RLWC Australia v Scotland best bets & top odds – October 22, 2022

Round two of the Rugby League World Cup continues Saturday morning when Australia takes on Scotland in Coventry. The Kangaroos will be looking to build on their strong start to the World Cup after their big win over the Fiji Bati, while the Scottish have an enormous gap to make up after they were beaten by Italy.

The Kangaroos have made a host of changes with coach Mal Meninga appearing to build on his sides versatility bring Matt Burton, Campbell Graham, Nathan Cleary, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Liam Martin and Isaah Yeo into the starting side, with Lindsay Collins coming onto the bench.

Scotland are not expected to make any changes and will need all hands on deck to take on the Kangaroos. Logan Bayliss-Brow, Euan Aitken and Kane Linnett will all be expected to play, and they will need to be at their best if they’re to help lift Scotland over Australia.

Australia may have made a host of changes, but they are not necessarily negative as the Kangaroos arguably have a better side on paper to the one that beat Fiji. While Scotland may put up a fight, they will not be expected to be in the fight for 80 minutes with the Kangaroos, meaning they are every chance of winning by 41-50 points paying $6.60 with Palmerbet.

Australia have changed up the right edge of their attack by bringing Graham and Burton into the side, meaning the Kangaroos will be looking to build the cohesion of the left edge with Josh Addo-Carr and Latrell Mitchell. With a new look right edge, the Kangaroos will surely target their left edge more, with Addo-Carr to be one of the main beneficiaries. He can score tries from anywhere on the park and will be every chance of scoring three tries or more.

Dual premiership winning halfback and 2021 Clive Churchill medallist Nathan Cleary has been named to make his long-awaited international debut. Also making his international debut is Penrith Panthers second rower and dual premiership winner Liam Martin. The combination these two shares at club and State of Origin level is one of the most dangerous in Rugby League. Cleary provides scoring opportunities for Martin with kicks and his short passing game but can also use Martin as a decoy to score for himself. Both should go on to score at any time during the match at ($1.82) and ($1.94) respectively.

With the Kangaroos expected to flex their World Cup winning credentials, and Scotland’s unexpected ability to keep up for the full game, this could end up being a blow out on the scoreboard. The Kangaroos have tryscorers across the park and this game is every chance of finishing between 41-50 total match points paying $16 with top online bookmakers.

KEY MATCH UP: ANGUS CRICHTON v EUAN AITKEN

The battle of these two back rowers certainly won’t decide the match, however, the work Aitken does on his edge could go a long way towards limiting the damage caused by Australia. Crichton is one of the most skilled back rowers in the NRL, and not only can he get through an enormous amount of work, but he is also supremely intelligent. Crichton’s decoy runs, late footwork and even his ball playing ability are all factors Aitken will have to consider when defending. Should Aitken make multiple incorrect decisions, Crichton will inflict a lot of pain on this Scottish side or enable those attacking around him to inflict that damage.

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