening match.
While they continue to find their best 17, minnow nations scrap it out for a spot in the finals, here's how it's shaping up.
Quarter Final 1
Group B winner v Group C runners-Up
Likely matchup: Australia v Lebanon
In a fairly weaker pool, no one is going close to stopping Australia from topping their pool. A 42-8 win over Fiji before an 84-0 trouncing of Scotland all but secured the top spot, which will be confirmed after the Kangaroos face Italy.
Lebanon's clash with Ireland was a fight for the silver medal in the group, the Cedars securing a 32-14 victory, despite missing Adam Doueihi. New Zealand has the top spot sown up, however it looks like it'll be Lebanon that will face Australia.
Quarter Final 2
Group A winner v Group D runners-up
Likely matchup: England v Papua New Guinea
England's biggest game of the tournament was always going to be their opener against Samoa, a test they passed with flying colours, earning a massive 60-6 victory over the pacific nation. Rounding out the pool matches with a 42-18 win over France and an upcoming clash with Greece, they'll take the top spot.
Papua New Guinea had to get past the Cook Islands to secure second place, winning the clash 32-16, and will finish behind Tonga to nab silver in Group D.
Quarter Final 3ย
Group C winner v Group B runners-up
Likely matchup: New Zealand v Fiji
New Zealand may have conceded Jamaica's first-ever World Cup try last round, but the top-tier nation still won with a resounding 68-6 win. A heavyweight of the tournament, the Kiwis pose as Australia's biggest threat. Their upcoming pool match against Ireland could get ugly.
Fiji were resilient against Australia, scoring the first try, but not enough to overcome the tournament favourites. While the Kangaroos were always going to get top spot, Fiji's 60-6 win over Italy and likely win over Scotland books them a date with New Zealand, who they eliminated in the Quarter Finals in 2017.
Quarter Final 4
Group D winner v Group A runners-up
The most mouth-watering clash of the Quarter Finals, Tonga's clashes are a lot closer than they would've preferred, however the nation does get Jason Taumalolo back this week. They defeated the Kumuls in the dying stages and beat Wales 32-6, while a near-definite win over the Cook Islands will hand them top seeding.
Samoa were embarrassed 60-6 against England, and then bounced back with a dominant 72-4 victory over Greece. They face France in their final pool match, a clash Samoa should almost certainly win, before facing Tonga in a crucial affair.
The winners of Quarter Finals 1 and 3 will face off in the Semi-Finals, as will the winners of Quarter Finals 2 and 4. It means Australia and New Zealand will likely come face-to-face for a spot in the World Cup Final, with the other side of the draw much more unpredictable.
