Rugby League World Cup 2022 Preview & Predictions

The Rugby League World Cup kicks off this week in England, where Australia and New Zealand are expected to go deep. However, the island nations are strong and we can’t forget about the host nation.We preview the Rugby League World Cup and find the best value bets for punters to snap up before the tournament starts on Sunday.

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Rugby League World Cup Predictions

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Rugby League World Cup Winner – New Zealand

Australia has named a terrific team, but we don’t see much value in its $1.53. Therefore, we’re picking New Zealand to come through.The Kiwis also have an excellent team, especially in the forward pack. Names such as the Bromwich brothers, James Fisher-Harris, Nelson Asofa-Solomana and Joseph Tapine makes for excellent reading.The back line is also strong with Jahrome Hughes, Joseph Manu, and Jordan Rapana set to do business for New Zealand.We can’t find much fault with the team selected and we were happy to see Shaun Johnson left out of the team. Having Hughes and Kieran Foran running the ship is much better as they attack the line, which Johnson doesn’t do.Expect physical play from the Kiwis and they’re going to cruise into the finals with the easiest pool of the top-tier nations. New Zealand plays Ireland, Lebanon, and Jamaica. The only negative is that it won’t have a hard game before the knockout stages, but the Kiwis are always tough to beat under tournament conditions.Take the $4.33 available, which is likely to shorten.Bet: New Zealand @ $4.33 Bet @ BlueBet—

Pool A Winner – Samoa

Samoa is a $10 chance to win the World Cup, but there is better value for the Samoans to win their pool.Their lack of experience playing together could hinder their chances of beating New Zealand and Australia, but we think they’re good enough to beat England and top their pool.It’s a stacked team of NRL talent, including Stephen Crichton, Jarome Luai, Josh Papali’i, and Brian To’o.They are missing experience at important positions, but we’re not keen on England’s chances in Pool A, despite having home ground advantage.Samoa is $1.67 to win their pool against England, France, and Greece. If it plays anywhere near its talent, it shouldn’t have much problem.Bet: Samoa @ $1.67 Bet @ BlueBet—

To Make the Final – New Zealand

The Rugby League World Cup draw is interesting because New Zealand and Australia can’t meet in the final. The Kiwis are $3.50 to make the final because of this, but the likes of Samoa, England, and Tonga are shorter in this market.The Kiwis will need to beat Australia in the semifinals but we’re not putting it past them. It won’t be an easy game, but they’re our top pick.Our saver bet is on Samoa at $2.40. They have the easier trip once they reach the finals, so the $2.40 is well worth taking and it could set up for an exciting final.Bet: New Zealand @ $3.50 Bet @ BlueBet—

Top Try Scorer – Joseph Manu

New Zealand’s Joseph Manu is a high-quality player and we think his odds are too good to pass up.He should get excellent service from the halves and he’s a prolific try scorer for the Sydney Roosters, so he could make his mark at the Rugby World Cup.We can’t turn down the $21 for Manu and he represents much better value than current favourite Josh Addo-Carr.Bet: Joseph Manu @ $21 Bet @ BlueBet—

Fiji Top Try Scorer – Maika Sivo

The Parramatta Eels’ winger knows how to cross the line and he’s an excellent chance to score the most tries for Fiji.We expect Fiji to struggle to score tries against the likes of Australia, but they should be able to score plenty of tries against Scotland and Italy.We see Sivo running over the defence and we thought he would be shorter with bookmakers. Sivo is a $2.25 chance to outscore the likes of Mikaele Ravalawa and Sunia Turuva.Bet: Maiko Sivo @ $2.25 Bet @ BlueBet