Australia v New Zealand RLWC betting tips – Saturday, November 12

One of the greatest international rivalries in rugby league history will reignite on Saturday morning (AEDT) when the Australian Kangaroos take on the New Zealand Kiwis at Elland Road in Leeds. Australia come into this match having barely been pushed in their World Cup campaign and only conceding 18 points throughout the tournament. The Kiwis on the other hand have had their struggles, having nearly been upstaged by a brave Fijian side last weekend in Hull.

These two nations have met 135 times in Rugby League, with Australia winning 100 of those matches and sharing three draws with New Zealand. The two have not played for three years since they last met at WIN Stadium in Wollongong. The last time the two faced off in England was the 2016 Four Nations where Australia thumped New Zealand 34-8 at Anfield.

Both the Kangaroos and Kiwis have made changes to their sides for this knockout semi-final clash. Campbell Graham and Lindsay Collins have been left out of the side for Saturday. Ben Hunt comes in to start at hooker, pushing Harry Grant to the bench. Nathan Cleary will start at halfback with Daly Cherry-Evans coming off the bench in a utility role and Reagan Campbell-Gillard comes into the reserves.
The Kiwis have only made one change to their side that beat Fiji, Scott Sorenson has been left out of the squad with Moses Keota and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak named as reserves.

So far this World Cup, the Kiwis have not entirely lived up to the hype that comes with the squad they have on paper. They are certainly capable of beating this Kangaroos side, but risk being beaten by a side with a younger, smaller, faster forward pack. With that being said, the Kangaroos may struggle with cohesion, but will ultimately be the better side that takes out the win by 1-12 points.

Josh Addo-Carr has been in the type of form where some are prepared to put him in the conversation of “Greatest Winger of All Time”. Addo-Carr’s ability to score tries from anywhere on the park this World Cup have been unrivalled. Jordan Rapana will be marking up on Addo-Carr on Saturday, and Rapana is known for brain snaps and defensive errors. In his current form Addo-Carr is almost a certainty to score a try.

Another man for the Kangaroos who may fly under the radar, but is every chance of scoring, is Liam Martin. Martin will be on the attacking right edge with Panthers and Blues halfback Cleary. Kenny Bromwich will be the man responsible for defending on the Kiwis left edge where his communication with Dylan Brown and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad will again be tested. Be it a strong running line or a kick behind the defensive line, Martin is every chance of scoring.

The weather predicted for Saturday’s clash is overcast, with rain predicted in the days leading up to the game. That will make scoring points very difficult for each side, as the two have a history of lower scoring games, especially in England. Look for this match to again be low scoring with the total match points falling below 42.5.

Key matchup: James Tedesco vs Joseph Manu

The battle of these two fullbacks and Roosters teammates will almost certainly decide the outcome of the match. Manu has shown in the last twelve months he is capable of shouldering enormous work loads for both the Kiwis and Roosters, freeing up his team mates to attack and score, when he is not in the position to. Manu lacks a passing game often, making him more on dimensional and easier to defend than Tedesco. When the play is not there for the Australian skipper, he is creating opportunities for those on his outside. Manu will need to develop more of a ‘pass first’ mentality to give the Kiwis their best chance of attacking and winning on Saturday.

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