The Rugby League World Cup is right around the corner and the pools are set to be filled with competitive clashes as teams aim to make the finals.
Three teams from Pools A and B will make the finals, while one team from Pools C and D will make it.
Pool A โ Australia, England, France and Lebanon
Pool A features two Tier 1 sides in Australia and England, making finals qualification a daunting task for both France and Lebanon.
Australia and England could both top this pool and it will depend on their match, which is the tournament opener. Both teams will most likely defeat France and Lebanon so the game between Australia and England will be extremely important.
For France and Lebanon making the finals will be as simple as defeating one another in their match. While Lebanon has selected a number of good players, France has the experience and skill to see them off and reach the finals.
Likely Finals Teams: Australia, England and France
Pool B โ New Zealand, Samoa, Scotland and Tonga
Perhaps the most competitive pool in the entire tournament, Pool B will feature a number of highly competitive matches - including the fierce rivalry between Samoa and Tonga.
New Zealand will be the favourites to top the pool, though the recent additions of Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita to an already star-studded Tongan side mean no one would be surprised if Tonga were to top Pool B.
This is not to write off either Samoa or Scotland, who are both quality international sides. Though it would be unlikely for either of them to top Pool B, both could certainly beat any side on their day and move into the finals.
The quality of all the sides in this pool make it difficult to predict who will move on, though the safest bet is that New Zealand will top the pool just ahead of Tonga.
Behind them, it will be between Samoa and Scotland and their game could be an elimination match. While either side could move on, Samoa will likely get the win thanks to their NRL stars.
Likely Finals Teams: New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa
Pool C โ Papua New Guinea, Ireland and Wales
Papua New Guinea, Ireland and Wales all feature in Pool C, which is set to be a hotly contested pool. Only one team in this pool will make the finals, so every game is extremely important.
Papua New Guinea is the favourites here, but Wales and Ireland could both move on if they play well. Of the two, Ireland is the higher rated side and have been a more consistent World Cup side, though Wales outperformed them in 2013.
Likely Finals Team: Papua New Guinea
Pool D โ Fiji, Italy and USA
Pool D is the second pool that will only have one team that qualifies for the finals.
The USA shocked the Rugby League community when they qualified for the finals in the 2013 World Cup. However, in order to qualify this year, they will have to overcome both Fiji and Italy.
Fiji features some quality players and are the most likely to move on, though the USA has shown they are not to be written off. It would be a monumental effort for Italy to make the finals, but if they turn up every game they could surprise everyone.
Likely Finals Team: Fiji
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